{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo, capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Soulemama. Go over, love moments, link up.

I recently signed up for a class over at Big Picture Classes called Embrace Imperfection. For the second week of class our project was to make a mini book with some provided quotes to inspire & remind us to embrace our imperfection.

I really enjoyed this class - not just for the inspiration to embrace imperfection in my crafty/scrapbooking world - but in all aspects of my life. I also liked that the class was about using what you had (your stash) & not about any particular product. I just had to print the quotes & get to it. And, when I did I had so much fun!

I made my mini book into a kind of flip book that could stand up on a desk or could be hung on a wall like a calendar. I tried some new things & tried not to nit pick & linger too long on a page. I like how it came out. I like that I didn't fuss. I like this whole embracing imperfection idea.

Have you ever taken a class over at Big Picture? Tell us about it!

The last of the comfort scarves are DONE!
OK, the last of the ones made from the kits I got are done. Not the last ones ever. :)

The knitting was completed this week with Penny getting bored at watching the needles click. She even gave me a dirty look when one of the yarn balls rolled into her face as I unwound it. I think she was annoyed because is was in my lap & she wasn't allowed to lay on top of it.

Two more scarves to go into the mail tomorrow on their way to California & to a couple of very special women.

Of the five scarves I made this one is my favorite-

The yarn was just lovely, it has speckles of green & blue in the cream sections.

Here is what I learned about Handmade Especially For You as I completed my scarves...

Leslye, my contact & the leader of this massive endeavor is so sweet & just wonderful to communicate with. When I contacted her for kits she only asked for a little money to help with shipping costs. She sent me a large box with 5 kits in it & each kit contains the yarn & directions & tag for one scarf.

Even though it has taken me several months to complete all my kits she has never pressured me to send them back faster. She did ask for any completed scarves to be sent in at the end of last year so that they could meet their 10,000 distributed scarves goal. Instead of waiting for all of the kits to be completed - just one scarf got them that much closer to the big finish for 2010.

And, they totally met the goal!
In her newsletter update she said:
"We delivered 650 comfort scarves in December which made our total 10,000 for 2010. We delivered comfort scarves to every one of the 27 shelters for abused women in Los Angeles County , as well as 4 shelters in Orange County , and 2 shelters in San Diego County."

What did I contriibute to the cause?
My time & MAYBE $15 for shipping between the donation to get my kits to me & the postage to send them back. Really - not too much. But, every little bit helps & the women who get my scarves get a little bit of love all the way from Colorado.

If you'd like to join the cause just head on over to the HEFY website & ask Leslye to send you a few kits. (Or, read the scarf guidelines & use up your stash!) There is no pressure to be fast, no pressure to constantly ask for more kits. I plan to work my way through creating for &/or giving to all of the Create & Giveback causes & so it might be several more months or even a year before I cycle through & get back to this one. And, that's OK, like I said - every little bit helps. :)

If you know of a cause I should add to the Create & Giveback page please contact me with the info. It's always great to find new & creative ways to help!

Blessings on your week, sweet readers!

Now that my internet has worked out it's bugs from this morning I can write the post I had planned for yesterday, but didn't finish the project I was working on in time to write.

My mom-in-law sent over a bag a few months ago that contained a bunch of fabric squares. Squares she had cut 20 years ago in preperation to make a quilt for her son - the now Mr. Honor Crowned. :)

She had sewn three somewhat large sections together but had never finished the full quilt. When she came upon it while cleaning out a closet she thought maybe I would like to finish it for him. And, I did. Although, I will be redoing the binding since the middle I used made the edges all puffy & wonky & the binding looks HIDEOUS. But, until the binding gets re-done it is still usable & oh so cozy.

It is basically all recycled fabrics. It came to me as squares cut from what mostly used to be clothing, the middle is an old mattress cover, & the backing is some flannel from a long forgotten stash. I tied it instead of trying to get the heaviness through the machine, & as it came together I kept thinking that this would make the most perfect camping quilt.

Since it seems all the members of our family are madly in love with being wrapped up in a blanket (or two) I am sure this newest addition to the collection will get plenty of use.

The sunset last night was beautiful.
It made the accumulated snow glow.

I've been in 'using up' mode this week.
Using up supplies in the kitchen to stock the freezer with chili & make pumpkin cake.

Using up old binding scraps to make a woven mug rug.
Using up left over quilt squares to make a pillow cover.
Using up old thread to complete all my 'using up' projects.

It's purging - crafty style. :)

Speaking of crafty...there's lots more to explore over at Kootoyoo!

Since we switched to cloth napkins around here I have tried all sorts of places to keep them. Places I thought would be easy & comfortable. Places I moved more times than I can count.

They were forgotten when stacked, or got mixed up with dishcloths or rags, they outgrew the jar & the bowl...I didn't want to spend money on another bowl or basket to store them in.

Finally, I figured out just what to do after reading this post on storage ideas.
I saved the plastic tub that we buy our salad greens in, & broke out the scrapbooking supplies to pretty it up a bit.

In the middle of my decorating the the storage container I also decided I needed to make a few more napkins as well. Easily whipped up from leftover fabric with a simple hem. You can learn to make your own here.

Simple, green, creative, fun...looking at old things in new ways is always a good thing.

I had a little mug rug bug yesterday.
I dumped out a box of scraps & got busy quilting in the mini.
Although my tiny quilts are more like oversized coasters than what I think of as a mug rug size that's what I'm calling them...just because it is so fun to say!
Go on...say it...Mug Rug...
MUG RUG BUG!
See, it is fun! :)

If you'd like to see more examples of mug rug bug happiness go here.

If you're just hunting up some creative inspiration - well there is LOTS to be had over at Kirsty's!

I finished the binding of a small quilt this morning.
I just love how quickly this little guy went together!

I used the pattern found here.
The fabric is a couple of jelly rolls from Connecting Threads I got for Christmas -
Sweet Remembrance & Quilter's Candy Fresh Palette.

You'll have to forgive the threads that still need to be trimmed. I was so excited to show it to you I braved our 0 degree temps to take a few photos.

I didn't get fussy with fabric placement. The joy was in the easy & stress free sewing. And, although I'll have to do a little thread trimming of the ruffly frayed edges after the first few washings, this cheery little lap quilt just makes me smile!

That's Penny over there on the right, she likes to be in the middle of everything & have her picture taken. :)