Hello, 2007...

My New Year's resolution: discipline. Basically, there are several areas of my life that I feel I could improve with a little willpower, self-control, and some general stick-to-it-iveness. I.e. reigning in spending, exercising more, eating better, finishing the things I start... And in that vein, my first project of 2007 is FINISHING STARSKY. I've started on the (never-ending) belt, and I'm hoping to block all the finished sweater pieces tonight.

I received a few Amazon.com gift certificates for Christmas, and I had a happy little crafty shopping spree. I ended up with a subscription to Craft, a subscription to Interweave Knits, Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life by Kathy Cano Murillo, and the 2007 Stuff on My Cat page-a-day calendar. Nothing chases away the Monday office blues like a cat covered in Post-Its.

See? I bet you feel better already.

I had picked up the first issue of Craft at Joann's a while back, and I'm absolutely hooked. The projects inside are just so *different* from what you'd get from an ordinary craft magazine. There's an excellent screenprinting tutorial in the first issue. I've had the equipment for it for a while now, but no decent instructions. I sense some awesome shirts in my future...

Speaking of shirt-y goodness, any suggestions on a good fabric paint to use for stenciling shirts? I've had some great luck with freezer paper stencils, but I am severly limited by crappy paint. Share the wisdom, if you've got it!

Btw, I am loving my new blog layout. It just looks so much...cleaner! One thing I'm having trouble with, though, is the header. I'd love to remove the text and put a picture up there, but I'm having a terrible time with it. Any Bloggers wanna help me out?

Pictures for Karin

Ask and ye shall recieve!

I wish I could take a better pic for y'all, but these 7-5 days make me pretty much a creature of the night. Or at least the dark.

This actually shows the gradated fabric fairly well. It's a wonderful medium weight satin, and lined in navy anti-static lining fabric. After many dress-sticking-to-my-legs episodes, I'm getting smart.

After this project, I don't think I want to do any ruching again. Ever. Some of the seams were so bulky I was tearing my hair out.

It could use a good pressing, I think. I was so afraid of melting the fabric that I spared the iron a bit. Pretty, though, no? I love this color. Not many colors compliment my pasty skin well, so I'll keep navy in mind in the future.


And, also as requested...a semi close up, to show off my new necklace a bit. It doesn't even come close to doing it justice. Imagine a strand of white diamonds and a strand of black diamonds intertwined together as a pendant. Even the loop holding the pendant onto the chain has little diamonds on it.

Edit: I found a picture!


Oh, you may also have noticed that I dramatically changed the look of my blog. I figured I had to change to the new Blogger anyway, so why not play around a bit? Watch this space...I'll be tweaking for the next few days. Tell me what you think! Upgrade? Downgrade?

My First Crocheted FO!

Thanks to some Craftster swaps, I've had the materials to crochet for some time now. However, my first project was waay too tight and scared me off for a while.

Well, I bit the bullet on Christmas and made a One Skein Scarf from Happy Hooker. It's a little long, but otherwise, I adore it!


This was a quick, quick project, even for a complete newbie like myself. I started after presents were opened, and was finished by Christmas dinner.

The yarn is Joann's 'Licorice'. It's 100% wool, without being scratchy. I used 2 skeins and a smidge of a third. I must say, I think I like this yarn better crocheted than knitted! The colors make such an interesting pattern. Now I need to knit? crochet? a matching hat and gloves.


Thanks for looking, dahlings.

Meme

On my bedside table:

• Raised By Wolves a biography of Quentin Tarantino

In the DVD player:

• Vanilla Sky


• Pirates of the Carribean 2


• Alien can you believe my blood-and-guts-and-sci-fi-lovin' significant other has never seen any of the Alien movies?

Movies to see:

• Venus


• Fur: An imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Recent purchases:

• 4 yards of cornflower blue Waverly fabric


• Vintage Fabric Style


• 6 blown glass ornaments for my future Christmas tree

On my mind:

• making clothes for spring


• one good new year's resolution


• finding a decent, reasonably priced gym in my area

Learning:

• how to crochet

Making:

• Starsky


• purses for swaps

Looking forward to:

• planning our snowboarding trip


• the new season of Heroes


• new year's eve with family, friends, and Ben

Have a holly jolly...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I had a great - if a little rushed - time with family and friends. Among other things (an apple-green down parka for snowboarding! Sex and the City season six!), Santa brought yours truly some fun crafty stuff.

First, a "will knit for tattoos" knitting tote bag from Natalie Dee. Yes, the transformation is complete: I am truly a badass knitter. Many thanks to my sister for this one!

I was thrilled to get a copy of Craftivity. I've only had time to scan over it as yet, but it is even more awesome than I had hoped.

This Crafty Lady shirt from buyolympia.com is my new favorite tee!

I also got a few Amazon gift certificates, which will most likely translate into crafty magazine subscriptions. I am lovin' the ReadyMade that I'm getting, and I'm thinking about picking up a subscription to Craft and renewing Interweave Knits.

Also, at long last, I am the proud owner of an industrial hand metal punch. What is crafty about that, you ask? Mu haha. Beware, coins and thin metal objects...it's ATCs and jewelry for you!

Sorta on the crafty front, here is another gift from the boy. It's a replica of the Japor pendant given to Padme by Anakin. I absolutely love it! Not only does it hold a lot of meaning to us both, but it is also a gorgeous replica. You may remember that I was searching for one to complete my as-yet-unfinished Padme costume this past Halloween. Now I have a ton of motivation to finish it for Halloween 2007!

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Well, I finished my holiday dress, and just in the nick of time. It fits great, and I was proud to wear it to a holiday dinner with the boy's family. Did I get pictures? Of course not. That would be way too forward-thinking of me. I'll try to get some the next time I wear it.

The dress was unexpectedly complimented by a necklace I got as an early Christmas present from my wonderful boyfriend. It's a gorgeous twine pendant with black and white diamonds, set in white gold. I've never gotten real jewelry before, so I'm still a bit stunned. Good looks, charm, affection, and he's got great taste in jewelry? I am truly a lucky, lucky girl.

I've posted this every year that I've been blogging thus far. Though I am not a very religious woman, it is nice to be reminded that there is a greater meaning to the season.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men."

From my favorite Christmas movie: A Charlie Brown Christmas. You tell 'em, Linus!

I want to wish everyone reading my silly little blog a truly Merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season. May you be able to spend it with those you love. :)

Dress Update & Scarf Distractions

EEK!This gaping maw is the current state of the zipper in the back of my dress. I had to take in several inches on the waist, so it's a huge mess. It fits SO much better now that the zipper's in, but it needs some serious fixing. I put it aside so I wouldn't tear it apart, and instead worked on this...

A slightly modified scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Yay Noro! I used three odds-and-ends balls I had lying around. I love how it turned out. The pattern was written for a child, but I am enamored with bright colors so I adult-isized it. Cast on a few more stitches, and just knit till I ran out of yarn.

And a bonus shot of me looking smarmy! Unrelated-ly, I'm toying with the idea of cutting my hair off, back into a chin-length bob. We shall see...

Fellow knitters, I have a confession to make. I am finished knitting my Starsky sweater. Embarassingly, it's been finished and waiting to be blocked for several weeks now. I always seem to lose steam at this step in the process. It looks so great, but I can't help but cringe every time I look at it, because of my serious neglect. Must...kick...self...in the pants....

Holiday Dress in Progress

Here is my progress thus far on 'Holiday Dress 2006.'

Navy is quickly being my new favorite color against my pasty skin. It didn't get picked up too well in the picture, but the fabric fades to silver at the bottom.

I've tried it on, and it's actually a bit too big. Well, better than too small, right? I think I'd die, after all the time I spent ruching, if it was too small. I'm going to have to nip and tuck a little, but overall I am very pleased with how it's come out. After a few little alterations, I need to put an invisible zipper in (my first!), and do a rolled hem on the bottom. And finito!

Now I need to get me some navy pumps... :) I love a dress that gives me an excuse to shop for shoes!

Let me know what you think!

Real Men Knit

YAY!

Swap: Christmas Stocking Swap 2
Recieved from: MissMeShell
I can't say enough about how much I love this package, or how much Meshell totally spoiled me. You can check out her blog here. She is amazingly talented, and I am very envious of her eye for colors and pattern.

Isn't the stocking fabulous? I love all the different fabrics she used. And the shape is so...Seussian! It's funny, we both sent curly-toed elf stockings with pointed cuffs. :) I'm going to put it on my office door, to bring some much needed Christmas spirit to my drab workplace.

I absolutely adore this wreath. It's based on one from my wists. All the different trims and buttons lend such a great retro feel. Must find the *perfect* place for this.

This wristlet is the perfect size for a night out: just big enough for keys, wallet, and my new awesome cell phone. Again with the wonderful fabrics...I spy some Denise Schmidt! *drool* Also based on something from my wists. Meshell did such a great job of picking some truly awesome goodies to make!

I've always been a big fan of Meshell's wrapped canvases, so I'm thilled to now be the owner of not one, but *two*! The little owlie is adorable. The larger canvas has a spot of honor in my bedroom.

Yay! Recipies! They all sound delicious, but the anzac biscuits and the quiches have majorly piqued my interest. And what pretty recipe cards!

Ok, now this is the deer that she says she doesn't like. I, however, LOVE it! It is so kitschy I can hardly stand it. It reminds me of some Christmas deer my grandparents used to put up during the holidays.

Some *very* pretty log cabin coasters. I feel like I need to invite people over right now, just so I can entertain and use these little pretties!

When I read the note she included with my package, I was astounded to find that she painted these lovely coasters herself! I just assumed that they were store bought. The patterns are from vintage fabrics. Brown + blue = love. :)

At last, a MissMeShell pincusion for my very own!! Love the fabric.

Here are some great ornaments that will be hanging on my tree this year. The blue one matches the deer, and the fabric one matches my stocking! I love the little Santa and candycane.

Hee hee...these patches are too funny! My mom and sister (both knitters) are jealous. Also, some cute stickers and a Santa box.

FABRIC! Oh, goodness, what lovely prints! The silky pink fabric just might become a dress for my Blythe. I'm going to use the cottons as a part of my secret quilt. Shhh...

Here are bits and bobs: some cute covered buttons, and ribbon.

Meshell also sent me an Australian postcard with a nice letter on the back, and two CD's. One is a fantastic Christas CD, and the other is Australian music. What a neat idea!

This 'Queen bitch' book is great! Each of the pages have a different funny saying on them. This one's my favorite! ;D

Some more Aussie souvenirs: a kangaroo, and a pen. The thrifted green yarn is *the* perfect shade of green.

Some Australian coins that I requested. One of their coins has a platypus on it! *dies*

And last but not least....CANDY! Embarassingly enough, about half of this is GONE now that I have taken pictures. YUM!

Thank you so much, Meshell...this was such an amazing swap!!

Happy Ho Down

Swap: HoDown / Invite Your Partner Swap
Recieved from: groschveux
I recieved from groschveux! The Canadian post had me worried for a minute. ;) Here is what she sent me:

A marvelous sushi table runner. I absolutely love the fabrics she used! It's reversible, too.


A sushi apron! (Did I mention that I like sushi?) I swear I'm not as much of a tool as I look like in this picture. I was just so excited about having such an awesome apron! Does this mean I'm domestic? Anyway, the apron is great! It has a quilted pocket on the front with two compartments.

She also sent me some dark chocolate -- let me tell you, that is the way to this girl's heart! She also made me some sweet tags for my etsy shop. What an incredibly thoughtful gift!

Thank you so much, Marija!

In other news, I finished the sleeves for my Starsky cardigan over Thanksgiving, and got a great start on the fronts. A few more inches, and I'll be ready to cast off and block all the pieces! It is coming together so well. The yarn I'm using (the Knitpicks Sierra called for in the pattern) is positively scrumptious.

Other things I'm working on:
- Three (!!) personal swaps I have going on right now. I will be sending out at least one this week, I hope.
- A holiday dress. If I can pull this off, ladies and gents, it will be gorgeous. Here's a picture of the pattern:

The fabric I'm using is medium weight satin gradated from dark navy blue at the top to silver at the bottom. It was on clearance at Joann's for $2.50/yd, and I snapped up all 6 yards left on the bolt. Cutting the pieces out evenly was a little bit of a challenge, but with some careful measuring, everything appears to match up.

Christmas is in the air...

Swap: Christmas Stocking Swap 2
Sent to: MissMeShell
I've been coyly mentioning this swap for a while now, so I'm *so* excited to finally be able to post pictures! The suspense has been killing me. A big thank you to Meshell for taking such lovely pictures. The hell with the ones I took, these are way better! :)

Here is the stocking I made. The cuff and back are red velvet. The front is a remnant I've had in my stash forever. I went a little insane and quilted every line of the design. Two solid days of work, but it was something I was proud to give. I finally tackled using an embroidery machine so I could put her name on it.


You can really see the quilting in this picture.

The 'big' gift I included was this handmade book. It used no binding materials, only glue, and required a degree of meticulousness I didn't know I had. The inside pages are folded origami paper. I am very pleased with how this came out.




My partner is an avid reader, so I made her three bookmarks. The first has some sewing illustrations on it. The second (my favorite) has vintage Christmas wrapping paper, courtesy of my paper-hoarding grandmother. The third has a few different kinds of papers on it.

These are bottlecap ornaments. These turned out so much cuter than I expected! Just bottlecaps, head pins, glass beads, and ornament hooks. There should have been four, but the headpins proved a little too tricky for me in the beginning. But I preservered!

My first-ever felted soaps, made to look like little wrapped packages. There were really fun to make.

Little teeny crocheted flower hairpins. I loved these so much, I'm making more for myself.

The crafty grrl staple: marble magnets! I packaged a dozen in an Altoid tin. Some of the images are from a quilting magazine.

My favorite Christmas cookie recipe - sugar cookies - converted to metric units, of course! The cookie cutters are a cat (she has a cat), a bone (and dogs), and a stocking, to remember this swap by.

Mini Sharpies, two tins of assorted buttons, a few lengths of interesting trim (including one handmade by my great grandmother, bottom left), and two drawstring Christmas wrapping bags.

I also went a little nuts with shopping. Check it out...three very yummy Yankee Candles, Anne Taintor napkins and postcards, a Betty Boop nightlight, Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol notecards, and a Christmas magic towel. I <3 magic towels!

And what package would be complete without some good 'ol American candy!? I tried to come up with some classics (Peeps, Pop Rocks, Fun Dip, and Hershey Kisses of course), as well as some newer items (Nerds rope, gummi pizza, sour Altoids). The most important part is the caramel apple lollipops: they're not available in Australia and Meshell has a certain fondness for them. :) I also found some Bertie Bott's Everyflavor Beans. Grass, yum... :-P

I had to include this photo, because it showcases my sock monkey Christmas cards. I've been waiting patiently to use them since I bought them back in January.

And thus endeth this gigantic post. Coming soon: my package from Meshell! Anticipaaaaaation..... :-D

P.S. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. My family and I spent the holiday at a house in South Bethany, DE. Hooray for walks on the beach at sunrise...

P.P.S. I saw the Who in concert last night! I know this is entirely un-crafty, but I am so in awe that I had to share. Many thanks to my wonderful boytoy, who made it happen. :*