Posted on Leave a comment

Cloth Gift Bags are Available Now

There’s a new batch of Christmas gift bags at the SubEarthan Cottage Shop. This year, you can choose between jute twine like I use for wrapping my soaps, or white satin ribbon for the drawstrings. 

You can find all the Christmas gift bags here: https://subearthancottage.com/product-category/holidays

That is all the fabric I have in those prints, so if you like them, get them quickly before they sell out. Right now, coupon code “NewSiteSale” is good for 30% off your entire regular-priced order.

Posted on Leave a comment

Billboard Art

This weekend we held a rather slow garage sale. It was still fun, though, and we met some nice people, including a gentleman who shares our fondness of TBI Suburbans.

Chris took full advantage of the time to create a few billboard art pieces he’s been picturing for months.

Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts

I think this is my favorite. I love the weathered door.

Show Stopper
Show Stopper

This is the one everyone slowed down to see. He may decide to shorten it from the bottom to make it more manageable. As it is, though, in the right space it is impressive.

Coca Cola
Coca Cola

This one just screams Americana. We held it up to see what it looks like on the outside of our house. I loved the pop of red against our brown. I can totally see this alongside other signs in rustic decor.

Posted on Leave a comment

Early Morning Gauzy Tunic Refashion

In keeping with my desire to be more conscientious with my clothing, I shopped my closet for clothes that aren’t bad, but need a little refashioning to make me feel comfortable in them.  I’ve had this gauzy tunic top hanging in my closet for a while. It felt nice and lightweight, but I just never felt like wearing it.

Originally it was a pale, pastel blue. I thought maybe a color change would help, since I’m not big on pastels. I added it to a black Rit dye batch a few weeks ago, turning it a nice, dark grey. When I put it on yesterday morning, though, it still wasn’t quite right.

Early morning=terrible lighting

The sleeves had weird cuffs sewn on that were an awkward length and oddly tight. I decided they had to go.

See the blue thread? That was the original shirt color.

Rather than ripping out the seam, I simply cut away the cuffs as close to the seam as possible. I could have folded and hemmed the sleeves, but I planned to wear the tunic that day, so I wanted a quicker way of finishing them.

Still too dark.


Instead of hemming, I used my serger to make a rolled overcast edge where I had removed the cuffs. Not only was this quick, it gave the sleeves a light, breezy feel that, in my opinion, fits better with the overall style of the shirt. With the new color and sleeves, I can see myself getting much more wear out of this tunic shirt. 

Posted on Leave a comment

Like Cats and Dogs

While we were away, Chris did a ton of work on the house. He also tackled a major challenge: making sure our cats and dogs get along. Merlin was old and mean, so the dogs left him alone other than an occasional nose-touch in passing. The kittens, on the other hand, are young and run and jump and play and desperately want to be friends with the dogs.

Shadow is a little afraid of them, so she mostly avoids them. Jake is still a bit of a puppy himself, so he takes much more interest in them. The problem is he is an eighty-plus pound Pit Bull and they are five month old kittens. We have had concerns that he might be interested in them as kitty-snacks, so their interactions have involved kennels or leashes and been limited.

This past week, however, Chris took advantage of the quiet to properly introduce Jake to the kitties. The end result is adorable.

I do worry about accidental injuries because Jake is so much bigger, so I still keep a close eye on them. He really is very sweet and gentle with the kittens though. When we first let them out together in the mornings, the kittens rub all over his legs and purr while he has his big, goofy, happy pit smile on his face.

Angel is the feisty runt, so Jake tolerating him is awesome.
Posted on 1 Comment

Cats are weird

After my kitty Merlin died earlier this summer at the ripe old age of fifteen, we decided we would like to adopt a pair of kittens. I always felt a little sad that Merlin never had a kitty friend. But, by the time we really started thinking about a second cat, Merlin was old and cranky. I wasn’t sure he would like another cat around, so we waited.

Kitty Merlin

Introducing our new kitties.

In July, I began looking for a pair of kittens to adopt and found a local family needing to find homes for their three kittens. How could I just leave one sibling behind? Not possible. So we ended up with three eight week old kittens, one female and two males.

Buffy:

Spike:

Angel:

Angel Cats

Based on our cats’ names, everyone reading now knows my age and that I am a huge nerd. 

Surprise!

Anyway, like a responsible kitty owner, I took Buffy to be spayed yesterday. Spike and Angel aren’t off the hook, but taking care of the little lady first removes the immediate litter of kitties threat. Imagine my surprise when I picked Buffy up and learned that Buffy was, in fact, a boy. 

This news, of course, left me questioning whether Buffy’s brothers were actually brothers. Again, all kitties are destined for that trip to the vet, but females get top priority due to babies and certain health risks. 

After spending a weird afternoon Googling variations of “how to tell if a cat is male or female” and comparing the results to my intact furballs, I am fairly certain I do, in fact, have three males. Typical for me, really. I also think that by their current age, I would have realized Buffy was a boy if I had actually looked. Until yesterday, though, I didn’t see the need to double-check.

When in doubt…

One thing I learned is that, at TCAP at least, when in doubt, register cats as female. If they turn out to be male, they will continue with the surgery. Spaying is harder and has more potential complications, so if your cat is a surprise female, they won’t perform the surgery at that time.

Make sure you never miss a new post by signing up for our weekly-ish newsletter here.

Posted on Leave a comment

Embroidery Machine Tips: Paw Patrol and Using My Brother SE-400

Thaddeus turns three next week! When asked what he wants for his birthday, he exclaims, “Paw Patrol stuuuuuufff!” He is also constantly asking me to sew basically the entire cast of Paw Patrol for him. I may be crafty, but that is a bit beyond my skill set. So, since I have a lovely embroidery machine that doesn’t get used nearly enough, I thought I’d purchase a Paw Patrol design set for my machine.

The set came from Etsy seller OhMyArtDesigns. It comes with all the main pups, Rider, Robo Dog, and the Paw Patrol Logo. They also come in a few different sizes and file types to accommodate different brands and machines. So far, I love the designs. The stitch density is great, and they have a lot of detail. The only problems I’ve had fall completely in the “user error” category.

Embroidery Color Charts Matter

My first mistake was using the thread colors displayed on the machine and my manual chart to choose my threads.

The thread colors and names used by different machine brands varies, so if a design is drafted using different colors than yours, the color suggestions can seem a bit off. I was in a hurry and didn’t pay attention to the color chart provided by the designer, so some of my color choices weren’t quite right.

Everest would be less blue if I had used the appropriate chart. Lesson learned. This also highlights the need to test run any new patterns before stitching them on your final product. Embroidery machine stitching is so dense that it’s almost impossible to remove without ruining the fabric.

Hoop Tightly

The other problem I encountered is also easily fixed. I just need to learn how to hoop my fabric properly. If you look closely, you can see the black outline on both Everest and Rider strays from the edge of the design on one side. I still have trouble getting the fabric and stabilizer drum-taut, so by the time the outline is stitched, the design stitches puckered the fabric in places. I have a magnetic hoop set on my wish list to see if that would help, but honestly it’s probably a case of needing more practice. Considering how many pups I have left to stitch, I may be an expert at hooping by the end of the week!

Rider in embroidery.

It is so fun to watch the designs being sewn. It’s like putting together a puzzle.

Embroidery. Everest after embroidering the first color.
Everest after stitching the first color.

Looking for new designs to try on your embroidery machine? Find my embroidery files and freebies here.

To stay informed about new posts, products and sales, sign up for my newsletter here.

Tips for successful machine embroidery.


Posted on Leave a comment

Essential Oil Rollers Available at SubEarthan Cottage

Pumpkin lavender roll on Lemongrass

When used properly, essential oils are a wonderful tool for health and well-being. After much research, I now offer seven essential oil blends at SubEarthan Cottage in convenient roll-on form. Each blend is able to be customized for dilution, which is very important if you intend to use them on children or sensitive individuals. You can also choose between coconut, sweet almond and olive oils for the carrier. If none of my blends work for your needs, there is the option to choose a single essential oil or your own custom blend.

I personally carry two blends with me at all times. They are “Peace” and “Balance”.

Peace

Peace Essential Oil Blend
Peace essential oil blend

Peace is a blend of Frankincense, Lavender, Orange and Patchouli essential oils. I love it for days when things get a bit crazy. It’s like a mini-vacation in a bottle.

Balance

Balance essential oil roller
Balance essential oil roller

Balance is a blend of pure Clary Sage, Lavender, Frankincense and Myrrh essential oils. Those oils are thought to help with pms, mood swings and all the other fun that comes with monthly hormone shifts. Since the oils in Balance may effect hormones, this blend is not suitable for pregnant women.

Relax

Relax essential oil blend
Relax essential oil blend

Relax is a blend of pure Lavender, Frankincense and Orange essential oils. It’s great for helping you unwind after a busy day.

Focus

Focus Essential oil Blend
Focus essential oil blend

Focus is a blend of pure peppermint and orange essential oils. The bright, crisp scents may help keep you alert and focused.

Release

Release essential oil blend
Release essential oil blend

Release is a blend of pure lavender, peppermint and frankincense essential oils. I like rolling it on tense muscles.

Soothe

Soothe essential oil blend
Soothe essential oil blend

Soothe is a blend of pure eucalyptus, frankincense and lemon essential oils. It’s basically a nicer, less goopy version of the chest rub your mom made you use when you were sick. Eucalyptus is one of the essential oils that should not be used on children, so if you are interested in a version for children, let me know and I can swap the eucalyptus for something kid-friendly.

Spring

Spring essential oil blend
Spring essential oil blend

Spring is a blend of pure lavender, peppermint and lemon essential oils. If you’re like me, spring and fall are torture due to all the pollen in the air. These oils are supposed to help ease seasonal allergy symptoms. I personally haven’t put it to the test yet, but I’m sure by October I’ll be able to give a full review.

I go into more usage safety in the product listings, so be sure to read and ask questions if needed. I am always happy to make adjustments to the blends to better fit your needs.

Right now, everything at SubEarthan Cottage is on sale for 30% off, including the essential oil rollers, so now is a great time to try them for yourself.