Signed copies of my book now available for order

If you would like a signed copy of my book, The REAL Poop, you can get it here:

The REAL Poop!  A Cassandra Matthews Adventure

Signed by Author $12.00

Name of recipient goes here.

Book now for sale

The REAL Poop!  A Cassandra Matthews Adventure, by Katharine Schopp is now available at the following website:
https://www.createspace.com/3461058
It will also be available on Amazon.com by mid August, perhaps sooner (I was told it takes up to 15 days for Amazon to build my page).
The book will also be available for order at bookstores and online bookstores, soon.
I will also be making the book available on Kindle.
Enjoy!

New Proofs are in!

Well, my new proofs are in, and my Dad went across the river to pick them up (I have them shipped to the US side of the border because it's half the price).

My Dad is going to bring the books here after he has his lunch.  He's also going to put my new air conditioner in for me, and I can't wait to have it up and running; this heat wave has been hell on my asthma.  My poor house looks like a tornado hit it, as I can't even sweep the floor without having trouble breathing, and when I have to choose between a neat house and oxygen, well, breathing wins every time.

I hate asthma, but I guess I should be thankful for it because it's the reason I became such an avid reader.  I've always loved books, and reading was the one thing I could still do, even when I was sick.  Maybe I should dedicate my next book to my poor lungs, lol.

I sure hope my book sells.  I know it won't be easy because I'm still learning about publishing and marketing, but I really felt like self publishing was the way to go.  I love having control over every aspect of the book.  I'm using createspace for now, but eventually I would like to use lightning source as a printer.  They charge too much for proofs though; createspace is a lot more forgiving, which is great, as I completely changed the cover design.

I originally wanted something that looked hand drawn by a child, but then I decided I wanted something more professional looking.  I can't wait to see how it turned out.,  If all goes well, I can start selling on Amazon right away.

I'll also have to sell via my website because all of my online friends want autographed copies.

After this book is up and running, I'm going to rewrite my time travel novel and publish it. It was originally entitled "The Mystery of the Magic Maple", bu then I changed it to "The Owl Pearl:  Through the Roots of Time".

I like the first title better, but my main character is named Marty MacPherson and when I wrote query letters it seemed like their were too many M's, lol.

I should probably put the book up on authonomy first, to get feedback there. It's a great way to get reviews too.

Well, I'd better clear a path through the clutter in my office so that my Dad won't trip while carrying the air conditioner.  The dogs took every one of their toys out of their toybox; sigh, so I'll have to go pick them up first.  I wonder why they always empty their toybox?

PS:  Anyone reading this may wonder how on earth I can write, considering the way I'm rambling in this blog, lol...you should know that I'm writing with a migraine and therefore not thinking coherently.

Book cover design

I really enjoyed reading the proof copy of my book.  I decided that, while the cover was cute, I wanted something more professional looking, so back to the drawing board for me.
I spent several days on this, working from morning to night, but I think I've got it where I want it.
Here's my new cover image (I used the first one, but am wondering if I should have used the second one.

WOOHOO!!! The Proof of my Book is here!!!!! Woohoo!!!

My first (proof) copy of my first published book!!!

Apron, Dad

Here's my Dad, BBQ-ing while wearing the apron I made him for Father's Day.

Father's Day and my Birthday

OK, it's a week later, but here's the pic of the raincoats, lol:

Yesterday was nice.  It was my 46th birthday...I can't believe it...and my family and I went out for Chinese food, then back to my parents house for cake and coffee.

Today I'm going to go out to the cottage to celebrate Father's Day. I'm busy sewing a BBQ Apron for my Dad; just popped online while taking a break.

I'll post pics later.

Dog raincoats out of dollar store tablecloths

Well, I finished my second dog raincoat, using a red Hawaiin print vinyl table cloth from the dollar store.
So now Annie, the mini poodle, and Mac, the standard, each have one. I still have to make one for Ben, the toy poodle.  The size small is too small and the size medium is too big so I'm going to have to  hand draw his pattern...something halfway between the small and the medium.
I'll probably have to wait til Monday, because tomorrow is my Birthday, and Sunday is Father's Day.
I'll take some pics when I'm finished Ben's raincoat.

Proofs of my book have been shipped!

I'm so excited. The proof copies of my book have already been shipped, and i should get them soon.

My birthday is on the 19th; it would be so cool if I could hold my book in my hands on my birthday.

Woohoo!

And now...back to sewing raincoats for my dogs, lol.

My New Book!!!!

I just ordered proof copies of my new book, which is soon to be published by Magic & Make-Believe Press (which is a company I started).
Woohoo!
I am so excited!!!!

Oodles of Poodles and Birds of a Feather

Dog shirt from bathing suit cover up!

I made a new shirt for my dog, Mac.
I used this cool pattern:
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/40669/how-to-make-a-recycled-dog-sweater/page/all

I started with this icky bathing suit cover up...it has bleach on it and it's really worn; I never wear it.

And I ended up with this cute dog shirt.













How it's made:


I cut a rectangle 16 wide by 28.5 long for the main part (as per the instructions on the tutorial).  When I make this again, I'm going to do one 17.5 wide by 29.5 long, as I'd like it a bit bigger.

Then I cut a triangle, 16" tall by 16" wide.  I'd make this bigger too; maybe 18 by 18 next time.

The triangle is pinned onto the rectangle, just under the neck line (which is the back band of the cover up).  I left the pocket, bug got confused...it should have been right side facing right side and I messed up.

Here's Mac waiting patiently.  He loves clothes, LOL.

And here's Mac's new shirt.  I embroidered the edges because it was too blah looking.

And here's Mac wearing his new shirt!

Clutch Wallet

Woohoo; I finished the clutch wallet!  I can't believe that I'm sewing...and loving it!
Here it is.

Placemat Purse

I had to make a new purse because the purse organizer I made the other day didn't fit in my purse, LOL.
So, I tried a simple placemat purse, and I'm happy with the results!
I added a pretty pink lining, and even managed to put in a zippered pocket in the lining.  It's not perfect, but I'm happy with it and it feels really good to make something like this.

New Kenmore Sewing Machine, woohoo!

Well, I bought a brand new Kenmore 167 stitch computerized sewing machine today and I LOVE it!!!
I was a little worried that maybe it would be too  hard for me, but I brought it home, watched the video a few times, and pulled it out.  I had no trouble winding the bobbin, loading the bobbin, or threading the machine.

I decided to make a simple project that I was drawn to when I was searching the Internet earlier this week.  It's a purse organizer, and I found the free pattern here:  http://thegivingflower.de/?page_id=78

Here's my new machine, and my new purse organizer in the open position:



And here it is, all wrapped up and ready to go.  I can't believe how much I can pack into it!




I even monogrammed my name onto this, but I used a light pink thread because I didn't want to mess up if I made a mistake, so it doesn't show up in the pic.  I can see it in real life though.

I had to switch to the satin presser foot and  I was a bit stressed out over trying, but it worked out fine and was super simple to switch feet.

I bought a ton of bobbins and extra needles, and even though this machine came with 10 feet, I bought a walking foot...the only foot that wasn't included.

I'm really happy with this machine and I'm really looking forward to learning how to sew on it.

Woohoo!

LOL.

Puppy Weenie Wrap sewn from Boy's Underwear

The other day I did a tutorial about how to turn an old pair of undies into a weenie wrap for dogs.  Today I tried the pattern again, using a new pair of dollar store boy's undies, and I'm really happy with the result.
Here are a few pics of Ben's new weenie wrap.

Sew...how to make a weenie wrap out of an old pair of panties?

Well, it's 12:17 AM...just after midnight, and I just finished sewing a weenie wrap for my naughty toy poodle, Ben,.  He peed on my table leg for the second time today, and I couldn't find his crocheted weenie wrap.  I didn't want to go to bed and wake up to another mess, so I looked through my rag bag and grabbed an old pair of panties that were all stretched out (the elastic waist band wasn't even attached to the panties in most places, lol).

So, I measured my dog around the middle...15 inches.  He's a chubby toy poodle.  I measured my old underwear down the center, and cut off the sides, leaving material around the crotch. I made it 18 inches in length, so I'd have room to overlap it at the back when it was done.

I ironed the fabric as best as I could, and folded the sides in by about a quarter inch, and then another quarter inch so that the cut edge wasn't showing.

Next, I folded the lengthwise sides together so that they overlapped in the middle.

Then I folded the short ends over twice, so that the raw edge doesn't show.

I sewed the short ends in place. (excuse the mess on my table; I was working on a doll earlier and left everything out).

After this step, I sewed across the short edge near the crotch area, making sure not to sew the actual crotch area.  I wanted a pocket.   I have a computerized Brother CS4000 machine, and the LCD light went out so I can't tell what stitch I'm choosing.  I thought I was still doing a straight stitch, but I must have hit the stitch selection button because I got a surprise, lol.

Finally, I cut two pieces of that sticky mesh stuff...not velcro, but similar.  I placed it on the ends and pushed so that it stuck.  I pulled to see if I had to sew it on, but it had grabbed the fabric perfectly, so there was no need.  I accidently snipped the fabric open when I cut this sticky stuff, and had to mend the weenie wrap; sigh. 

I placed a pad in the pocket made at the crotch area.

And here is Ben checking his new weenie wrap out.

It's a perfect fit, and he seems content with it.

I'm happy with the way this turned out, and really happy that I can sleep without worrying that I'll wake up to another mess.

The next time, I'm going to use men's underwear, in a nice navy blue colour.  Now that I know that old undies make great weenie wraps, I'll know to take more time with the cutting and measuring.  I'm just a beginner, and I'm sure an experienced seamstress could make a really cute weenie wrap using this idea.  It would be cute with some detailing on the outside; a ribbon around the edges, or a decal sewn on to the back.  

If you try my pattern,  let me know how it works for you.

If you have a bigger dog it would still work...you'd just need to add more fabric to make it longer on each end (or buy bigger undies ;-0).

A hug with a kick in the butt

I wrote this email to my friend in a dolly group and it made me laugh so I decided I should keep it:

My parents just stopped off on their way to camp.  They picked up a big bag of dog food for Mac (because I can't lift it when I'm sick like this).  

My Mom is feeling good, which means her normal feisty temperament is back in full force. I don't know why, but for my whole life, whenever my parents do something nice for me, my mother follows it with criticisms.  I call it her "hug with a kick in the ass routine".  My parents put a whole new twist into the saying "no good deed goes unpunished", lol.

My Dad brought the bag of food in, and my Mother followed.  I asked how much I owed them, and my mother said "Don't worry about it."  I hate hearing that because it always means I'm going to pay...just not with money, lol.  

My house is a mess because I've been sick.  I'm a bit better, but I'm still breathing at only half my normal capacity.  Anyway, my parents know this; I talked to them on the phone this morning. I talked to them every day, even when they were in Toronto, and my mother told me to go to the emerg every day when she heard my coughing.   I specifically told them not to come over because my house was a mess and they wouldn't be able to handle it without getting mad.  I specifically told them that they were not to cross my threshold until 1 week after I feel better, because even when my house is at it's neatest, my mother finds things wrong.  I told them I would need at least a full week to clean up enough to allow them in the door and that I can't start cleaning until I can breathe.  I shouldn't have said anything because they took my visiting ban as a personal challenge and used the heavy bag of dogfood to gain entry, lol.

She did try; I'll give her credit for that.  She came in and scrutinized the huge coffee stain covering my left boob...white top, of course.  I just spilled that coffee a few minutes before they came in (thank God it wasn't too hot!).  She frowned at my piles of unwashed (but rinsed and neatly stacked) dishes, my table full of reborning stuff, and my bag of empty coffee cans hanging from the doorknob (my hanging things on doorknobs is almost a mortal sin in her book, lol).  She sighed loudly several times and shook her head, but didn't say anything. My Dad spotted my new sewing machine and scrutinized it, then sighed because he thinks I'm always spending my money on "junk" (unfortunately he was right about my old machine).  

Anyway, they almost made it without the kick...my Dad got out the door with only a few more frowns and head shakes, and my mother followed with loud sighs and narrowed eyes.  

She hugged me goodbye, said she loves me, and I thought "here it comes".  

She leaned into me and whispered, "Your father was completely devastated when he went into your basement." 

I thought I misheard her.  I said, "What? Dad didn't go into my basement today."

She said, "No, the last time he was here to turn on your water hose line, he was completely devastated."

I said, "You mean 3 weeks ago?"

She said, "Yes.  You have too many empty boxes.  You can't live like that."

It didn't help that the box for my new coffee machine was in the stairwell, and that the box with my new sewing machine was on the floor by the door.  The pile of dirty towels on the top step (from cleaning up after the old, leaky coffee maker) weren't a help, either.  I meant to take them all down the next time I go downstairs.

It's true that my basement is more of a wreck-room rather than a rec-room, but my gosh, of all the things to complain about.  She stood at the door berating me for a long time.  She was especially annoyed by the bag of coffee cans hanging from the doorknob, and wanted to know why on earth I was saving them.  When I said I was going to use them to make a crocheted canister set, she actually snorted.  They are not people who appreciate crafting, in any form.  It's all just "junk", according to them.

I know she was really upset about the basement because she said it was my father who was upset...she does that because she knows I don't listen to her when she complains things are messy because to her, a magazine on an end table is a horrible mess, lol.

Anyway, I had the last word. I listened until she wound down, and said "Isn't it nice that you're feeling good now and you don't have anything more to worry about than the state of my basement?"

She said "Yeah," but she wasn't happy, lol.

It's a miracle; this is the first time ever that my parents have criticized me and I've not gotten upset about it.  It really is nice that my mother has nothing else to worry about than the state of my basement.

Baby Monkey ooak crochet

I designed this pattern for a baby monkey; I really love the way she turned out.  I named her Nalani, and put her up on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47388989/baby-monkey-ooak-crochetBaby monkey crochet