Crafting Envy

Oh my, where have the days gone? Part of them were spent on Holidays....




Part of them were spent on finishing projects......







And the rest of them were spent being sick sick sick. Stomach flu, regular flu, strep throat, eye infections, diaper rashes....oy. Don't worry no pics of that ; )

Speaking of projects....I have a few Christmasy type projects going on right now. Can't say too much on that subject till after Gifty Day. Definitely not killing myself with crafting tho, glad I decided to take it easy this year. It wouldn't have gotten done due to sickness anyway.
We finally bought an artificial tree this year (yay! no more needle messes!) and got it decorated with some kid crafted snowflakes, some candy canes and a few sweet little Target ornaments (I am in love with the little owl! So cute!)












I finally cleaned out our little (not sure of the architectural term here) inset this year, so we got to decorate it too. There is a second snowman to turn into a snow-woman that hasn't gotten made quite yet. Having lots of good ideas for other holidays for that spot too.





There is about a ton of laundry and cleaning to catch up on so I must bid you adieu for now. I'll try to make it back a bit sooner this time.

   So....It's been a while, eh? Busy busy here with Turkey Day preparations and such. We've been hittin the gym 3 to 4 times a week in the evenings so that eats up a bit of time too.
    The little one has really started to walk well. It's pretty funny because she's so short. Poor thing.
 I've been in the process of sewing her a coat since NOTHING is small enough for my child. Anything that is 12 months just about swallows her. I found a pattern for a lightweight coat and subbed in a nice fall suiting that feels like a soft wool but is some kind of a blend. I haven't cut the liner and I've never lined a garment before so this should be interesting, especially since there are no pattern pieces for a liner. Cross your fingers. I should have enough fabric left for a skirt for me and a jumper for her and maybe some owls. All that is likely on hold till after this Saturday. Lots of cleaning still to do....ugh...


  This is the coat in progress. I love the pattern and color. She seems to like it too. I tried it on her and she yelled at me when I took it off of her.





    I have managed to clean and organize 2 of the 3 closets in our house. Yay me! It was a bit of a job but I'm glad it's done. Now the problem is keeping them clean.
    I'll post some pics of the coat when it's all finished up, till then Happy Thanksgiving!

   Is it strange that I'm more scared now that Halloween is over? I am. SCARED. What am I scared of? Oh, well, you see, I'm scared of my house. I have to clean this awful mess up and keep it that way because I have guests coming over at the end of the month.
And I'm scared because I'm running out of time to think of fabulous gifts for my lovely family for Christmas. Time to think and then time to execute the making of them... oh boy, now I'm really really scared. I think I'm going to try to find a closet clean enough to hide in. See you later...maybe...

   Looky what I found a couple of weeks ago at Target. I hit the motherload of clearances.








  And no, I'm not opening a hotel. This is pure Stasheesh, ladies. I have visions of Christmas tree skirts, pajama pants, quilt backs...sigh

  Doncha wish your Stash was hot like mine?lol




   Its finally raining a bit here...I like rainy days. They feel restful to the soul.




   My plants are thirsty too.


   I'm whittling down the to-do list before the Thanksgiving Fest at my house but it seems to keep growing somehow though. It's back to the grind for me with some sewing thrown in for fun.

   Well, I did actually get my rear in gear and manage a few things around the house. We repainted the kitchen and re-trimmed the windows and re-did the baseboards and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and bottled beer and cleaned....
Here's a before and after.












Much better, no?




   I'm still cleaning. In cleaning our children's bedroom I ran across a tote of my old journals...every time I run across these in the midst of cleaning I always look, it's too tempting. It's so interesting to see what you were thinking at 15 or 16 and then at 20 and 24. Interesting and utterly embarrassing....I mean, wow. EMBARRASSING. I hope one day I can read those incredibly naive "poems" and not shudder and look over my shoulder as I stuff them back into the black hole they came out of hoping no one else saw them. Maybe someday I can laugh a little more at them or think them sweet in their innocence.
   Also in the tote was a post card from an old friend. Funny how reading something in some one's own handwriting can conjure up the image and sound of them so perfectly. The mind is an incredible thing.
   Enough of this little jaunt down memory lane. I have much more cleaning to do....Oy.

   Not too much has changed since I posted last. No news on the deployment front so far.
   We decided to paint the kitchen and redo the trim on the windows in there but we haven't really started on it yet so no progress to show you. I have managed to get some necessary cleaning done and almost caught up on laundry so it hasn't been completely unproductive.
    We'll be visiting my Sister in a little bit which will be fun. I need to get my rear in gear and get some stuff done for Thanksgiving and the holidays.... 0_0 I'll let you know if I'm successful in that endeavor....

   I've been away for a bit. Not away from home, just away from my blog here. My evil husband signed us up again for Everquest 2. For those of you who aren't hopelessly nerdy, that would be an online mmorpg. It's a place where thousands of nerds gather and fight dragons and orcs and talk with other nerds.   Anyhow, I will try to divide my time between all my craftiness, blogging and questing, oh and raising children, keeping house etc...
   Speaking of my evil husband though, he got a notification to be ready for being notified of a possible deployment in January of 2012. Don't you love the bureaucracy of the military? So it's not a done deal and the last two units who got this notice never ended up going anywhere but it's enough to make me feel sick to my stomach. This would be number 3 since we've been married and the 4th of his career. I can tell he's excited about the possibility of going. I know he loves his family and likes being home but I can tell he is happy he might go again. I'm trying not to be to upset about that, that's just him. I'm trying to not let myself think about the whole thing too much so I don't get too crazy. It does seem to be an effective appetite suppressant so that's a plus, eh? Nothing like the thought of your husband being away in a warzone for a year to make you put down that chocolate. Anyway, I'm sure if things develop along those lines I'll be posting about it.
   I have managed to finish some outstanding projects and some new ones too. There have been 4 plushies, 2 blankets, and one pair of pajamas (with another soon to follow). Not too bad for a Questing Mama... So long for now :)

   The first soccer game is today and it rained yesterday and some today. Wet grass+11 month old baby = dirt ball.
   So I made a little waterproof blanket to romp on, or if it starts raining again we can use it as a poncho. It took about 15 minutes or so, pretty good for a Saturday morning last minute project :)
   I thought it might as well be my first mini-tutorial. Here it is then....









   I used the remainder of a flat sheet for the blue part and a vinyl tablecloth for the waterproof part. Here is a little mini-tutorial for those who didn't already know how to do one of these.

• Pin right sides together.
  
• Sew all around making sure to leave a gap in one of the short sides.
• Trim the edges up and flip inside out.
  
• Stitch around again closing the gap this time and Voila, you have a Quick and Dirty to Keep Clean Blanket.

  Hope that made enough sense. Have a great Saturday :)

   Yesterday was the first soccer practice for the little man. Last year he played in the 3yr old league and he spent more time crying on the side of the field than playing. Boy, have things changed! He didn't stop running or kicking the whole 45 minutes he was out there. He slept soooo good last night :). It was worth the sign up fee for that alone.

   Little Ellie was practicing her model look on the sidelines. I wonder what sports she'll want to do. She's getting better at Peek-A-Boo and she's a champ at destroying things already.




   I'm working on some pajama pants on the sewing front, I have plans to make some for gifts and I need to test out my skills so I just *had* to make some for me first :).
  On the first try I used a vintage sheet that was not my style of print or color at all but I didn't want to sacrifice any of the good stash. I'm glad I didn't cut into a favorite, cause the first pair was a disaster. I put outside pockets on them, I hate jammies with no pockets. Other than a horrible color they were too short in the crotch and too long in the leg. Hello scrap pile here's your new addition.




   I cut the second pair out of some kona cotton so they are a bit stiff but I think they will wear well. I made some owl pockets for these. Something a little Halloweenish without being too much. I'm not sure I like the placement of them too much. May need to move them down a bit. I sewed them on before I did the elastic casing in the top. Live and learn, eh?


The Owls before they were sewn onto the pockets











   I did one other thing too......Hello Scarlet hair color! Now I'm ready for fall!

   Hello September, I'm so glad to see you! This summer has been brutal and I'm looking forward to the cooler weather you bring. Changing weather means changing blog design in my mind so I switched my palette for a more appropriate one.
   How do you like the new look? It feels all fall and dark clouds and storms and soothing rain.
   I admit I do revel in Fall. Gloom comes more naturally to me than cheer. I'm even listening to some Cure right now and it feels perfect!
   Something about darkness just speaks to me. I watched Labyrinth more times than I can count when I was a girl, maybe that's why these pictures make me squeal like a teenager..






  Maybe that's why Alan Rickman as Severus Snape just turns me on..





   Hmmm...maybe that's why I like to imagine my husband in leather pants and eyeliner too.... TMI, sorry.. See what Fall does to me?!
   I'm in need of a hair color change too, I think. I need to erase the highlights the sun has put in. A deep dark chestnut or maybe a nice dark scarlet.
   I can see myself standing by the gates of the cemetery, knee boots, awesome black wool coat, black tights, dark grey skirt, jewel tone shirt, scarlet hair blowing in the cold breeze, brown leaves scuttling down the sidewalk....
   Wow! Someone read Jane Eyre and similar books waay too often growing up. Speaking of Jane Eyre, Does anyone else think that Johnny Depp would be absolutely freaking amazing as Mr. Rochester??? No? Just me? oh..okay then.

   Anyway, weird imaginings aside...I'm hopefully going to be posting some tutorials here soon. I've never done them before so I'm sure the first ones will be awful. Please critique as needed, I'll try not to take it personally and actually correct problems you mention. Until then I'll be reveling in the cloudy day we're having...

    I did manage to work myself out of my funk last weekend.
I think I may have even finished up a project in there.
   One of my husbands co-workers wife is pregnant so I made up a couple of blankets and this sweet little owl. She is a little lopsided but I don't think she minds too much.




     In other news my youngest sisters wedding is coming up next May and I have devised a plan of action. I'm going to make a fabulous dress from a Vogue pattern in a size... ah hem 12 and plan to fit in it by the wedding. Does that sound too optimistic? I'll feel awfully bad if I look like a sausage stuffed into a too small casing in the photos... Guess my sis will have to encourage me to lose weight ;) I have actually been to the gym once and worked out at home once this week. Baby steps and all that.


    I cannot wait for Fall weather! I'm soooo tired of unrelenting heat and humidity. I want to make pumpkin soup and spiced coffee and sit on the deck in a sweater and not be bitten by a million mosquitos. I want to plant my Fall mums and enjoy the color of the leaves. We're taking the kiddos pumpkin picking this year and I'm excited about it! Fall come quick and stay late!





   My sweetly rotten little Elleanore (or as we call her, Devilmore) is almost 1 year old! She's a tiny thing so far, only 14 1/4 pounds and 24 inches tall. I have an awful time finding clothes that fit her right. Pants in the right age are way too long, but tops in the same range are too short or too tight. This is okay when you're buying separates but as we get into cooler weather she'll need lots of warm suits for sleeping in and stuff and those are hopeless. I put socks on her today to see how she'd react and she FLIPPED out, went totally nuts until I took them off. She's started biting when nursing now too. She may be small but she's got 4 teeth fully in and another 2 on the way. She's eating lots of regular foods now and has learned how to drink out of a straw which makes it soo much easier.

   Anyhow, that's the news for now maybe I'll be back this weekend with more postage. Toodles!

   Well peeps, it's the weekend. Normally that would engender some sort of excitement or anticipation of good times but I just can't manage it right now. I'm feeling a bit blah about things.
    Teaching the alphabet to the boy child isn't going very well and I can't seem to get my projects on track. I haven't been to the gym in 6 weeks and it's been too hot to go for walks outside. Like I said, BLAH.
   Do any of you visit Etsy and then regret it? Not because you can't afford the wonderful things you see there or because there just isn't enough time in the day to browse all of the jewelry but because you immediately feel like it's futile for you to put anything up for sale there because inevitably, someone else has it listed and it's ten times better than anything you could do? Long winded and possibly grammatically disastrous question, I know.
   I don't know why I expect to be better than other people at the things I do. Does it come from being raised in the "Everybody is special" generation? Is it sheer ego? It's times like these that the name of my blog is very appropriate. I'm sure I'll work myself out of my funk, just wanted to share it around with you. Happy Weekend!

p.s. This picture makes me feel better, a little. The one on the left is my Husband and the one on the right is our best friend. And yes, they are wearing bras. It was my MIL's 50th B-day.....

   It was a busy few weeks around here. My sweet little boy was turning 4 and I decided to throw him a "fish" themed birthday party. Right away I got started on some games for the kiddo's to play.
There was the bean-fish toss



   There was a magnet fishing game with a kiddie pool and a sand dig with little plastic sea creatures to find, but no pictures of either :(

   There were two babies that wouldn't be getting a goody bag so I made crinkle whales for them instead. The really loud Sunchip bags work great for this.



  And then there was the candy table
(again, not many good pics)

We had

• Gummy Sharks
• Swedish Fish
• Gummy Worms
• Gummy Fish
• Gummy Slugs
• Sour Gummy Worms
• M&M equivalents
• Dum-Dum Suckers
• Salt-Water Taffy
• Pixie Stix
• Goldfish Crackers

Whew! There was a lot of candy. We had it at a park near our house so it was easy to clean it up and my house wasn't destroyed, thank goodness. The boy seems to be thrilled with his presents and we have an opportunity to donate many of his old well-loved ,i.e. destroyed, toys to the Goodwill. I'd say it was fairly successful.


   And in between all the birthday crafting that I did, I also managed to complete a dress for my mom, an appliqued shirt for me, modified uniforms for the husband, 3 pairs of earrings, binding on dinosaur blanket for the boy, tote bag for my Sister-in-law's birthday, a set of coasters for the house and I made time for my first Tattoo!





   Everyone who sees it says, "Of course! It suits you!"

  I think so too. I like it and once it's all healed I'll enjoy wearing my tank tops even more.

    Sorry this post is such a let down after me hyping it up and stuff. Note to self, take more photos.....

   I chopped my basil down to size finally. These things were going crazy. I did it about 3 days ago and they are already half grown back. Apparently herbs love me.



(Don't mind the horrible mess on the counter, I was in the middle of a project for my upcoming seasonal redesign)



  See, they're already growing back lush and green.



  And this is how they started life at the beginning of the summer. They grow up so fast (sniff)




   Tomatoes do not share the basil's admiration for me (can you believe the nerve of them!). Maybe it's because they know I don't really like to eat them much. I like to grow them and I would can them if they would grow but I'm not such a fan of eating them.



   Weird side note. We had a completely volunteer tomato plant pop up underneath the deck, through the gravel. I staked it and we're letting it grow to see if it will produce but I'm kind of baffled at how it got there at all.

   Now peppers, the peppers understand what kind of devotion to give their mistress. The skinny ones are Cayenne and the dark green ones are Serrano.







  They positively adore me! Good little peppers.

   The mint and lemon balm seem to have their own agenda. They grow like crazy but it's that scary kind of crazy, like that boy you met at church camp that keeps sending you weird farm animal candles in the mail and 14 page letters you can barely read and generally stalks you for 5 years (true story, his name was Ivan) kind of crazy.

  The lemon balm has completely taken over the back of the raised bed.




   The mint seems even more insidious to me. It's kind of hard to tell from this picture but that's a two foot tall plant box and the mint has sent a runner out the top.





  And the bottom....



  It's escaping! Ahhhhhhh! Save yourselves!

   The birthday party is done thank goodness. However, I didn't manage to get the photographs required for the the Big Birthday Post so that will have to wait until my mom gets back in town.
    Here is a gratuitous baby shot to tide you over. Be seein you soon.....real soon.....

Well hey there. There is a birthday of a certain little boy coming up at the end of the month,(we're celebrating on the 25th). Lots of plans in place for that and not a lot of time to complete them so I may be absent more than usual (shock!) But I should have some good pics and ideas after it settles out. See you around!

    Well, I promised I'd post the before and after photos so here you go....

Before:



After:




   I feel pretty good about it. It's much, much lighter now so that's nice for the summer. Any comments?

    I managed to complete at least one project since the last post. Little Elleanore, the one in the picture above that is being attacked by the duckie, is starting to pull up on the co-sleeper so it won't be long before she can take a header straight out of it so it's time to put her in the big play-pen. It has a very hard uncomfortable pad in it and it needed something more suitable for sleeping on but I just can't buy one of those horrible poly-vinyl covered toxic mattresses, I know they are waterproof but....ick! And anyway, who could sleep on that with the crinkling and stuff? Natural mattresses cost an arm and a leg and the play-pen isn't a regular crib size so we'd have to special order one of those.




    So, instead of all that I made one for it. I found some foam that was mostly chemical free and some Warm & Natural batting. I sewed two layers of batting to two different pieces of material and sewed it together on three sides like a pillowcase. On the fourth side I put some velcro closures on it so it can be washed like a duvet cover. She seems to like it okay. Haven't tried putting her down to sleep in it yet, keep your fingers crossed. Her dollies like it too...







    I'm sewing together a dress for my mom and have some plotting to do for various other projects.

    We are attending a wedding this weekend and I'm actually getting my haircut tomorrow!!!! I haven't had a haircut since before the baby was born! I'll be sure to post some before/after photos so you can ooooh and ahhh or some junk. See ya.

Teething baby, piles of fabric, messy house...husband returning in 4 days or so.


Vengeful Crafting Gods: 4
Little Ol' Me: 0

   Did I mention I'm a momma? Well, I am....and everything that goes with that...especially screaming baby's (she cried for half an hour even though she was super tired and should have gone to sleep).





   Yep, this is me on Day 10 of the husbands out of state training.... Glorious isn't it? Day 10 of doing all of this by myself with no help. Only 10 more to go......sigh.




   Enough self-pity. I have been managing to get a few crafty things done but no good pics right now. I have many many works in progress but little done.
   I find that I despise sewing patterns. It's not so much that they are horribly fiddly, easy to rip, impossible to fold back up or NEVER in my size, no I resent the authority they represent (sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?)
Here is the convo in my head: "But why do I have to put the notch there? It would be better over here." "Who said I need 3 yds of fabric, I can do it in 2" "This piece doesn't need interfacing, I'm sure it will be fine without it." "Why doesn't this f*&$ing thing fit after I spent so much damn time on it??"
   So, I've decided to cast off patterns and just sew without. I won't be sewing garments for myself this way, just the children. I won't be sewing garments for myself at all because I find it utterly depressing that my hip size requires 4 yards of super-stretch fabric to accommodate it. Thus there will be no sewing until those numbers shrink a little bit, oh say fifty pounds worth.
   Anyhow, hope the rest of you are having a lovely Friday and Father's Day weekend and all that stuff. I'll be here thwarting those sewing patterns by eating more chocolate (that'll teach you not to come in my size, hmph!)