Deb's Days

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Sewing & Crafting Templates

Looking for FREE templates for your next sewing or crafting project? I've got a bunch for you! Click on the image to be taken to the project and template that goes with it.

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects?
Take a look at what else you can find here at Deb's Days!

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

5 Things to do in Vancouver, Canada

Today we're talking about 5 different activities you can do when you're visiting the cruise ship port of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.

I can't even count the number of times we've been to Vancouver, Canada. It has been a lot. Here are the top five of things we've done.

1. Spend the day in Stanley Park. Lots of places to walk and lots of pretty views.

2. Head up to Grouse Mountain. Ski resort in winter and other outdoor adventures - hiking, biking, ziplining - in summer. Heck, they even have a Grizzly Bear Refuge.

And the views from high up are spectacular.

3. Visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It's high, it's long, and it moves when you walk on it. A bit scary but you'll get a certificate of completion when you're done!

Or try the Cliffwalk when you're there. Also a bit scary.

4. For something less scary, head down to Canada Place. You'll find the cruise port, convention center, and plenty of restaurants. And great views.

5. Eat, drink and be merry. You'll find restaurant, bars, and specialty venues all over the city.

Cupcakes?

Prefer a frozen Bellini?

Maybe a vodka iced tea?

Look at the horseradish and pepper rim
on this Bloody Mary.

Spicy shrimp and popcorn?

Or a peach Melba Pannekoeken (Dutch pancake)?

No matter where you are in the city, you can find plenty to keep your body busy and your belly full.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Make an Embroidery Hoop Car Trash Bag - Tutorial Tuesday

When I make these tutorials, I go through a lot of trial and error before I put them on camera. Sometimes, despite how many times I've made something, I still make a mistake. And sometimes long after filming (and sometimes immediately after I turn off the camera) I come up with a more efficient way to make whatever craft it is I'm working on. But after battling some kind of flu bug for the last few weeks my mind is not at its best and my crafting skills are not top notch. So I'm hoping today's project will be a starting place and my mind will think of a better way to make a trash holder for the car.

But that day isn't today. While I'm waiting for a clear mind, here is what I have so far. A car trash bag made with a five inch embroidery hoop.

Homemade Car Trash Bag Holder from an Embroidery Hoop

For this project you will need:

11 ½” x 16 ½” main fabric
11 ½” x 16 ½” lining fabric
2” x 16” fabric for handle – measure where it will be placed – may need it to be shorter
5” embroidery hoop
Iron
Rotary cutter
Cutting ruler
Cutting mat
Sewing machine
Matching thread

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.

Looking for more craft ideas? Check out these projects!

You can find the step-by-step how to directions for the embroidery hoop car trash bag project right here:

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Cruising with the Crew - LJ Part 2

It's Cruise Ship Saturday! Today is part two of the rough draft on LJ, a cruise ship crew member.

Part 1 of the chapter on LJ, a cruise ship crew member, can be found on June 23.

When you are young you enjoy working on the ship. If you are coming from a country that is poor, you are excited to work at your first cruise ship job for $500 or $600 a month. But when you are 40 with a daughter who is growing up and a wife who misses you? For LJ, with those 13 years of experience, his $1,000 a month job doesn’t pay for fixing the house and supporting a wife and child – and future children - from afar.

At what age do you decide that enough is enough? That it is more important to be home with your wife and eight year old daughter than fold pool towels for passengers who are just going to dirty them in a few minutes anyway? Is it worth your time having to be kind to those passengers who are nothing but disrespectful to you, the ones that treat the crew members like they aren’t humans but animals? Isn’t it more important to provide a life for a family who doesn’t get to spend enough time with you than cleaning up the dirty cups kids threw into the pool?

Ship life chews you up and spits you out. We’ve seen it again and again. Long hours, little pay, pain-in-the-rump adults and kids with no manners wear you down. At some point you have to move on. It’s not a decision that comes easily for LJ.

There are things he will miss about ship life. For a poor boy from Honduras the opportunity to travel is something he never expected he’d get to do. Seeing the world is something he definitely will miss. But at his age, there isn’t much else. He’s more than happy to get away from those supervisors who are not kind to their crew. And the luggage. Oh, the luggage. On every cruise, crew members deliver each and every piece of passenger luggage to their cabins. On a ship with 3,000 passengers there could be 10,000 pieces of luggage that have to be delivered within the first day. Heavy, bulky luggage. Too much luggage.

LJ is ready to say goodbye to it all. He has just a few months left on his contract and then he’ll head back home to be with his wife and daughter for good. Plans are being made but financial concerns loom heavy on his mind. But he knows he has to do it. For his family.

Friday, June 29, 2018

The Friday 15

Today's downsizing 15 is a sewing room clean up.

2 rolls of contact paper, 1 roll of interfacing, and 1 pack of wall decals.
4 plastic containers and 1 stack of envelopes.
1 cutting mat and 1 pack of pipe cleaners.
2 spools of ribbon and 2 tracing wheels.

15 more gone!

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Olympic National Park

It's Wanderlust Wednesday! Today we're talking about Olympic National Park in Washington.

1. The park is huge! It's almost a million acres big. To see it all you'll need more than just a couple days.

2. You'll find mountains, beaches, and rain forests - all in the same park.

3. You can't just drive through the park from one entrance to the other. From Highway 101 you can take side roads to get into the park, but to just drive through it like you might at Yellowstone? Nope.

4. You can see Canada from the park. See that city in the distance? It's Victoria, British Columbia.(Sorry, not the best of cameras.)

5. The weather can be unpredictable. Hurricane Ridge can have strong winds, heavy snow, and good ole blizzards. Even heading into the summer, snow can be several feet deep while you're enjoying a back-of-the-car picnic lunch.