Fantastic week!!

playing strip poker at the quilt retreat

Two weeks ago, I went to a weekend quilt retreat just around the corner from my little red house in Bethel. I had a great time sewing, playing games, taking photos, and shooting people with a water gun. We played strip poker, which is NOT what you think! Strips of fabric, you goof! And it’s super fun and easy. We had 3 die, labeled L, R, C, and with a dot. You start with three strips, and roll 3 die. Rolling dots means you get to keep your strips, an L or an R mean you have to hand a strip left or right, and C means the strip goes in the center and is out of play. The die move around the table to the sound of groans and gleeful laughter as people lose or gain strips of fabric until only one person is left with a pile of strips. The first time I just watched, convinced I didn’t need any more fabric and it would be just as fun to watch. Wrong! It’s way more fun to play! Whether I needed the fabric or not-and I won the second game!

Alison (in the yellow and orange blouse) and Barb (not in the photo) organized the weekend, with lots of good food, some squirt guns, fabric and tool drawings, and lots of time to sew on your own project. I’ll take pictures of what I worked on tomorrow; sorry, I keep forgetting to do that!

The main thing is, the weekend made me realize how depressed I’d been, and it knocked me out of my depression. Or the depression out of me… something anyway! I got my mojo back and started enjoying life again! Last weekend I was supposed to go to a recycled clothing class, but it didn’t go, so I spent the weekend getting some projects finished up. Now I have a new hat for the Palmer fair, two very late birthday presents packed up and shipped out, and started two challenge projects!

Becky is moving to Bethel! Click on the picture to see more photos of Becky.

It also made me realize that it was time for a new puppy. I still really miss Harpo. I miss her company and coming home at lunch time to let her out and snuggling with her when I can’t sleep.

So I put the word out, and Becky is moving to Bethel as soon as she is spayed! Becky is six months old, and almost as big as Harpo was. She’s a little stockier than Harpo, and a little shorter, so I think Harpo’s snowsuits will fit her. Becky is a show dog, but she grew too much to show well in Alaska, so her owner wanted to find a new home for her. And I am the lucky duck to get her!

My friend Roxanne, from Holy Dog Pet Boarding, where I used to take Harpo for daycare in Fairbanks, put me in touch with Becky’s owner, Linda Cooper-Cunningham. After a longish, fun conversation with Linda last night, we ended with her agreeing to ship Becky to me in Bethel. Linda is taking her to the vet in Palmer, to get her spayed, and a rabies shot and health certificate. Becky has been crated at night, so she’s used to it, she’s also had some obedience training, and she’s housebroken. So some angel is looking out for me and realizes that I am a terrible dog trainer! Not that Harpo was a bad girl, but she could have used a couple of sessions with Miss Manners. I tend to spoil my dogs rotten…

As if that wasn’t enough… I bought two shelving units from the University surplus sale a couple weeks ago, and Ron, our maintenance man, had time to deliver them today. Both units needed to be trimmed to get into the house, so Ron trimmed the tops and reinserted the top shelves so I could get them into the house. Then he brings me to his house and fills a cooler full of silver salmon for me! I spent the evening cutting up and wrapping fish for the freezer, and enjoyed a fresh salmon steak for dinner.

So can ya beat that for the week from heaven!? Got my mojo back, I’ve had a great time, gotten stuff done, I have a pile of salmon, new shelves, AND a new dog! Can life get any better??!

Wardrobe Refashion pledge

I signed up for Wardrobe Refashion again. So here’s my pledge:

I, Edie, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of “new” manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!
Signed___EMB_______________.

I find abstaining from buying new clothes wonderfully easy, unlike some of the fashionistas out there, because I hate clothing stores (borrring!!). Shopping for thrift store finds is more fun than buying new, but I find that I do most of my shopping at the transfer station. That’s getting harder and harder to do, as more people discover the treasure trove, and I have less time to check out the recycle area. But, lucky me, over the last year or so I’ve collected plenty of pre-loved items. And yes, I’ll be hitting some thrift stores in Ireland, and will be coming home with a (hopefully) small selection of awesome Irishness!

See my previous projects.

And some inspiration: Unique clothes and retail store ideas.