The Monthly Roundup ~ April 2017

Where did April go?!?  I can’t believe it’s already time for another monthly roundup!  As usual, I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to “behind the scenes” & give you a peak at what’s coming up in May.  I’ve got some exciting news about some changes & future plans for the blog.  Y’all sit back and relax while I wrap up my April 2017!

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More Technical Errors

Y’all, I’m really not great at all this technical stuff that a blog involves!  I spend loads of time trying to figure out how to do seemingly simple things.  It was recently pointed out to me by another blogger that there was no “submit” button on my email sign up form in my side bar.  Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal!  So, if you’ve tried to sign up for the newsletter & wondered why it didn’t go through – there’s your answer!  The button is there now & hopefully that will be my last “technical error” for a long while.  I’m sure there will be more, just hoping for a little reprieve!

Don’t forget to check out the Great Links section in the sidebar for linky parties, QAL’s, & such!  It’s below the post if you’re reading this on a mobile phone.

Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Bonuses!!

Crafty News

Wow!  I can’t believe April is almost over!  I’ve got a few little things to show you today, but it never seems that I get as much time as I want to create.  ; )  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of this already!

The 100 Day Project

I decided to participate in The 100 Day Project on Instagram.  My project is getting rid of yarn scraps & making something beautiful in the process.  I really don’t have a plan & I just crochet a little everyday!  Here’s a collage of what I’ve done so far.  Look for my project under #100daysofteadoddles.

Tinker Sketch

I’ve also been participating in TinkerSketch from Tinker Lab this month on Instagram.  It’s really fun & helps my creative juices get going.  I’ve missed almost this whole week because of my cold & hopefully I’ll feel like doing something today!  You can see everyone’s amazing art under #tinkersketch.

Quilts

There’s a wonderful blogger I’ve become friends with over at Farm House Quilts.  Monique has an awesome Facebook group filled with creative people & it’s a wonderful place to meet fellow fabric hoarders collectors.  She posted a photo of a mini quilt & challenged us to make our own version – without a pattern!  This is what I have so far:

You can see my pencil marks which I intend to fill in with thread this weekend.  I used fabric from the Maureen Cracknell fat quarter pack I order from Needle & Foot.  The edge is a surprise & I don’t want to spoil it!  I’ll have to finish this before the end of April to meet the challenge requirements!

I’ve also made a block for the Splendid Sampler Challenge.  The challenge was to pick your favorite block and make, basically, something splendid out of it.  I chose the sewing machine block because that’s my favorite tool!  I stitched down the applique & quilted it.  Then I added some binding to the top & put it on a pre-made bag for an extra pocket.

Competition ends May 11th, if you’re interested!

Remember the mushroom sketch I showed y’all last month?  It’s well on it’s way to being a mini quilt!

I’ll be using thread sketching, similar to my Splash quilt letters, for the feather.  My next mini will be similar to my sketch of the dripping flower in my Tinker Sketch collage.

The graph CAL will happen – eventually!  It’s going to take more time to prepare for that than I thought, so stay tuned!

Check out my Pinterest profile for more crafty inspiration!

May Projects

Well, I did it again!  I’m supposed to be adding a weekly health journal log health journal log on Friday’s & I’ve missed the last two Friday’s.  : (  There’s one up today & hopefully y’all will understand why I’ve missed them.

Now that that’s out of the way, I have some great projects coming up this month!  The first one is a chair I thrifted for just $10.  It’s my thinking chair in my work space & it needs a little love!  It’s made out of some sort of cheesy corduroy like material plus my dog used it as a refuge after her attack so it needs some cleaning.  I plan to paint it & recover the cushion.  We’ll see how the painting part goes!

I’ve also got two project ideas lined up for the remaining parts of my jewelry box.  Not sure I’ll get to both this month!

And I’ll be doing something (hopefully) awesome with the mini loaf pan below that.

Since I’ve found myself with too much Nutella (not really!), I’m going to do a post about different Nutella recipes I’ve been collecting on Pinterest.  I’m hoping to recreate this mini dessert from Cheddar’s!  We went there to celebrate my son’s 18th birthday.  {Yeah, I can’t believe he’s 18 either!}  I think more restaurants should have mini desserts like this.  It’s the perfect little bit of sweet at the end of a meal.  : )

Blog Goals

This is something I’ve been turning around in my head for a while now.  I want to have a better schedule, so to speak, for my posts than just whatever pops up at the moment.  Here’s my plan:

Weekly Posts:

• Mondays ~> Sewing, quilting, & crochet posts
• Wednesdays ~> DIY, gardening, & organizing posts
• Fridays ~> recipes, health, & life lived posts

Monthly Posts:

• 3rd Wednesday ~> Garden update
• Last Friday ~> Monthly Roundup + Teadoddles Talks on Facebook Live (Eek!)
• 1st Monday ~> QAL or CAL (not this month!)

I want to eventually have more choices for email sign up.  That way you can see the parts you want to or the whole shebang!  I’m testing this out in May (except the QAL/CAL) to see if I can stick to that schedule.  No need to mess with the email form if I don’t have to – we all know how that goes! ; )

I will do my first live Teadoddles Talks tonight at 7 p.m. EST.  This is a little scary for me but I tried out Facebook Live yesterday evening & it went okay.  Except for the fact that my video has “mysteriously” disappeared from my video library. : (  Probably something I did wrong, I’m sure!

I was talking a little about the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle – which is fabulous!  Y’all, this is the bundle that made me love Ultimate Bundles.  It is jammed packed with  ebooks, ecourses, printables, & bonuses all about managing family life & keeping your sanity!  I’ll talk a little more about that tonight, but I’ll also talk about other “Teadoddl-y” things. : )

My goal with Teadoddles Talks is to connect more with readers & fellow creatives.  I hope to build a community of people that want to learn, like to create, & love to talk about it!  So, y’all join in tonight, grab a cup of coffee, & let’s talk!
If y’all have any questions or comments, please let me know in the comment section below or you can email me at mammajamma77(at)teadoddles(dot)com.  Have a great weekend!