December Interview: Angel I mean, Amy Rose

Okay, so my December interview is Amy from Swell Stitches!!! We have become really close since we became swap partners on Craftster!! She is super fun and she loves everything candy colored and pastel!!! Which really makes me laugh because her personality isn't all frilly and sweet... I mean she does put up with me... She has to have some edge to her!! Anyways she makes super cute things!! She also LOVES LOVES LOVES Christmas... So she is the perfect fit for my December interview check out her blog because she is having a GIVEAWAY. Which by the way I want to WIN.... Even though she made me some already!!! They are so beautiful and look Vintage!!!



first name (you don't have to answer this): Amy

Where did the name AmyRacinRose come from?: I've been dragracing ever since my sixteenth birthday. A guy that I've known and been friends with since I was kid started saying.. hey, it's Amy Racin Rose!.. everytime I'd walk up. It just sort of stuck from then on out!



where do you live?: Alvin, TX... it's a small town just between Houston and Galveston. I'm just here for school. The moment I finish I'll burn rubber getting out of this town! (maybe sooner than later... HAHAHAHA just kidding!!!)

your real job is: I run the parts warehouse at one of the largest car dealers in Texas (you also flirt with the old UPS Man)



How long have you been embroidering?: A little over two years now



what inspires your work?: For the most part I'm inspired by things other people create like Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy, Lori of Pretty Little Things and countless other crafters out there. Vintage goodies are a constant inspiration, too. (yeah I love LOVE vintage embroidery patterns!!!)

If you had an alter ego what would her name be? Hmmm.. something cute and retro that you could really put a tabboo twist on... Peggy Sue or Suzie Q. She's sugar and spice and everything nice.. but this girl has a dark side.. you better watch out! Something like that lol. (yeah you do... all these girlie colors... and really you are BLACK INSIDE!!! HAHAH just kidding I love you!!)



other crafts you do?: Well, I sew... or I attempt to anyway! I've also dabbled in painting small things like little houses or decorative things of the sort and I just made a Christmas gift using stamping and fabric paint. I've been branching out into quick, fun projects. If it's fast I like it. I'm a big fan of instant gratifcation!



What project of yours is your favorite of all time?: My Puppy Love pillow.. mainly because it's sentinemental. I embroidered two yorkies and a poodle with our dogs' names on it.. Angel, Kooty and Isky. (Aye Dios Mio... you and your damn dogs!)




Mother Fucker is my favorite cuss word... what is yours?: I like a basic Fuck.. it's a very useful word.. it comes in handy pretty often.

What are some of your favorite blogs or websites? Well, there is yours, of course! Also, I'm contstantly stalking Pretty Little Things, Posie Gets Cozy, Casey's Musings, Doe-c-Doe, Craftzine, Goody-Goody, Craftster and many, many more. (Bitch I trained you well... you better say my fucking blog... I was the one that FORCED you to blog again!! JK)



What is your favorite song?: Now this is a very tough one for me. I'm a huge fan of music.. 40's, 50's, 60's, Jazz, Rock, some Pop and very little Country... but I gotta say one song that always makes me happy is Sunny Side of the Street by Benny Goodman and sung by Peggy Lee. I love Benny Goodman. He was such an amazing clarinetist! ( I love Peggy Lee! you forgot to add ELLA!)

favorite alcoholic beverage?: Oh, easy! Amaretto Sour.. sooo yummy!

What was your favorite Christmas gift? Well, I gotta say my car... last year my parents surprised me with a brand new 08 Chevy Cobalt! It is a gorgeous car!.. and yes, I know how spoiled I am. ( I will just not say anything... but you know I am dying too!!! It's too easy)



In High School what were you like?: Oh god. I was such an overachiever! I graduated top 10 of my class with Honors, had straight A's throughout school and I was in the Honors Society. I was in A Capella choir as well as band and I lettered in both. In choir I was a section leader as well as in band. I was also a Lieutenant in the band. In fact, I played the clarinet and I held first chair for 6 consecutive years. Despite all of this sickening goody-goody over achiever crap, I still had a cool factor because of the dragracing. I knew all the guys and vice versa .. main reason they knew me is because I beat the crap out of anybody in my Camaro! haha I wasn't a cliquey girl, either. I knew everybody and hung out with everybody. (One time at band camp...... AAAHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Amy I can always get a good laugh...)

What are your other interest besides crafting? Well, there is the dragracing. Also, there's Angel.. she's always my main interest.. spoiled little dog! lol And there's court reporting, which is what I'm going to school for.



You love your rat dog I mean Angel what tricks can she do? Or do u just love her because she's fluffy and cute? haha... Angel is fluffy and cute! She's also very, very sweet and as spoiled as she is she's not one of those bratty dogs that you just want to hate, you know? I've never taught her any outright tricks but she does know commands... like when I say Grass she hops straight into the grass and she'll hop into the bathtub when I say bath. But there is one trick that she just did on her own which is so cute! We have a swing in our backyard at my parents' home. During the spring and early summer my Mom used to let the dogs stay outside in the backyard while no one was home. Well, my neighbor said one day he saw Angel jump onto the swing and start thrusting herself in a way that it made the swing start to swing back and forth. Then she laid down and rocked herself to sleep! I always wished I could see that!
(ugh.... your dog is made out of poly-fil)

Here is "Angel" AKA poly-Fil




And here is my mondo 100 lbs Doggie LOLA GIRL.... WAY BETTER... Lola takes bigger POOPS than Angel!




Do you have any tattoos? if so what are they? I have one little heart on my second toe of my left foot. I really want to get more but just haven't been able to settle on one yet. I'm very particular about something that's going to be on my body forever!

If you were to live in any decade what would it be? At my age that I am right now... the 40's. I love everything about that era. In my mind, I've romanticized it all so much. I know people had it a lot tougher than we do.. but oddly enough that's one of things that's so appealing of that era to me. It's difficult to appreciate all of the wonderful things we have now when they've never been unavailable to us.

What is your favorite material to stitch on?: Basic muslin... it's soft and doesn't pull apart easily as you stretch it out on the hoop. I hate fabric that does that!

Favorite Christmas song? What version? It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas by Bing Crosby. I adore Bing Crosby! His voice just makes me melt. I really love the songs he recorded with the Andrews Sisters, too. Seriously, I think I have a little crush on the man! haha I love love love the Andrew Sisters

Have you always been crafty? I think so. I just always expressed my creativity in different ways. For about 9 years it was musically through the clarinet. I got to the point, though, that it was hindering my chance to finish school in court reporting. So, I quit and for a long time I was really sad that I didn't have anything creative in my life until I discovered Sublime Stitching a little over two years ago. It just opened up this huge, seemingly never-ending world to me.

What is your favorite stitch? The stem stitch! I rock the stem stitch! It is so easy and moves along very quickly.

What is your best Christmas Memory? I have a lot since I always spend Christmas with my family.. but seriously is there any better feeling than waking up as a kid just itching to know what Santa brought you?! I mean that moment when you sneak into the livingroom to peek under the tree before yelling to wake up your parents is just so incredible!



Would you want to live in Alaska where its freezing and snows during winter? I wouldn't mind Alaska, but my dream is New York City... and it's definitely freezing and snowy there during the winter.

Why are you obsessed with "pretty pastels" ? Umm... I don't really know. it's not just pastels. I'm into candy colors, too.. very girly colors. My favorite color of all of them, though is aqua.

What's one thing that might surprise me about you ? I think there's a lot that would surprise you.. I have a very dark side lol. I know of one thing that did surprise you.. the fact that I dragrace.. and kick ass doing it! (No, I know you have a dark side... you evil pastel loving bitch!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA)

If you could be on any reality show what would it be? The Hills! I know it's stupid, but I love that show. I heart LC.. lol Honestly... I should stop talking to you RIGHT THIS MINUTE... That show is a DISGRACE to the human race.... I can't even BELIEVE you!!! AMY!!! WHY DID U KEEP THIS HORRIBLE SECRET FROM ME???

What makes you happy? Angel, embroidering, hot cider, cold and bright winter days, Bing Crosby's deep voice, Benny Goodman playing his clarinet, Doris Day or Ginger Rogers movies, walking in the park on a breezy day, New York City, Starbucks coffee, finishing a sewing project, West Orange-Stark highschool Mustang football games, singing to oldies music with my Mom, shopping at craft stores! This list could really go one for a looong time.

Favorite Christmas Cookie? Ooooh.. I'm not sure if this is actually considered a cookie.. but divinity! Oh, the name is so befitting!



Why haven't you sent me a picture of your typewriter thingie? I'm a procrastinator! Haven't you figured that out yet?! ( YEAH AND I'M STILL WAITING!!!)

If you were to be stranded on an Island what 3 things would you bring (water and food are already included)? Angel! A boat! And several gallons of gas so I could hightail my ass out of there! hahah you are funny...

So my mother once had a question in her Bible Study Homework... It was " What is one thing you WOULDN'T give up for Jesus?" Her answer of all things was " PEPSI" What is one thing that you are addicted to that you wouldn't give up? (not necessarily for Jesus, just in general) Angel! I love her too much. The only way I'd let her go is if she were in pain. Oh my.... you could write a book about that freaking pooch

and saving my favorite for last:

Would you rather..... never be able to craft again or... eat a cup of shit? Okay I know that you would eat shit.. but I'm sorry. It's not gonna happen. I would just stop crafting. I think I would really miss crafting, though. It's not just a hobby.. it's a way of life! Yeah exactly!!! I would eat a cup of shit!!! All in the name of CRAFTING!!! What else would I do with my life??? Regret not eating shit so I could be crafting!!! HAHAHAH



This is my favorite thing she has made!! " Not Quite Vintage" ... I am still waiting for mine (cough cough....) Anyways that is all!!! Isn't she great? She stitches on EVERYTHING!! I also love her aqua framed embroidery!! So cute!!


I haven't edited this bad boy... its late... EDIT LATER...