Round Up! and success!!

Thanks for sticking with me here, friends and strangers.
My life got hectic for awhile and they are slowly on their way back to normal when I realized I haven't blogged in forever! My life got hectic, and my sewing kept up! I've made drapes, aprons, clutches, bandanas, toys, and much more since my last post!
I hope I will soon have the smarts to start tutorials on here and share them with my sewing lovers! I made a couple fortune cookies today for the first time. It took me awhile to figure out how to fold them and everything, some look better than the others. ;)
I would really hope all my readers are keeping up with facebook and my flickr account (the links can be found on this blog). Those are the sites I keep up with the most! Blogging being a second place holder and twitter being next..... myspace being absolute last :\ I don't log on too much and I find when I do log on, I'm on a guest computer and don't have my pictures available to upload.
ALSO! Got some exciting news, check out etsy.com on July 2, 2010 to see my products featured in the pet showcase!! It will be my first time being featured in a showcase and I am very excited! Hopefully it will not be the last!
With the July 4th weekend coming up I wish you all a safe and fun holiday! I'll be BBQing but taking it easy though. No parties this year for me!! Enjoy yourselfs!
Love, Jessica of Stitches and Spools

PS: Let's hear it for the whale ban staying in tact!!!!! The week long meeting in Morocco is finally over and the whale ban hasn't been touched. For those of you who voiced your opinion to help the whales, thank you! I did it as well, but one person is nothing compared to millions. (I believe I talked about this in my last post). So obviously I don't feel personally responsible but I am glad that we could come together as conservationists and help keep this ban in tact.
Don't let anyone fool you. Japan claimed to want to lift the ban in efforts to "conserve" the whales. Here's the thing, Japan, Norway and Iceland are the three countries that continue to participate in whaling through-out the 24 year ban. It has been argued that lifting the ban will allow for stricter regulations for whaling. That does not seem to make sense to me. If Japan is concerned about the conservation of whales, why do they need someone to regulate it? If they are so concerned, can't they regulate it themselves? Hmmmm....
The New York Times reported that failure to lift the ban will "leave management of whale populations in the hands of hunters. A compromise plan...would have allowed the three countries to resume commercial whaling but at significantly lower levels and under tight monitoring."
Why does Japan, Norway and Iceland want this? They are big countries... they can monitor themselves. They are the three countries that continue to hunt for whales regardless of the world's opinion. Their whaling includes endangered whales by the way. I thought hunting endarged animals was a criminal offense?
What the eyes of the uninformed reader fail to see are scientific findings that whale populations are too low to continue commercial whaling. The lifting of the ban would simply give those three countries the legitimacy they desire in light of declining whale populations.
Since the ban has been in tact, whaling catches fell to well below ten thousand a year by 1985 from a high of 70,000 a year in the 1960's.
Without mentioning that little fact, several pro-whaling blinded reports mentioned that 33,000 whales have been killed since the ban took effect in 1986. Wow, 33,000 in 24 years?! That means an average of 1375 whaling captures a year!!!!! But no, no improvement at all since the ban. 1375 captured whales a year? Or 70,0000 captured whales a year? Hmmm....
A repealing on the ban would have led to a tremendous increase in whaling. Not a "controlled" or reduction in hunting. Norways "quotas" of whale hunters went from zero in 1990 to to nearly one thousand in 2010. Obviously they had no intention of using the repeal to "conserve."
Anyway, that was my final rant on the subject. It has been passed and it is reason to celebrate!!! If this happens to ever be brought up again you can count on me to be there to defend it. I just hope everyone who never thought of this topic before now has both sides of the story in mind if it is ever brought up again.

Rants, Raves and Revolutions

Hello friends,

I am ready for a revolution.

I've been inspired this way and that way and every way lately. This world is not it was supposed to be. Look into your heart and you'll find love. You will. Everyone will. It's our God-intended right to be loved (which is tattooed on my back!)

Anyway, this BP oil spill is something else. Do we know how many lives are being ruined? How OUR lives our being ruined? How many animals are dying from this spill that just continues to spew. I knew it was bad news from day one. Day ONE I was unhappy with the spill. It is only getting worse. Please do not take the out of sight out of mind mentality like so many others do. Someday it will be in sight AND in mind, and what do we do then? When everyone else is having this same out of sight out of mind mentality?

There are things we can do. I registered to volunteer and I can't wait for a phone call. You can donate soap and hair (yes, hair... it soaks up the oil I was told!) You simply have to contact your barber or your salon or your pup pup's salon. They don't need it, but their earth does, so really..... they do.

As if the oil spill wasn't enough, another oceanic nightmare is brewing. On June 20, the International Whaling Commission is meeting in Morocco to vote on a proposal to lift the international whaling ban that has been in tact for 24 years. The ban would be lifted for Japan, Norway and Iceland -- the three countries that have hated the ban from.

The rest of this comes from PETA's blog, where I retrieved a lot of my information:

"Anyone who knows anything about the history of the ban—which has slashed the killing from somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 whales a year to between 1,200 and 1,700—is outraged that the president is going back on his election pledge to strengthen a ban and instead throwing the country's might behind lifting it.

We know some fascinating things about whales: Humpbacks create "bubble-netting" by blowing a stream of bubbles to surround their prey, and females form long-lasting friendships with each other. Many people know that sperm whales have the biggest brains of any living being, but did you know that they're able to dive more than a mile? Or that they communicate by clicking? Or that some scientists believe that sperm whales "are so self-aware that they might have begun to evolve a concept of religion."

We also know that if the whaling ban is lifted, whale families will be torn apart as more are slaughtered. Act now to help animals: Politely tell President Obama that you oppose the cruel slaughter of sentient beings." -Karin Bennett

As my dedicated readers and best of friends already know, whales are my absolute favorite animals in the whole world. They are fascinating, majestic, graceful and simply amazing. I constantly stare out into the ocean, thinking about it's vastness and how many whales are actually out there. The oil spill threatens them (as well as the world) enough. We don't need the deliberate slaughtering of them. Most importantly, it is simply inhumane. We as humans have to protect the vulnerable; as we do with our children or our pets. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace" -Jimi Hendrix

I want a revolution. I want a peaceful revolution. Another Woodstock would be amazing. I sign petitions left and right online but what's more powerful-- A million signatures or a million bodies standing for peace?

Love, Jessica of Stitches and Spools

Bonjour! Oui! Oui!

Hi blog family!

That daily affirmation video came at the perfect time for me! I'm so glad I saw it! I feel like I'm taking a stumble in my personal life and that is always frusterating. I won't get into it, because personal problems don't make for a happy blog, a happy Jessica or a happy reader. :)

I finished making my toy bin and it looks adorable!! I'm just having a little trouble with my snap fasteners! I like the metal ones but they are so much work and now they aren't even clipping for me! :( Maybe I will start to use the sew-on snaps. I feel like they don't look as nice but at least they will work and therefore be worth my time! Anyway, once I get the snap fasteners working, I will take pictures and post!

I loved the toy bin SO MUCH that I'm making another one for my Charlie. The first one I made I will put in my Etsy shop and it's aimed more at kids. My mom actually gave me the idea to make toy bins for dogs! And Charlie desperately needs one.

Wow I don't remember the last time I posted so I'll tell you I finished my lunch box, ring bearer pillow and small diaper carrier as well. The only pictures I have so far are for the lunch box and ring bearer pillow.

I have to start on drapes soon, I am making kitchen chair covers, doing a lot of hemming jobs and I need to finish Charlie's toy box. :) I am busy but that is perfect, keep me distracted from everything else!

I though, am taking a weekend vacation! I leave tomorrow for camping with friends and cousins and loves and I could not be more excited!! Too bad we're not roughing it, I love roughing it, but it's not up to me. Since we're not roughing it I can't bring Charlie :( but he is in good hands for the weekend.

Next weekend my best friend Brian comes home from backpacking through Europe!! I am excited to not only see him but to hear all his stories!

French class is amazing! I love speaking French and learning about France!! I speak French only to myself now. And I have a lot of French homework to catch up on before camping.

Au revoir, loves!

Love, Jessica of Stitches and Spools