Link love No.22!

Boy, I feel like we (my family) accomplished a lot today. We worked on the yard, and my sweet husband helped me to can the tomatoes from our garden. I made tomato sauce and I must say, I LOVE the smell of tomatoes and basil filling up my house.

There is so much to do around the house, but usually I don't have time to do them during the week. So to make some progress on projects feels good.

I chose some links for this week, enjoy!

I am so impressed with the hats I am Momma Hear Me Roar created out of the shirts that her boys out grew. How she put them together shows her sense of style and talent. I just cleaned out my boys closet and found some shirt that they out grew, I might give this a try.


For the Love put together a very cute party table with hot pink and black color theme. Isn't it so pretty? There are so many great ideas that we can borrow for future references.


Honey Scrap Design was inspired by a wall decor from Pier One and made her own. Check out her well written tutorial!


I love this dress by Our Daily Obsession. The color is pretty and has ruffles all over. Very romantic!


I always want to learn more about how to alter clothing patterns (I do try, but I don't know if I am doing it right or not). Sew A Straight Line used a vintage maternity dress pattern and created a very nice top. Great job!


Did you find something you wanted try? Thank you all for participating. :)

ALIEN INVASION OF THE UNDERWATER RICE COOKER

This video of a crab, an octopus, and the octopus' brood was shot by a Canadian crew and posted on the NeptuneCanada YouTube channel. From their blog entry:

18 May 2010: At ODP 889 (1256m [4,120 ft] below the sea surface), we happened upon an abandoned rice cooker or crock-pot and screwdriver upon which sat a large crab. The ROPOS pilot carefully opened the lid. Inside, we discovered a mother octopus with her brood of eggs! Collaborating scientist suggested adopting this creature as the Bubbly Gulch mascot. We're calling her "Kraki."

There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether the brood chamber is a rice cooker or a crock pot. I'm going to hazard a guess that the deep ocean octopus nursery is none other than this rice cooker (or a close relative), manufactured by Cuckoo Electronics Co, Ltd of South Korea.

Cuckoo is proud of its cookers. Gloriously, their business philosophy dovetails perfectly with the needs of the cephalopod home world:

CUCKOO has been expanding and creating new markets domestically and internationally by offering technically advanced and reliable products. At CUCKOO, we promise to manufacture innovative and high quality small home appliances, which offer value to our customer's lifestyle. CUCKOO has been trying to make ourselves reborn as a capable and reliable company by actively coping with changes in economy and technology and by steadily pursing goal-oriented management.

As promised, Cuckoo's technically-advanced and reliable cooker has already made an international impact in waters 8,000 km/5,000 miles from South Korea, to a point west of Vancouver Island off British Columbia. Here, at a site cryptically known as ODP 889, on a seafloor otherwise bereft of octopus homes, a house has miraculously and inexplicably dropped from out of the blue, complete with loyal watchcrab and screwdriver for repairs.

When the day comes that cephalopods rule the world, this frontier homestead will be remembered as the stuff of empire-building myth, Kraki will be the heroic progenitor... and CUCKOO will be the god who made it all possible. CUCKOO and his sidekick, the Mechanical Tentacle.

(Photo by NeptuneCanada on Flickr.)

(Photo from here.)

FAQ

I have been blogging for over two years, and sometimes I get email (or comments) asking me questions. I always try to reply to them, but if you are one of the people who sent me an email and never got a response, I am so sorry! Usually, what happens is, I read an email and if I don't have enough time to respond I tend to forget to do so...

I realized that I don't have a "FAQ" page up. So, I decided to post some of the most asked questions and answers today.

Q : What are the terms and conditions for linking and posting your post on my blog?
A : As long as you give me rightful credit and preferably a link back to my blog, I will be happy to be linked and featured!

Q : What sewing machine do you own?
A : I have a Baby Lock Espire Quilter Dream Series. It was a gift from my husband.

Q : I am worried about raw edges on my ruffles. Does it fray after washing?
A : So far I have worked with many different t-shirt materials, and so far they are fine.

Q : Is there any particular t-shirt name brands you use?
A : I use Gap, Old Navy, and Down East so far. I am always looking out for great deals!

Q : After I washed the ruffle shirt, the ruffles shriveled up. How do you keep your ruffles look nice?
A : When I wash my ruffle shirts, I put them in a laundry net, if the t-shirt is thin material, I use the delicate cycle. After the wash, I then hang them dry. I never put them in the dryer. When you put the ruffle t-shirt in the dryer, the ruffles will curl up, and also, the heat will damage the fabric quickly. I pull all the ruffles by hand when I hang the shirt, so I won't have to iron them later. The thicker materials tend to hold their shape better.

Q: Do you sell your ruffle shirt?
A : I thought about it, but to make the ruffle shirt, I need two of the same shirts, and I have to find really good deals. Otherwise the shirts will be expensive to begin with and when I calculate my time, the shirt will be not so affordable. Also, there is no guarantee that I can find the color and the size of the shirt someone ordered at the price I want. So no I don't sell them.

Q : Sounds like you are a very busy mom, how do you manage your time to do everything?
A : I have a schedule that I try to follow. Also, I always try to maximize the time I have by doing multiple things at once. For example, If I am waiting in the carpool lane at school or martial arts studio, I will be either working on my projects, helping my kids with their homework, or reading a book I've wanted to read. If I am in the kitchen cooking, I will also be doing laundry, making phone calls that I needed to make, or ironing. I hardly ever watch TV either. I would rather do something else. :)

There are other questions too, but those are the ones I get the most often. I will make the page for this for future reference. I really enjoy getting emails and comments from you all, Thank you so much for visiting!

Sew Basics: Prepping Fabric

This past Saturday I found myself with a little time to myself while out running an errand and I decided to pop into my local thrift store to see if I could find any treasure.  And sure enough, $8.00 later, I had struck gold (well for someone who loves sewing!).  So here's what I found......

I found a set of vintage floral sheets (set included a flat sheet and two standard pillowcases), a couple embroidery hoops (you can never have enough of those), and three large pieces of fabric.

One of the fabrics was 1.5 yards of a linen/cotton blend that was sold for .75 cents and included a matching zipper - treasure for sure!  Another piece was a neutral quilted piece of fabric.  And finally, my favorite was this giant piece of wool suiting (which can be VERY expensive at retail prices).  These three fabrics just have my creative wheels turning for fall........I'm seeing a fall coat tutorial coming!

As with any new fabric, it is very important to prep your fabric before sewing with it.  When it comes to thrift-store finds you may not know the true composition of each fabric - therefore washing can become a little tricky. 

But for me, for .75 cents, I'm happy to give washing and drying a go - if it doesn't turn out, no worries.  But I have to say, if I sewed something that took a lot of time and energy and then went to wash it, I would be VERY sad if it didn't turn out.  So, my point is ALWAYS wash your fabric before you use it.

Knit fabrics can shrink a considerable amount (yes, I learned this the hard way).  You may find after working with specific fabric manufacturers that some fabric shrinks more than others.  Also, if you are sewing children's clothing, it is very important to wash your fabric so it doesn't irritate your little ones skin.

Before throwing my fabric in the wash, I like to serge the raw edge.  If you don't have a serger, you can try doing a tight zig-zag stitch on the edge with a regular sewing machine to achieve the same effect.

By serging the raw edge, you eliminate all of the fraying that can occur in the washing machine.   Your fabric will come out looking the same way it went in.  This is definitely not something you must do, but I have found it to make life a little easier.

I made sure to serge the raw edges of all the fabric pieces that I brought home from the thrift store.

Most fabrics are pretty good about not spreading dye from one fabric to another as long as you group like colors together.  But if you have a fabric that has a lot of white with some other more bold colors, I suggest throwing in one of these Shout Color Catchers.  It's basically just a sheet you put in your wash and it will catch any loose dye that may come from your fabric.  They are a truly great invention!!

Here are my fabrics all ready to be washed.  I usually wash on cold and tumble dry.  Because I do a lot of children's clothing I like to pre-wash using Dreft just to make sure my garments don't irritate any little ones skin.

Not bad for $8.00, right?  Can't wait to play with these fun fabrics.  Oh and by the way, I've got some fun ideas for the vintage sheets as well!

WHY I DON'T EAT SEAFOOD, PART 2

(Photo by James Cooper, from here.)

This post first appeared at The Blue Marble today:

The world's foremost certifier of safe and sustainable fisheries has just been slapped down in a new op-ed by a top-shelf collection of scientists in the latest issue of Nature. The problem is that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is ignoring science in favor of bureaucracy, write the authors, researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and elsewhere.

The idea behind the MSC, which was established in 1997 by the World Wildlife Fund and Unilever (one of the world's largest fish retailers), was to help consumers eat fish "guilt-free" by certifying fisheries. Today, major grocery chains—Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and Europe's Waitrose—carry the MSC's blue check-mark label as a sign of seafood sustainability.

The council has become the world's most established fisheries certifier:

• with 94 fisheries currently MSC-certified
• accounting for ~7% of global catch
• with 118 more fisheries under assessment

But the authors object to the many of the MSC's procedures and its certification of certain species. The largest certified fishery is the US trawl fishery for pollock in the eastern Bering Sea, with an annual catch of a million tons. The MSC certified this fishery in 2005 and recommended it for recertification this summer. Except that pollock suffered a 64 percent decline in spawning biomass between 2004 and 2009. With no solid evidence for recovery. How is that sustainable, the authors ask?

(Photo of Alaskan pollock from here.)

The Nature op-ed authors also voice concern for other fisheries certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council:

• Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), certified in 2009 despite a population decline of 89 percent since a peak in the late 1980s. How is that sustainable, the authors ask?
• Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni), marketed as Chilean sea bass, proposed for certification despite the fact that not even the basics are known about this species, with none of its eggs or larvae ever collected. How can that be even be considered as a candidate for certification, the authors ask?
• Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), recently certified by the MSC, despite research showing a long-term decline in krill populations, as well as a link between the depletion of krill and declining sea ice in an area highly sensitive to climate change. The authors state their concern strongly:

Much of the krill caught is destined not for consumer purchase but for fishmeal, to feed factory-farmed fish, pigs and chickens. We propose that any fishery undertaken for fishmeal should not be viewed as responsible or sustainable, and should not qualify for MSC certification. At present, the MSC assessment rules do not consider the end-use of a product.

(Photo of Pacific hake from here.)

The Marine Stewardship Council's failure to accurately assess the health of fisheries triggers a cascade of problems, suggest the authors:

• It hurts the populations that aren't sustainably hunted
• It hurts the ecosystems of unsustainably hunted species
• It deprives the public of an opportunity to make meaningful choices
• It damages fisheries that are well managed, especially sustainable small-scale fisheries that have to compete with the giants that buy certifications they haven't earned

The op-ed suggests MSC create more stringent standards, crack down on arguably loose interpretation of its own rules, and alter its process to avoid a potential financial incentive to certify large fisheries. Fisheries that are being heavily depleted, that are reliant on high-impact methods such as bottom trawling, as well as those that aren't destined for human consumption, should be excluded from certification, conclude the authors:

The MSC can still fulfil its promise to represent—as it claims, "the best environmental choice—if it undergoes major reform. If it does not change, there are better, more effective ways to spend £8 million [$12.3 million], such as lobbying to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies, or creating marine protected areas. These steps would do more to help the oceans.

(Photo from here.) 

The paper:

Seafood stewardship in crisis. Jennifer Jacquet, Daniel Pauly, David Ainley, Sidney Holt, Paul Dayton, Jeremy Jackson. Nature. Volume: 467, Pages: 28–29. Date published: (02 September 2010). DOI: doi:10.1038/467028a

September Pears

Happy first of September to you! The neighboring orchards are bursting with voluptuous ripe pears. Looking down the long green corridor always makes me want to run wild past the sweet smell of the fruiting branches.

As with the dahlias, the pears bring a bittersweet feeling of joy and melancholy as another September harvest will soon come to a close. But the beauty of the four seasons is that as one season comes to an end, another spectacular new season begins.

Saying goodbye to summer would be so much more difficult if the approaching fall season didn't offer such a wonderful promise of warm fuzzies. Autumn colors, cozy sweaters, misty mornings, quiet evenings, a warm fire...and of course, the anticipation of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And this year, our most anticipated occasion of all - the birth of our sweet little babies. xoxo

Leaving the pear orchards, I found myself singing...

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A Partridge in a Pear tree...

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Two Turtle Doves

and a Partridge in a Pear tree...

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Three French Hens

Two Turtle Doves

and a Partridge in a Pear tree...

...and on it goes.

xo

Link Party No.22!

Before we start the link party for this week, I have something to tell you... I am being featured in Rhythm of the Home magazine Fall edition. They are an online magazine filled with lots of crafts ideas, yummy recipes, and much more.


Guess what...the magazine is live TODAY! I was contacted by them to do an article a while ago and I came up with a tutorial for how to make a tube scarf.


I hope you will hop over and check them out!

Ok, go ahead and share your craftiness with everyone. Let's start the link party!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


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