What Swoodson Said - Week of 2/20/15

Read/Shop/See Links, Social Sewing Calendar Updates, Blog Post Recaps, & Shop News

Hey there! Have you been celebrating this week - between Valentine's day, President's Day, and Mardi Gras my calendar looks very festive lately. I grew up partially in Michigan, where Paczki pastries on Fat Tuesday were common - once we moved away I was so disappointed to not find them anywhere else! Don't forget about the Little Photographer Camera release & special 20% coupon code: 'NewsletterSubscriber' will give you 20% off, through this Saturday 2/21/15 -Stephanie Read: "8 out of 10 statistics are completely made up" by Paul Jarvis. It's no secret I want my blog to be equal parts passion and profit, but trying to navigate the small business advice and laws can be overwhelming. I've definitely heard the (apparently false) statistic that 8 out of 10 small businesses fail in the first 18 months and this article points out that the cited "study" behind it never happened. There are a few other interesting tidbits in the article; it's a quick read that's worth it. "I’ve “copied.” And I bet you have too." by Deanna McCool. I hadn't heard of kleptomnesia but I've experienced it! I was excited about an idea for a guest blog post, and started sketching it out... then happened to see the exact same thing on one of my Pinterest boards. I'd convinced myself that it was my own idea and forgotten the actual source! Read through for more thoughts on creative "copying" and what actually might constitute fraud. Shop: My son is just getting interested in lacing toys, and I've never seen one like this before: Wooden Lacing House from Woodland Toy on Etsy. How cute is it! Along the same toy lines, I've never seen a wooden puzzle like this!Grimm's Lara Mandala* (affiliate link) is not cheap, but it is gorgeous. This would make an amazing heirloom family toy. See: We've had a pretty mild winter, and this DIY indoor snowball fight idea would be even more fun to play in than the wet, cold snow! Check out the idea at The Real Thing with Coake Family. I think origami is beautiful, and I really enjoyed seeing the work by Sipho Mabona on My Modern Met; the rainbow of colors and shapes is delightful. I love love love my Brother 1034d - so I finally made it a cover! I tested the pattern for my own and then made this cute blue & red one for my Mom's birthday along with a tutorial. It's a really quick sew with lots of customization opportunities - you could add a pocket, applique, patchwork, handle, or embroidery! Make one for yourself. My first time sewing clothes for my husband! It's fitting, since my first pattern for myself was from Greenstyle Creations too - and I plan to try this one out for me in the smallest size. Check out my pattern review for the Greenstyle Creations Hudson Hooded T-shirt. I was lucky enough to work with Birch Fabrics again, this time for the re-release of their Circa52 line. I made two cute log slice poufs! See more pictures in this post. This week I added these events to the social sewing calendar:  Selfish Sewing Week with imagine gnats, Kollabora, & Indiesew The Lombard Bag sew along with ChrisW Designs The Valentine Slip sew along with Sew News McCall's Wrap Dress Sew Along