Archives for 2009

I’m already looking forward to Spring! Today was a tiny hint of what’s to come. This is a shot from the March 2009 issue of Country Living.

Love, love, love!

I got this cute idea from Martha Stewart. Here are the instructions:

These little hand-stitched felt bears have an important duty: safely guarding teeth awaiting pickup by the Tooth Fairy. As Martha Stewart Living television stylist Cindy Treen demonstrates, you’ll need to know several basic embroidery stitches for this project: the backstitch, satin stitch, French knot, and whipstitch.

Tools and Materials
Tooth Bear template
Scissors
Felt
Straight pins
Embroidery thread
Needle
Polyester fiberfill
Chopstick or bone folder

Bear How-To
1. Print and cut out template. Pin to felt, and cut out one bear half; repin to a new piece of felt, and cut out second half.

2. Make the bear’s face: Embroider two French knots for the eyes, then make a nose with a satin stitch. Extend the nose one stitch down on each side to create the mouth.

3. Cut the pocket shape from the bear template, pin to a piece of felt, and cut out. Embroider a name and tooth image on the pocket, using a simple double-thread backstitch (this will make the details stand out). Attach the pocket to the bear’s front, using a single-thread whipstitch.

4. Starting at the top of one ear, stitch the front and back pieces of your bear together with a whipstitch; stop at the top of the other ear to create a space at the top of the head for stuffing.

5. Stuff the bear with polyester fiberfill, packing the stuffing tightly so that the body is firm. Use a chopstick or bone folder to push stuffing into the legs and arms.

6. Whipstitch the top of the bear’s head closed.

7. Embroider claws onto the ends of each arm and leg with a 1/4-inch whipstitch.

Cindy Treen used polyester fiberfill from JoAnn Fabrics and wool felt from Magic Cabin Dolls.

Tiny problem…I don’t know the whipstitch, or any stitch for that matter.

When it feels like your world is falling apart around you, the hardest thing to do is continue going about your daily tasks and focusing on work and responsibilities. However, with the economy crashing around us and people losing their jobs left and right, it is imperative that you remain professional and balanced at work. No emotional breakdowns allowed. So how is someone supposed to deal with emotional trauma and remain professionally “together?”

Christine Hassler tackles this question over at The Huffington Post. She also mentions something fascinating. A Japanese firm gives employees “heartache” leave when going through a break-up or divorce. Hassler advises readers to take a personal day, but take it seriously.

Don’t slack off on your personal day – it’s not a vacation! Use it to attend to your personal issues, not just as a day to catch up on errands and TiVo. Make an appointment with your counselor or life coach if you have one, spend time with a friend or mentor and do things that support you in dealing with your emotions so you can be more focused at work. Make the day one of closure with your ex.

Life is indeed a balance of dealing with the normal day in and day out “to-do’s” with the curveballs that get thrown our way. As tempting as it is to dodge the curveballs, it’s more empowering to deal with them head-on in a healthy way. But it is also our responsibility to attend to our personal matters outside of the office so that when we are on the clock, we can be focused and productive.

For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

– The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Like Carrie Bradshaw said in Sex and the City, men don’t write love letters anymore. Big immediately replies with something along the lines of, “I don’t have to write to you, you’re right here. Plus, they had to write letters like that because they were separated by wars.” I don’t know if that’s exactly what he said, but it was something along those lines.

Why don’t men make sweeping gestures like love letters anymore? Is it because we now toss off a note in an email without a second thought? Are we too easily accessible? Why don’t men woo the women they love with more heartfelt approaches? Don’t they understand that it really is all about the little things? I’m tempted to buy this book but I’m afraid it will make me realize how far we have come…and not in a good way.