How To Lose A Blog Reader For Like Ever…
May 19th, 2012 § 1 Comment
I love blogs, I love reading them, pinning their pics, sharing their stories on my Facebook feed…I even have my own! Blogs are and always will be such a great storyline curated by individuals that connect us to their plights and victories. We learn, we laugh from all this sharing and maybe, at least from my experience, feel a little less isolate in the world. So, I was somewhat shocked to find one of my favorite blogs (that I’ve followed for many, many years now) Yvestown, has begun to openly solicit “donations” to repair her roof. Part of my dismay, is that, as she has stated, has no financial burden to remedy this herself . As quoted from her site,
I have to say that I’m not poor and that I’m capable of paying for my own roof.
She wants people to contribute because she runs an “ad free” blog and she has shared her ideas with thousands of readers for years. Um ok, I always thought she was a bit quirky but seriously? She has 5 “sponsors” to the right of her posts…most posts since the new year feature something about each of these sponsors. Also, in the beginning of the new year she completely deleted years worth of beautiful, charming blog posts. So, even if I were to “donate” for all her hard work blogging, I can not even go back in her archive and re-read anything. I’m all for monetizing blogs but be honest when you are doing it. Please.
Lastly, my biggest disappointment is in her choice to use the Paypal “donate” button. Apparently, you do not have to be a non-profit or charity to use this button according to Paypal (because I did indeed look). So, it is just in poor taste, especially with so many people legitimately needing help.
Yvestown, seriously you are lucky to have a roof over your own head. I’m publicly imploring you to honestly donate any money collected for your roof to a legitimate charitable organization.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Plan Bee: The Backyard Bee Count
May 10th, 2012 § 1 Comment
I just love sunflowers and every year I try a new variety in my garden for a little height and a pop of color. Last year I picked up some Lemon Queen seed by chance and ended up finding my favorite variety. Not only was it a sweet pale yellow but I noted that bees were all a buzz over it! So, as I am reading this month’s issue of Organic Gardening on Sunflowers (its in the print edition – not the web) they just happen to list Lemon Queen and mention that bees love it so much that it was selected as the test flower for the Backyard Bee Count. Curious, I searched for it and found a really neat project that began in 2008 involving a nation of backyard gardeners. Developed to better understand where the bees are as many have fallen ill, the project uses Lemon Queen sunflowers (and a few other bee attractors like bees balm). Amateur gardeners study the growth of their blooms and track how many bees visit a bloom during 15 minute intervals, then input this online to be complied with other gardens. Lemon Queen is a great choice for this project because it has so much pollen (some varieties were developed for the floral trade and do not produce pollen) also, by everyone using the same plant, its easier to compare apples to apples. I immediately signed up as I had, by chance, planted my seeds 2 weeks earlier; I think I might get a few more packs and rotate them through the summer as they have a quick cycle. I’ll post my numbers in a few weeks when I get my first blooms!
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Sky Scarf: April
May 8th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I am officially 1/3 complete with my Sky Scarf! If you’ve been following along, I have been knitting 2 rows to reflect the sky each day as part of Leafcutter Design’s Sky Scarf Project. You can check my progress here on the blog or see my snapshots on flickr. Most of April was partly cloudy which made for kind of a boring scarf month (but completely pleasant weather-wise) AND I went ahead and bought another skein of light blue and white; this month I’m sure to use them. This scarf is getting quite long; probably because I did not use the lace-weight yarn as recommended…this should be interesting as I’m only five feet tall!
Oh, and here’s a little tease…I have a new cross stitch pattern coming out next week in my Etsy shop. It’s a vintage pattern that I’m working backwards…i.e. its completed and I’m in the process of cleaning it up and re-charting. Anyway, I’m super excited and I can’t wait to share with you all as it is just outstanding!
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Road Trip: Houston, TX
April 29th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
or otherwise titled as “Houston We DON’T Have a Problem“…every three months I’ve been traveling to MD Anderson to have an MRI of my head and neck and then a chest x-ray to see if my ACC has returned. This trip, I was feeling better than ever…a year post radiation. So, I was fairly confident that we would get good news yet again. But, I have to tell you, it’s bad enough finding out once that you have cancer…going every three months with the possibility of hearing that again is some kind of cruel and unusual punishment. Fortunately, this time it was good news as every visit past. In fact, I’ve been moved to 4 months for check ups…whew.
The obligatory stop at the Babe Zaharias Museum in Beaumont, TX off I-10
We love Houston tho, it became a second home to me the six weeks I went through radiation and now we can almost drive around effortlessly like its our own town. This trip we tried a couple new restaurants. We decided we wanted some real Texas BBQ (something I haven’t been able to enjoy on past trips because it was too spicy in my post radiation mouth)…but now…its ON! We tried Rudy’s and ordered the lean beef brisket and creamed corn…totally sinfully and yummy. Everyone else was full but I polished it off with a piece of buttermilk pie. I also, found in the gift shop canned cinnamon honey butter; which I passed on and now I dream of. I’m currently researching how to make my own as if it’s my life’s mission…I will let you know how it goes.
The next day we found ourselves at Kubo’s while we waited for my results. C got a noodle bowl and didn’t seem impressed (maybe she was still full of BBQ) but I ordered a crunchy eel roll and tiger eye roll…amazing!
This definitely was a foodie dream trip as we also popped into Pensey’s spice store too. I found Pensey’s originally in the last two weeks of my radiation. When you receive radiation to the head, particularly to the mouth you lose your sense of taste (sometimes forever). I had lost mine for a few weeks already and it was strange and sad…but I could smell which is like 80% of taste! I walked into Pensey’s and felt like I could experience flavor again. I bought a few things that have become my favorites now that I can indeed taste them…
- Chicago Steak Seasoning
- Northwoods Fire
- Bouquet Garni
- Florida Seasoning (we picked this one on this last trip…it’s great!)
And here is a parting shot…can anyone tell me what this building is? It’s actually a series of three or four – this was the best shot I could get from I-45N. I’ve passed it a ton of times and always admired the lattice work made to look like tatted linens. This one is my favorite; the others were pretty too. Anyway, maybe when we are not so hurried to make it to an appointment or a MEAL…I’ll stop and get a closer look.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Lucky Ducks and Wise Owls…
April 23rd, 2012 § 1 Comment
Finally, I’m having a stretch of good luck! A couple weeks ago I happily won the new Rachel Maddow book Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power
…signed! The contest was sponsored by Maddowfans; myself and another lucky duck were chosen by creating a funny subtitle for the book. I wrote Drift: How Dick Cheney Got His Groove Back. So, add clever book subtitle maker to my list of things I can do!
After I found out I called C at work and she asked if they were going to use it on the book.
“No, it’s published already.”
“Well, she sure would sell a lot more with that subtitle.”
“um…It’s number one on the New York Times’ Best Seller list…I think she’s doing ok.”
Later I called my mom AND she was appropriately excited for me! (Though, I suspect she wants to borrow it…hmm.)
Anyway, it’s been a couple weeks and I think the whole Maddow book experience has inspired my new project quite accidentally.
Owl Drink to That
It’s a patriotic owl bar mop towel! I’ve been kicking the idea awhile of “Owl Drink to That” but just in the last week I decided to silk-screen it and top stitch it to a bar mop (which is a beotch by the way). I pulled the red and blue fabric from the bottom of my fabric stash…not my typical color scheme. Once I pulled it together I was like, hey, Maddow is a mixologist, political wonk, and all around wise owl! Yay, it’s cool when you use your noggin! (btw, someone almost immediately pinned it on Pinterest on a board called “to do”…thanks. good luck with that.)
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Easter Greetings From My Nest
April 8th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Today brought the promise of so much more! Blackberries to pick, caterpillars to butterflies, flowers to fruit! Today also made it officially a year since my last radiation treatment in Houston. Whew, what a difference a year makes…a year ago I was so tired, burnt, and I couldn’t taste anything; today I was picking blackberries in my yard and could taste every drop of sunshine! Happy Easter!
- Next year I have to try natural dyed eggs; It seemed all everyone was talking about…anyone actually do it?
- This year I’ve got to do something with ALL these blackberries…I think this will help.
- Which brings me to the point that its really time I learned how to can…this book
was recommended.
- This is random but I really need a case for my hooks and needles…think I’m going to try this pattern.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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A Glitter Cross-Stitch Manifesto
April 4th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
This is my newest cross stitch pattern! It was inspired by an episode of the TV show New Girl, where the lead, Jess (or Zooey Deschanel’s character), unleashes a tirade defending her inner creative spirit using this phrase. I instantly thought this needed to be cross stitched; not just because I am a fan of the show, but it resonated with me (especially during the Christmas holidays) as I often find myself covered in glitter same as most crafty girls I know! Seriously, I’ve been mistaken for wearing body glitter to the grocery…no just a craft project and even this past Christmas I had the unfortunate experience of being glitter bombed by my cat as she so awesomely skidded across the table, sending a whole bowl of glitter airborne…landing on me.
And I’m not sure if anyone else thinks about embroidery thread obsessively as moi, but I have been searching for a way to use DMC’s light effects embroidery floss. A light bulb went off in my head when I heard that phrase and a new pattern was born! The project turned out beautifully; somehow tho, as many pics as I’ve taken of this, I can’t seem to capture how absolutely sparkly the wording is with light effects. It truly is magical!
If you would like to stitch your own; I would be so honored…please click here.
It’s fairly quick to finish up; I give you a complete supply list, color chart, and some tips with working with DMC Light Effects. Plus, once purchased, I am available to you through e-mail as long as it takes you to complete the project. A lot of patterns online (I’ve noticed) are not stitched out by the designer…I find that odd. I design it, stitch it, and in many cases – redesign it! I just feel that even though it takes longer to get my pattern to market, I know you are getting a better product that will stitch easier and look amazing.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Sky Scarf: February & March
April 2nd, 2012 § 2 Comments
I have been knitting a scarf since the first of January, selecting the colors based on what I see in the sky each day. This is a conceptual knitting project from Leafcutter Designs which I blogged about earlier here and here. My first thoughts on this project were, “what a great way to record the year” and a second thought was it would be easy. Not technically; it is if you know basic knitting, but easy in the sense that its just 2 rows a day…I couldn’t be that busy. Boy was I wrong. Somewhere in February I fell way behind…like three weeks. I had meticulously kept a record of what colors to use per day but a three day knitathon to catch up on three weeks worth of days sort of ruined the fun of the project. In early January, I would sit each night and reflect on the day as I knitted. Well, mid-February March as I caught up, I was reflecting on more what a procrastinator I am AND that I take on too many projects at once. So, I’m caught up and I’m seriously trying to not go past three days (I’ve already failed…but I’m continuing on!)
February 2012
Some questions I have received are how wide did I make my scarf…it’s 30 stitches. Somewhere in February I picked up an extra but I don’t even care. I’m using Caron Simply Soft and quickly running out of the light blue and white as lucky me…it’s been mostly blue skies. The twist up the side of the scarf was difficult for me to “get”; I’m not a very experienced knitter and this is my first time with multiple yarn. Eventually I just got “it” but the early days just look a mess. I’m so glad I’m making this just for me!
March 2012
If I were to do this again…and that is a big IF. I think I would add embroidery floss to make this more like a calendar. I remember knitting through significant days like my birthday or even holidays like Mardi Gras and thought it would be fun to add a bit of color in those rows to pick out those days faster.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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O Customer, Where art thou…
March 30th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
A couple weeks ago, I was selected as Shop of the Day in one of the handmade groups I belong to, Handmade Louisiana. I was really surprised to be selected as I really haven’t had time to participate…plus I was a little unsure about having hundreds of artisans perusing my items. Everyone seemed really fixated on these little felt applique flower pins I make and my patterns. One member even told me to go read the comments she got when she posted this very item on her Facebook page. There were two. The first questioning how could this be handmade and only cost $5 (I presume she’s asking if I do indeed make these?) and the very next comment from another person stating that she would make the same thing herself. I kind of think that answers itself…how cheap do I have to sell something that you won’t make yourself? I do make this and they take a very long time. I didn’t mind because I was using my stash, working on my embroidery skills, and do you ever make something that you just want people to have SO badly?
Last week I returned to the Farmer’s Market in town after almost a year hiatus from being ill. I was so excited about this show! I just expected to be in my element with other crafty souls like myself and hopefully customers that get “it”. It certainly didn’t play out that way; after the organizer lost our application, we were able to set up an hour late. The small crowd did not really engaged in much of my work and in some cases were just down right rude. I split my booth with a lady that does some machine embroidery and sews the cutest baby items…several people told her they could make it and walked off. The best tho was when a lady picked up this engraved pencil set of mine:
and remarked to her friend “I don’t know who this is” I’m not certain if she thought “J’adore Paris” was someone’s name or a brand name…but either way it was completely lost on her. I was so discouraged that I don’t think I made anything for days and I make something EVERY day whether it’s for myself or the shop. My partner pointed out the big seller at the market was a lady that sold these tacky blingy t-shirts for next to nothing; she said she designed the image but someone else produced them for her…I’m not sure if that should have qualified in a handmade market? Anyway, C told me to start planning for more simple, quick sellers like those. For me that’s just selling out; four years ago when I opened my business I could have gone that route. Believe me it’s a lot cheaper to buy from China but for some crazy reason I get this high when I make something and someone actually likes it enough they buy it. So I’ll keep my integrity, thank you very much.
–Lisa LeBlanc
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Garden Report: Spring Fling
March 19th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
It’s not even officially Spring and it feels as if it is already fleeting down South. We are nearing temperatures in the 80′s and the pretty delicate spring blossoms are beginning to wither already. I snapped these images last week when the wisteria was in full bloom. We do not have lilacs this far south but wisteria in full bloom makes up for this…and it smells heavenly too; even the bees agree. We also have our “banana plant” tree in bloom; it is actually a type of magnolia and what is considered a heritage plant. We are lucky to have one and quite a huge one at that; in the evening it perfumes the entire yard with a banana-y scent, hence the name. This year, to my surprise, both of my citrus trees are in bloom…it would be awesome if they actually would bear fruit. I think the last time I saw fruit was when I bought them six years ago! *fingers crossed*
So, Mother Nature has put quite a show on which means I really need to get my yard in order. If I do not get some vegetables and herbs started I will be one unhappy girl this summer. Also, we’ve been planning a wine bottle border around our large garden. And sadly, the only “gardening” I’ve been doing is emptying the bottles. Hopefully, next weekend we will begin and we better hurry as it’s only going to get hotter!
Via Pinterest
–Lisa LeBlanc
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