Buc-ee's! Don't Miss this Little Gem While Traveling

Have you ever been on a road trip and passed a sign with the cute beaver that says Buc-ee's? Well, my advice is to stop in for a quick (or not so quick) visit. Buc-ee's is not just a fancy rest stop off the highway, it's an entire experience!

We travel a lot! Two of the places we regularly travel to are Texas and Florida, and there are a lot of Buc-ee's between here and there. My first time there, I was in constant aww! They have so many things that will make your road trip extra fun. They have a lot of choices for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack. Everything is super fresh and worth every penny. On our last visit we picked up some cobb salads for lunch and they were fresh as can be. We sat in the car and enjoyed them. No wilted lettuce in our salads!

They are really known for their smoked beef brisket. And the smell when you are in there is amazing! Not a fan of brisket or beef in general, don't worry, they have a lot more. Everything from sandwiches, salads, yogart parfaits, fruits, nuts of every kind, fudge, candies, cookies, chips, and so much more! My personal favorite is chocolate covered cashews. Yep, it's the only place I've seen them, and they are sooooooo good!

They also have some cute stuff too. They have holiday items, souvenirs, pets’ stuff, kitchenware, games, coolers, gifts, kids' stuff, and every kind of soft drink you could imagine. They are also known for their 100 plus gas pumps at each location. If your car is a little dirty, they have the longest car wash you've ever seen.

This may sound funny, but they are also known for their restrooms. Yep, I said it, "RESTROOMS." They are super clean and quite pretty. It seems like every time we travel, we see where another one has popped up. 

If you are on a road trip and see a Buc-ee's you should stop on by. I'm sharing the link to their website so you can take a sneak peek. Did I mention how much I love the place?

Oh, and my son would never forgive me if I didn't mention their beef jerky. They also have a little thing called "beaver nuggets." Yep, they have things you've never seen elsewhere. Be sure the check it out for yourself.

https://buc-ees.com/about/

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

Free Pattern - Phone Sleeve or Eyeglasses Case

I recently designed these phone sleeves which also makes a great eyeglasses case. A seasoned seamstress can whip these up in no time. I've also added lots of tips and notes that will make the pattern beginner friendly. A regular sewing machine is required for this project.

You can grab your pattern right HERE.

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

Some of My Favorite Sewing Supplies

This week I'm sharing some of my absolute favorite sewing supplies. I have been sewing for over 50 years. That's right, I started as a young child. When we were younger my sister and I made all our Barbie clothes and Barbie furniture. That was also the time when I made my first purse. I wish everyday photography were a thing then because I could share the pictures. I was quite proud of that one. I'm not sure which of my addictions began, the sewing or the purses. A girl cannot have too many purses! But that's a whole other blog post.

Let's get started on my favorite supplies. From left to right...

1. Anything from the Sewline brand. Their marking pencils are the best! I have the pencil with the three different colors (white, pink, dark gray). It's a mechanical type of pencil that works beautifully. You turn the bottom half of the pencil to the desired marking color. You can also adjust to let out more lead when you need it. I use it so much and I'm waiting on my refills to arrive any day now. I also love their eraser that is made to go with these pencils. Just like the marking pencil, you can extend it for more eraser. Since it's designed like a pencil, it's so easy to use. And there are also refills available for these too. Probably my favorite of all my tools.

2. Next is HeatnBond Lite. All the products with this name are the best in my opinion. The strong or ultra hold sticks very well and is easy to use. Most of the time I use the Lite. It's designed to hold things down so you can stitch on it. It never gums up your needle and holds very well. This is the only one I will use when making my fabric appliques for machine embroidery and hand embroidery.

3. Jean-a-ma-jig. There are other brands and styles of this that do the job, but this is the one that I have had for many, many years and it has served me well. Since I love to make tote bags, small wallets, and purses there are times when I'm trying to stitch over a bulky seam, and this is a huge help. It prevents my sewing machine foot from getting stuck at the beginning of that area, so the seam is nice and even. I just used it yesterday when making up a bunch of credit card wallets for a donation for the local women's shelter. I zipped right on through with ease!

4. These little fabric clips. I have the Clover brand. I got them when they first came out and I believe that Clover was the only brand at that time. Now you can easily find them, and you can find them at a better price. Sometimes I feel a pin is needed but for the most part, I use these.

So, there you have it. These are my top four sewing tools. I have many tools and I'll be sharing more of them with you at another time. All the tools listed above are very easy to find.

 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News so you don't miss anything!

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

Sewing for a Cause & Giving Back

 

Giving back and helping others is something that makes you feel good and knowing that you are making a difference is even better. My parents have always been those that helped others and since that's what I grew up with, that seems like the norm to me. Even if you don't have much to give, you can still make a difference in someone's life.

Several years back my sister made a delivery of supplies to a local battered women's shelter. Her boss has been donating items to them for years. One of her deliveries was during the fall. Since there were several children there she asked one of the ladies if there was something we could do for the kids especially with Christmas just a few months away. She was told that the kids don't miss out during the Christmas season but it's the women (moms) that get left behind. This got her thinking so she asked how mamy women they housed. At that time they only had room for six at a time. They have recently added more rooms and beds which is nice. But that go my sister thinking. How about doing something for the moms? Their basic needs are met from the government and other organizations. Why don't we do something special for them? Things that they don't get like personal items or pampering items. Many of these women were strong enough to leave a bad situation and most brought nothing more that the clothes on their backs. That's when our little group started to form. At that time we had no idea how it would grow.

That Christmas we did some shopping and made up six gift bags. We filled them with thermo water bottles, journals, pens, shower gel, razors, puzzle books, laundry bags and other fun things. And of course I made up a bunch of wallets and key fobs to add to them. They loved them! It started with just my sister, myself, and our girls. Before we knew it, our friends wanted to help, then my sister's church friends, then friends of their friends. We are now over fifty women strong! We were able to add another shelter to our list and between them I believe there are about 35 women at any given time. 

We did some more brainstorming and came up with the idea of welcome boxes for the new arrivals at the shelters. In these boxes we put all of the items listed above plus towels, hair ties, flameless candles, hair brushes, foldable tote bags, and more. As soon as they are down to their last couple of boxes, they call us and we send at least six more. My sister is great at keeping all the information up to date, inventory organized, as well as our Amazon gift list of needed items. And some of these women are extremely generous. We started a private facebook group where our group can see what's needed and when.

If you like to sew or embroider, I know you have a major stash of scrap fabric that could be put to good use. You can make simple little gifts that will brighten someone's day. To find places that you can donate to, contact your local shelters, nursing homes, hospitals, and churches to see where you can donate. You will see in the image above that there are two little monster pillows. I made them for a call out requesting the handmade items for children several years back. They provided the pattern and we (sewers from all over) bought the fabric and stitched them up.

Giving to those in need makes them happy and you happy. It's a win win! If you want to make little wallets, just put in a search at TikToc or Youtube and you'll see hundreds of them. Some of them are so quick and easy, you can whip them up in no time. I also included some links below of some of my tutorials that are quick and easy and would make great donations. And the supplies for these are items you might already have, or things you can get inexpensively.

Earbud case or coin purse

Travel tray that stores flat

Simple candle cups for Christmas (for donating I'd use flameless tealights)

Candles for anything

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

Shelf Ice - The Beauty and the Dangers

 

Unless you live along one of the beautiful Great Lakes, you probably aren't familiar with shelf ice. It is absolutely beautiful. My granddaughter had never seen it before so we took her over the weekend to see it. She was amazed at the difference it made along the shore. In the image above you'll see our lighthouse in the summer. Next to it you'll see our lighthouse in the winter. Quite a difference! If you are ever traveling along one of the Great Lakes, I think it would be worth a trip to the beach to see its incredible beauty. But NEVER walk on it or climb it! It's extremely dangerous. 

The shelf ice is formed when the waves crash to the shore in the freezing temperatures. Several weeks of this can create some pretty high ice. The danger is when you are walking on it. It looks thick, and it is, but not everything is completely frozen. You can be walking on a section that might look solid but under that ice can be (and many times is) a hole. Once you fall into a hole, you will never be able to come back up. The water under the ice is still moving and will take you with it. Can you imagine how cold that water would be? Yet every single year we see people walking on it.

I added some links at the end of this post that explains the danger in detail. So, if you ever get a chance to see it, definitely do and take your camera. Enjoy the beauty from a distance.

https://www.wndu.com/2025/01/22/hidden-dangers-shelf-ice/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shelf+ice+lake+michigan

December - Mug Rug of the Month Tutorial

 

You can find December design right HERE

Be sure to download the pdf document to your computer for printing. It's been my experience that the internet pdf viewers are horrible for printing. They also tend to leave out images such as pattern pieces.

You can find all the monthly designs HERE.

Don't miss the next Mug Rug of the Month pattern! 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

November - Mug Rug of the Month Free Tutorial

 

You can find November design right HERE

Be sure to download the pdf document to your computer for printing. It's been my experience that the internet pdf viewers are horrible for printing. They also tend to leave out images such as pattern pieces.

You can find all the monthly designs HERE.

Don't miss the next Mug Rug of the Month pattern! 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

October - Mug Rug of the Month Tutorial

You can find October design right HERE

Be sure to download the pdf document to your computer for printing. It's been my experience that the internet pdf viewers are horrible for printing. They also tend to leave out images such as pattern pieces.

You can find all the monthly designs HERE.

Don't miss the next Mug Rug of the Month pattern! 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

September - Mug Rug of the Month Tutorial

  

You can find September design right HERE

Be sure to download the pdf document to your computer for printing. It's been my experience that the internet pdf viewers are horrible for printing. They also tend to leave out images such as pattern pieces.

You can find all the monthly designs HERE.

Don't miss the next Mug Rug of the Month pattern! 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

August - Free Mug Rug of the Month Pattern

 

You can find August design right HERE

Be sure to download the pdf document to your computer for printing. It's been my experience that the internet pdf viewers are horrible for printing. They also tend to leave out images such as pattern pieces.

You can find all the monthly designs HERE.

Don't miss the next Mug Rug of the Month pattern! 

Sign up for Sher's Creative News

There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week.