Thursday Thoughts

Happy Thursday friends! I thought I would stop by for a quick post this morning, before I head out of town for a few days. We are headed to a wedding in Chicago, so it will be a whirlwind weekend...a day of driving to get there and a day of driving to get home. Today is a day of last minute details before we head out on Friday. 

This week, I finished up a couple gifts and worked on charting for my fall cross stitch releases...I also worked on a couple new sewing/quilting patterns and started a needlework finishing order (Robin, your order is in progress). My never-ending to-do list still has sixteen major items on it and I find it hard to take time away...but it will be good to see friends in Chicago this weekend.

One of the gifts I finished up was a small travel toiletries bag. This was a new to me style of boxed bag and took a bit longer than I anticipated. I am happy with the end result, but if I was to make another one, I would definitely tweak the directions/pattern a bit. It is a great size and has a nice stability. I used three coordinating batik fabrics, to give it a more masculine look and have already shipped it off to the recipient.

In other news - I also finished setting up my Buy Me a Coffee page this week. In my latest FlossTube video, I mentioned that I have no plans of monetizing or adding ads to my blog or YouTube channel...I received several messages that suggested I should add a Buy Me a Coffee link, so fans of my content could support my work. For those who haven't heard of Buy Me A Coffee before - it is an easy way of supporting your favorite content creator(s) - by visiting a simple link, fans can "buy a coffee" and leave a message (they don’t even have to create an account). When I share a post, a video, a tutorial or a complementary chart/design that you find beneficial or helpful and you would like to help support my content and the time involved, you can visit my link. So, if you’re looking for a unique way to give me a little bit of extra support, feel free to Buy Me a Coffee - there’s absolutely NO obligation or pressure whatsoever, but the link is now available if you’re interested. Thank you to those who mentioned that I should set-up an account...I have always shared my ideas, posts, videos, helpful hints and tutorials completely advertisement/subscription-free because of the passion I have for all things needle and thread - and I will continue to do so!

I am off to get ready for our weekend trip. I have the wedding gift wrapped and I have started packing. I still have to finish up the laundry and do a little house cleaning (I like to return to a clean home). The dogs are packed and ready to go to the farm (boarder) this evening. I have plans to leave my website and Etsy Shop fully operational - any orders or correspondence received after 7:00 PM today will be taken care of on Monday evening...thank you for your patience.

For now, I will leave you with two photos I took of the kids yesterday - the first is on their bunkbeds (they have officially switched positions - now that Schatzi is getting older, it is easier for her to use the bottom bunk and our crazy boy Garin is excited to be on the top bunk!) - the second is outside my studio door last night, waiting for me to finish my work (Garin is extra fluffy - yes, he is super-shedding and I have to brush him and vacuum single every day!)…