Monday, February 15, 2016

Swagbucks

Today is President's day and I'm off work. I made a quilt block this morning (took about 45 minutes)- and made a video of it. I will share it in a blogpost as soon as it is uploaded to youtube.

I also plan to spend most of the day on the couch eating cookie dough and reading Little House on the Prairie books- but first I wanted to see if I could get just one of you to sign up for swagbucks. (They are doing a promotion and I need one referral! But I'd gladly take more!)

To sign up, click here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Skittl1321

Many of you may be hesitant to sign up for swagbucks. I am careful what activities I do, so I get almost no additional spam to my email (or gmail takes care of it for me...) but you could create an email account to use just for this.

I don't spend much time on swagbucks and earn $25-$50 a month. I know of some people who spend a lot more time and earn two to three times that!

An easy way to earn a few swagbucks each day is to answer the Daily Poll, do the Daily Crave, and NOSO.  With NOSO, make sure to select “More Deals” or “Skip if you don’t want to share your information.  Doing each of these will earn you 4 swagbucks each day.
 


To find surveys, on the left of the main page, select “Answer”. Here I like to do the Gold Surveys and the Peanut Lab Surveys. I skip the Partner surveys as they are often long and don't credit. Some days you get disqualified from more surveys than you are able to answer...





In this same menu, you can select Play.  Most of these games cost money to play, but at the very bottom of the page there is Swagasaurus Run and SwagJump.  You get 2 swagbucks every 2 games. You don’t have to play them for real, just open them, jump once, and then “die” (don’t close the window)- that is enough to have it count as played.

Next in this menu, you can click “watch” .  You can watch videos, or another easy thing is “nCrave”, which is a menu on the upper left side.  Encrave requires you to click every 30 seconds; but once you have done it once you can select videos that have a “discovery mode” as indicated by a little arrow in the corner. With this, it will run through the videos, so you can have them open in a different tab while you do other things. This is one of the easiest ways to get swagbucks- although it is good to pay attention because sometimes nCrave doesn’t work.

 


If you are going to be on the compute nGage and JunGroup are easy to multi-task with.  These will pop up a timer and every 35 seconds or so you have to click it.  
 
There is also the “earn 2 easy swagbucks" that shows up on the mainpage. These are super quick videos that you just need to watch and click on once or twice.  I didn’t have them on my screen to take a picture of, but they are usually a girl in a tie or a group of blue stick figures.This is my favorite thing to show up!

Swagbucks also has a number of iphone and android apps that you can run to earn more swagbucks. As well as a search bar feature you can install that randomly allows you to earn a few SBs for searching.

And of course there is shop and earn (but I use ebates: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=%2By14mx7SJ7RS7KaJtfQrpg%3D%3D&eeid=28187) and then there are tons of various activities you can try and sign up for. But the things I listed above are my bread and butter that I do each day.

Every day there is a daily goal. You do not have to hit your goal, but I try to because you can get a bonus at the end of the month. In a good month I can get $5 worth of bonus! It all adds up.

There are many things you can redeem your points for. Most often we get a $25 Lowes, Target, or Amazon giftcard first- the first card is only 2,200 points. My second gift card each month (2,500 points) is always Paypal. Then I transfer it right to my bank account!



Give it a try:
To sign up, click here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Skittl1321

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Project Not Pictured

I recently decided I wanted to join the ranks of sewing bloggers who make bras. I signed up for the craftsy class- it looked pretty easy. (Um, well, the sewing, not the fitting).  But a kit was really expensive, so I thought maybe one without an underwire would be the way to go.

I bought the Watson Bra and Bikini pattern from Cloth Habit. There are a billion blog posts about this. It looks easy-peasy.

I started with the bikini, because I had supplies on hand. Well, easy it was not.

The elastics were a disaster. Either I read the pattern wrong or it doesn't tell you exactly how much to use for the legs. Jalie patterns do this for skating dresses (which is where I got my confidence I could do this okay). 

My leg elastics are too loose, my waist elastic folds over when I wear them. They don't lay even close to flat when not being worn. It just looks like a giant mess.

The one benefit of this disaster though is I learned my preference is for a bit more coverage on my backside, and a little higher on the front, so I can fix that for the next go round. 

Now I have to decide if I want to unpick the elastic, or just waste the $2-3 it costs...

Saturday, January 9, 2016

This weekend in sewing....

You'll be shocked to see I made three more postcards.
These all show off fabric I painted during a thickened dyes workshop. I can't wait to send these out.  This gets me to 20 of my goal of 34 before my 34th birthday.  I want to spend time tomorrow to do a more involved collage one, they can't all just be 1 piece of fabric.  But these fabrics are some of my favorite, so I love showing them off.




In the mail this week I got the postcards I ordered from Moo.com  They are seriously awesome and I can't wait to send them out, though postcrossing has been a bit of a disapointment so far. I know it takes a long time for cards to reach international destinations, but the one I sent to someone in the US hasn't been registered. But every card I sent to someone on ravelry the same day has been recieved!  However, I joined a postcard swap group on ravelry; so maybe that will be more reliable.

I also started a Craftsy class called "Sewing with Fleece".  I mainly wanted a little more step by step to make a fleece jacket (though I bet I could have figured it out...) While waiting to arrive, I did the first project- a hat.  The hat is comfy and warm, and I like the way my hair curls, but I think it highlights that I have a big head....  Still, I've had this ice skate fleece forever, so it was exciting to use it.  So what do you think? Can I wear it in public?




Also, the winner of the postcard drawing was Shecki.  I will contact you and get it mailed to you if you would like it.

Friday, January 1, 2016

I'm addicted! More Postcards

I am just loving the fabric postcards.  I love that I can create something in 15 minutes, half an hour, or an hour and have a finished project.


Today I quilted with my hopes for 2016 in mind. Last year was really hard. From being horribly sick for the first 22 weeks of my pregnancy, to the horrible ending of that pregnancy; and then the passing of my great-Aunt (which sounds somewhat distant relative, but she was essentially my grandmother). It won't go in the history books as a good year, as much as great things happened along the way. (I got to grow and love Sean, I got to go on a great cruise, I had a great job, I had my husband every step of the way, I found out even more than I already knew how blessed I am to live in such a great neighborhood.)

So for 2016, the first thing I quilted was sun, shining from the darkness. And then the next was a rainbow. And that is what I want for this year.

And what is the most fun about these little mini quilts, is that I'll get to mail them to someone during the year and brighten their day. That is, if I don't hoard them.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Faux quilted fabric postcard tutorial

Here's another tutorial on a different style of postcard- this one is the faux quilted look.
Mine isn't perfect, because nothing I make is- but the video includes a few tips to help yours look closer to perfect (if that matters to you). The number one hint is to measure you fabric, something I didn't do, and to pay more careful attention to where you are stitching. 



I like a quick and easy project more than I like a perfect product most of the time.  As long as you aren't looking super close up like the camera is, I think this looks pretty good!

Enjoy!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Fabric Postcard Tutorial

I made a video tutorial to show you how to make a simple fabric postcard.



The ones I've posted on previous days I've used either wonder-under fusible or a gluestick to secure fabric and then sewed it down. In this video, I highlight one really beautiful piece of fabric instead.

Do you want to recieve the postcard I made in the video? Comment below by January 2nd 2016 and I will pick someone (out of a hat) to send it to.

Make sure you are not a "no reply" blogger so I can get in touch with you to get your address if you are selected.
Here's a tutorial to check: http://morefromyourblog.com/no-reply-blogger-how-to-fix-this/
Chances are if you are a no-reply blogger you don't even know it!  (Or leave your email address if you are one on purpose and still want to enter.)

International readers are welcome to enter as well!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Four more postcards

My Christmas Eve goal was to get some cleaning done in my sewing room. I guess I still have time to do that, but I have my doubts it will get done.

Instead, I made 4 more postcards. These are fun and addictive.

I made one very similar to yesterday's:
I made one with some of my favorite batiks. I really like this one:
I tried something different, not my favorite:


And I made one that looks quilted. Not sure what I think. I do know it's a really bad picture!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Fabric postcards

My apologies for the months between posts. I don't know if anyone still reads, but if they do- I am going to try harder in the new year to post interesting things.

Things got very hard here since my last post.  In October we found out that the baby had a very rare (and extremely large) chromosomal deletion. Then in November we lost him.  I delivered Sean still on November 12. Needless to say, things have been very difficult. His life would have been full of an unbelievable number of challenges that we know this is for the best, but every morning that I wake up without my little boy I just feel empty.

In an effort to try to add a little happiness to my life, I've started making quilted fabric postcards to mail out for postcard swaps. (I'll post if I get any cards back!)

The first three I made using fused scraps. My favorite is the woven one!


Have you ever made a fabric postcard?  I'm told I can mail them with a normal stamp (not a postcard stamp- it's too little), but well, I have my doubts.  I will let you know if I hear they made it to their destination.  I hope to make a tutorial on how to make them soon.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Loving schoola! Sharing what I got on my last order.

I know I just posted about schoola, but I got another order in and wanted to share everything I got! I have photos of all the clothes I ordered (taken from their confirmation email- but I've recieved it all in the mail already, it is washed and hung and ready for the baby to get here!)

Anyhow- I LOVE schoola.com (not in any way affiliated, this is not a sponsored post.)
Want to try it out? Here is my referral link: https://www.schoola.com/stitch?ref=cp-3X542v1ZD
By using this, you get $15- and so do I.
Schoola offers free shipping with a $25 order, and they have been running a promotion that if you start a "collection" you get a $10 credit too.  

The thing I like the best is that all of this is in such good condition I would never know it was used!
(I sort by "good" condition. You can't use discounts on new with tags. I have got a few "blemished" items and they were as described, but in my opinion, good seems to equal new!) Everything comes to you freshly washed and folded, but of course- I run it through my laundry too.
And this website has such good discount codes the clothes are nearly free! For the order shown below, I used 2 referral credits and then a discount code (right now try FALLINGPRICES for 50% off, or OHBABY for 20% off).  So all of these items were only $0.98!! That's unreal.




Each order they send you a bag to send clothes back to them- which I will definitely do the next time I clean the closets out. My local school isn't on their list yet, but I think the process to add a school is pretty simple, and I know a school always appreciates a fundraiser!



Sunday, September 13, 2015

I still quilt!

My sister in law is having a baby this winter- and of course that means it is time for a baby quilt. They didn't find out the sex ahead of time, so I chose some of my favorite colors to make something gender neutral. (I've been saving this teal for a long time!)

I love this simple, bold design. I hope she does too.

Currently the baby-to-be is being referred to as "cricket" and like his/her sister "acorn" I personalized the quilt with some crickets.  (I thought I placed them randomly, but they turned out to form a pattern- with one missing... oops.)  You can see Acorn's quilt here: http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/10/quilt-for-acorn.html

Something new I've been doing on all my baby quilts, for the past 3 or 4...  (I wish I had this idea earlier....) Just add a little love in!