Monday, September 29, 2008

3 Classes and One Crazy Teacher...

Teaching was something I have been interested in since I was young.  I'd play school with my sister, make handouts, had a chalkboard and all these things.  About 4 years ago i looked into getting the degree i'd need to teach high school English (one of my favorites) and that didn't work out.  About a month ago i started getting the 'itch' to teach again and wondered what I could teach and what I would teach if given the chance to.  I started talking to Allan and my best friend about the opportunity and dediced that Crazy Quilting would be a fun thing to teach because you don't hear of it much (or at least around here.)  I had been wondering if I could get a position teaching through the way i had learned to sew.  Every Spring and Fall our township offers Continuing Education Classes for adults.  A variety of things from Italian Cooking to sewing to baking to knitting to dancing and more.  I had the catalog and while I was on the phone with my best friend talking to her about the opportunity and how nervous I was, I looked in the back of the catalogue and sure enough it said: Instructors Wanted.  Hmmm.... I'd surely call tomorrow and find out the details.  So I called and the women i spoke with had mentioned how exciting it was because they had been looking for a quilting teacher since the last one had gotten ill.  I advised this wasn't just basic quilt piecing and they still, were excited.  I applied and soon after got the e-mail asking for my 'blurb' for the catalog!  So, come Spring I will be teaching a Tuesday night class and a Thursday night class on CQing!  The class will run for 8 weeks and the Tuesday and Thursday night classes will be different groups.

Not too long after, I headed up to Burlington to my favorite local quilt shop: Olde City Quilts.  I rent a long arm there and I just love the shop, love the staff and the owner, Judy, is such a warm, sweet person to be around.   Rae, one of the women who work there, had complimented my bracelet which i had made that morning before I headed over.  She had told Judy to come back and check it out too.  



In talking to Rae and Judy I had mentioned that I am a needle tatter.  Showed some of my work and Judy had said "You should teach a class!"  I also mentioned my CQing and she said the same thing!  I e-mailed her some photos of my work and last week i brought some CQ work in to show her.  She said "I'd love to put you on the calendar for January, maybe you could teach a Valentine's Day theme class for this?"  I happily agreed.  She asked if I could make a store sample and that is what i am working on now.  These are 2 naked hearts that I will start filling in with red, white and pink embellishments and stitches.  They will be the class samples.


I am nervous but with the help of my dear friend Kathy who has been amazing and so helpful she is helping me with my class outline, handouts and things like that.  Actually, she asked me for a class outline and a list of supplies needed and she just took off with it, creating all of the paperwork i will need.  I am sure that you could only imagine what having a friend like that feels like!  Having her as a friend is a major blessings in my life.  Her enthusiasm and encouragement are constant, she makes me feel like this is something I could really do, really succeed at.  Kathy is a woman whose kindness, helpfulness and encouragement know no bounds, and for that, I am grateful.  I ♥ you Kathy!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

September Secret Sister Thank you!

Just wanted to say thank you to my BSS in my own way on youtube again this month :)  BSS, if you read this i hope you don't mind that it's 6 minutes.  I promise to cut it down to at least 3 next month :)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Change: New Title

So, i've decided to change my "title box" since 'The Talia Effect' is my 'deal' so to speak. The logo is my design, which i love and so yep, there it is!

The Talia Effect was started when i decided about a year or actually two years ago (wow... already) when i decided i wanted to launch a website and a line and this and that.. i started going wild! ...as i do when i want to start a project! I started creating logos and banners and this and that. Then i realized, i can sew, but i can't tailor and do seamstress work. Oh well, my sewing teacher kindly invited me over to her house to teach me, perhaps this fall! Anyway, the dream kind of came down to the site (www.thetaliaeffect.net) becoming a showcase of all i do... the clothes i've made, the jewelry, the quilts, the tatting, crocheting... and so on and so forth. I plan to learn much more.... and that will all be there too. In the meantime i am desperately searching for a web designer who can do clean, cut, pretty web designs but CHEAP! The website is my next long term goal i guess, seeing how finding a designer has become a pain in my ass task. So that will sit on the side line. I do have my "HTML Web Author Certificate" ...where the hell is the rollinging eyes smiley... all that really means is i can sit here and hard code until my eyes bleed and hands fall off ie: ... i don't know how to work with dreamweaver and such... but i have the program... ugh. another class i need to take.

Short post, but i've got to get back to cutting silk ribbon for my girls ;)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Welcome to my new sewing room/studio!

By the by!.... (god get me OFF of this thing aleady!! -giggle-)

Allan and i live in a one bedroom apartment. September will be 3 years that we've been here and FINALLY this apartment is clean and all together! It feels incredible. I've spent the last month between being sick with my fibromyalgia and other ailments, doctor's appointments and other obligations, cleaning this apartment, i mean finally scrubbing and taking pride in cleanliness (psh.... first time in my 28 years LOL) just cleaning this place up! It looked like a storage unit exploded for so long... i mean just things over things, on things stacked on more things. ick! anywho... point is after talking with Allan, we just knew our desks could no long reside next to each other. Between our gaming on the headset, phone calls, television re-runs (me watching Bravo! and numerous re-runs of any and all reality shows and my Kathy Griffin) we were just like yeah... what the hell! I said to him one day, "how would you feel about seperating spaces? You take all of the bedroom except i keep my dresser in there and i take the living room..." he said yes! It took us 3 long ass days of hauling box after box after box to our little storage unit and unpacking closets and re-organizing them to suit our needs with our new spaces. So yep, we're done! And of course i'm paying for it with the fibro pains and also all the damn bruises that keep appearing on my legs?! Like... am i getting my butt kicked in my sleep or something?! Here is a link to a video of my new space! I hope you can tell what is what.... it may take a few minutes to load up, so go get some coffee and come back. If it's playing, just re-start it.

My new sewing space .avi

A day at The Land of Make Believe...






This isn't sewing related, but family related. Thought i'd throw that in the mix a bit here. Today me, my son Sebastian who will be 8 on Sept. 22, my mom, my sister and one of her 2 sons: Landen (who is 4) went to The Land of Make Believe. It's a park with small games, rides, a petting zoo and a nice size water park. We had a lot of fun and i'm going to share some pictures :) My son has the brown hair. Landen has the blonde hair. My sister is in the white shirt and by process of elimination... my mom is the other brown haird girl :)
Sebastian and I went on very large water slides today in a double tube! That was TOO much fun! It's so crazy to be at a point in his life where we can share good times like this... on big water slides! We totally had a blast and then, he went on one by himself! omg! Since when did he get over 36"?! LOL! I look forward to so many more of times like these with him... he better not get to that "ew i can't go and be seen with my mom" stage... or i'll embarrass him to no end... j/k.
Ok, i have some obligations that are past due to finish up. Just wanted to share this magical little day that i had :)

Crystal Jewelry










Ok one more! This year i also learned how to make jewelry! This is fun for me because i am not a fan of diamonds and things of that sort, but i LOVE swarovski crystal! My friend Kristen was making all of my jewelry for so long and i finally really wanted to learn how! And so i did! I am so appreciative to my friend Kristen for just being an inspiration to me with all of the beautiful pieces she has made for me and other people.  I am of course not quite the master she is and I may never be, but just knowing the basics is great.  Jewelry makes great gifts and some pieces work up quickly and easily.  If interested Kristin does beautiful custom work, her website is: K's Sparkle Creations.

Pictured are some of the pieces i've made. The blue and black set was made for NickiLee as a thank you for all the buy ins she's hosted and for all of her help along the way, teaching me to CQ. She is a lover of all things blue! So i saw those beads in the store and i could not resist. I came right home and just went at it. The biggest compliment was when she e-mailed me telling me she put the earrings right on and went to the post office and one of the women who work there complimented her earrings! It's those little moments in life! ..isn't it!?

The black and clear woven set was for my sister for Mother's Day! They look gorgeous on and they just float. The multi-colored woven bracelet was my first woven, i was so pleased with the way i came out, but i still haven't made one for myself. Need more time! Need more time!

Tatted Jewelry






When i first started tatting i made a lot of chokers and earrings. Pictured above are just some! Here is a link to the many that i've made. Tatted Chokers

These are so much fun to wear. I always get compliments when i wear the black set. I feel like i am wearing a vintage piece of lace or something! The girls who have purchased these from me have always had great results. My step mom ordered a set for her best friend for her birthday and it was such a compliment, she called me telling me how much she really loved it! So i kept making more and through word of mouth i started getting a lot of requests! I am looking forward to making more intricate patterns for the chokers, but i still need to learn to shuttle tatt. I am hoping to put up some papers in local super markets for a shuttle tatting tutor or teacher. Then my next step would be ordering one of those gorgeous shuttles with all of the decoration!

Well, it's getting late and i am going to The Land of Make Believe with my mom, son, sister and nephew. I better get some sleep!