Equivocal Notions

Rockin' and Rollin'

2010-07-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

As I wrote before, I was fortunate enough to win an entry into the Seattle’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon from Onlineshoes.com. I had entered the drawing on a whim and quickly forgot about it. Never in my life did I plan on participating in a race that involved running 13.1 miles. I grew up competitively swimming and running was always a painful sweaty chore that I avoided during the dryland portion of practice. The longest I had ever run was maybe three miles but winning an entry into this race set off a chain reaction of activity in my life!

My training started slow with jog/walk intervals around Greenlake Park which is a 3-mile loop. I could barely run a mile without huffing and puffing. Not being a runner, my only goal was to finish the race and to do it without feeling like I wanted to die! Signing up with Team in Training for the Nation's Triathlon and going to team practices really got me through the 'why am I doing this' phase. Having a team behind me has been the key to seeing the finish line.

The night before the race I had everything ready to go for the early morning wake up; clothes, after race items in my gear check bag (flip-flops were the best thing in the world after the race), GU and a pre-made breakfast smoothie waiting in the fridge. I was so full of nervous excitement, and maybe a little fearful of missing my alarm, that I was unable to sleep. But 4 am finally arrived and I was up and out the door.

As I walked to the bus stop I passed some people sitting on the porch still partying from the night before! Once I got downtown, there were shuttles waiting to take us to the start of the race in Tukwila. The start area had food, drinks and what seemed like and endless line of port-o-potties. I was impressed with the organization of everything and amazed at how many different types of people would be racing. The variety of people really put my nerves at ease allowing me to relax before the race; if they could do it, I certainly could!

During the run there was plenty going on to keep your mind off the fact that you would be running for over two hours. Dodging through a crowd of almost 30,000 kept me on my toes and was very interesting people watching. There were live bands, cheerleaders and patrons endlessly rooting us on. And among all the madness of the crowd, Lake Washington brought amazing beauty and a sense of calm as we ran along the shore. Of course, I was taking pictures and tweeting while I ran and had a great music play list that kept me going despite the pain.

I surprised myself by running most of the race. I had planned on walking quite a bit but once I hit mile six, running was actually easier than walking. I only walked maybe a mile and a half throughout the race and ran the rest! The last mile I got a killer cramp in my foot but it was the LAST MILE, I had to keep running! Crossing the finish line was such an amazing feeling. I felt so proud of myself for finishing a race I never thought I would participate in. It is amazing what our bodies are capable of when we take care of them.

This experience gave me racing fever and I’m now getting ready for my first triathlon in September! The only portion of the triathlon I was worried about was the run and now I am very confident about it. I am pretty sure I will be running a few more half marathons or maybe even a full in the future.

Craft/Sewing Hiatus - or - How I Ended up Training for a Triathlon

2010-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

The beginning of this year started with a promise. I did not want a resolution to quit a bad habit or some elaborate plan for world domination; because really, that's just failure waiting to happen. In January, I was inspired during a workshop with Molly of Stratejoy to do something different. She challenged us to create a theme for the year. During this workshop, we dove into a guided meditation exercise hoping to surface with our personal theme. As I came out of the meditation my theme echoed in my head with alarming clarity: Whole-Heartedly Participate.

So, great. I had my theme. Now my whole world was supposed to change just by adopting it? Sure, I wrote it on my mirror and looked at it every day like I was told to. I think I may have made a semi-conscious effort to repeat it in my head for a week or two but it wasn't until I was climbing out of the pool after this morning's workout that it hit me. I actually HAVE adopted my theme. It is almost May and since establishing my theme of 'Whole-Heartedly Participate' in January, I have done just that.

First, I returned to school with the goal of attending Bastyr University to study Naturopathic Medicine. This goal is THE reason I moved to Seattle. I was drawn to this school when I still lived in Utah, long before I jumped ship to San Diego and then made the trek to the PNW! The prerequisites for Bastyr are not anything out of the ordinary. I just need my AS degree and then I can finish my undergrad studies at Bastyr. It is the general education that stops me dead in my tracks. The very thought of uninteresting classes full of brain numbing busy work make me think of thousands of other ways I'd like to spend my time. If I'm bored I ~~tend to~~ will abandon the task.

So what got me to FINALLY hop to it? At some point in February I realized I had been talking about attending Bastyr 'someday soon' for the past six years. SIX years. That is almost 3/4 of the time it takes to finish ALL the schooling to become a Naturopathic Physician. So I decided to participate, whole-heartedly. I enrolled at the University of Phoenix because they offer less painful 9 week accelerated courses; it is all online so I don't have to juggle class/work schedules and I can apply my massage therapy schooling to help me along. The less time I spend in boring classes the better. I just finished my first 9 week term and begin my second today! Bastyr still seems far away but I am one step (or 9 weeks) closer to being there.

Last year, my gung-ho attempt at solo triathlon training left me with a back injury that knocked me out with six months of excruciating pain. Not fun. I remained weary of sweating in general until March rolled around and my back was hurting for the complete opposite reason, lack of movement. Inspired by friends involvement, I signed up for Sassy Fit's boot camp style workouts. Turns out the group workouts were just what I needed to stay motivated. It is amazing how much more fun working out is when you are with a group! After two months my endurance and strength have sky rocketed, I have more energy and best of all, my back pain has greatly diminished.

A few weeks ago I happened to enter a drawing for a free entry to the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I am actually not sure why I entered. I hate running, especially long distances. But thought, if I win I'll give it a go; I've been working out, I can do this too. I then promptly forgot about it. Lo and behold, a week later I got an email. I won! The entry fee is usually a measly $500, who in their right mind pays FIVE-HUNDRED dollars to RUN 26 MILES?! Certainly not me but it was a free entry, all I had to do was participate. I said yes and I am now officially entered to do the 1/2 marathon, only 13 miles. I am not sure I can commit to the full 26, at least not yet.

The marathon entry got me thinking about the event I had abandoned last year. The only lengthy event I have ever actually wanted to participate in. I know I wine about a full marathon but it is ALL running, how boring. A triathlon is broken into three events and one of them is swimming! What is the point spending your entire youth in a pool if you never do anything with it? To me, a tri seemed much more doable than a full marathon.

I continued tossing the idea of a triathlon around in my head and daydreaming about crossing the finish line. I casually looked up different races and training workouts online and considered how I would fit it into my already busy schedule. Then one day Jaclyn showed up while I was doing chair massage. She had just signed up for her first triathlon and was training with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society TEAM. Training with a team? My experience with Sassy Fit told me this method was the best option for me. I immediately joined the bandwagon without a second thought and just had my first team practice Saturday. We are training for The Nation's Triathlon in Washington DC on September 12th! Not only am I set to participate in an Olympic distance triathlon, but I am fundraising $3900 to fight cancer in order to be in the race! And I thought the $500 marathon entry was a lot.

With school, work, friends and training I continue to refine my time-management skills with hope that I can squeeze some crafty/sewing time somewhere in the mix. But, here I am, not even six months into my year and my world is looking a million times different (and more exciting) than it did in January. All because I decided to Whole-Heartedly Participate. Stay tuned, there are still eight theme following months left to enjoy!

Wardrobe Refashion

2010-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for the next couple months is to clean out my closet in a different way. We all have items that we hang on to even though it's been months or years since we've looked at them let alone worn them. In an effort to save money yet satisfy my need to update my style I am attempting to give old pieces new life.

I have wanted a short ruffle skirt for a while now but was stuck with this longer raggedy hippie skirt. Blah! No worries, I saw potential I just had to help it along!

I pulled apart all the bottom layers but kept the waistband and top two layers intact to form the base of the skirt. Then, I gathered each detached layer into ruffles and sewed them around the skirt base. Pretty simple but it is now a completely different style! Easy transformation, fun skirt.

Back in Action!

2009-11-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

I guess moving really brought this little blog to a halt! So sad that it has been neglected for so long. It's not that I haven't been crafty, I just haven't documented anything! So I'm thinking of just a quick rundown of some of my favorite projects that have been ignored.

First up I LOVE giving wedding gifts! I like finding something on the registry and personalizing it for the couple. In this case (summer wedding) I took this beverage dispenser and filled it with

colorful reusable ice cubes, ice trays, straws, drink umbrellas and napkins.

Then! I took their wedding invitation and scanned it into Photoshop and turned it into drink recipe cards using the same fonts that were on the invitation. They were printed on glossy card stock and then mounted on the green. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

I have two friends that are my GO-TO people when I need new music. They always have the newest artists and obscure finds. Lucky for me their birthday's are close together so I killed two birds here. Same stencil (Photoshop, naturally), different application. For the music man: a t-shirt.

And the lady listener got a turquoise handmade tote bag:

I made this dress for my 'Devil With a Blue Dress' Halloween costume. I did not use a pattern and utilized my dress form for draping. I love it and can't wait to wear it in the summer too!

Next up, my lil' sister's Christmas Present. A plain-jane zip up hoodie now has the approval of a picky 16 year old. I just cut up some old pajama pants and a little contrast fabric in leaf shapes, pinned and sewed!

Stockings, to me, are the best part of Christmas! My roommates did not get to go home for the holidays so I made them each a stocking and filled them with goodies.

Well, there are my favorite projects from 2009! Thanks for tolerating the absurdly long post! Here is to posting more regularly in 2010. Happy New Year!

My Favorite Furniture Finally Gets Some Love

2009-04-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Some day when I finally settle down and stop being nomadic, I will invest in furniture to keep for the long haul. For now, I only have a couple pieces I will never part with. Everything else comes and goes as I move and no longer have use/room for them.

I bought this Hi-Fi Cabinet right when I first moved out of my parents house. It was $35 and everything worked perfectly, even the record player. In the past 5 years it has moved a lot, earned some wheels to replace the legs, lost a door and been through a flooded basement fiasco. It's not looking so pretty anymore but it still works perfectly and sounds great!

And, as with all my projects, it has been on my to-do list for quite some time. Well, I am currently in the middle of moving (hey, it's been two years!) to a new house. I couldn't stand to see it through another relocation without a face lift. So I guess moving was my motivation to finally sand it down and refinish it. the wood underneath was beautiful which made me indecisive about what color to use.

Finally, I settled on an espresso finish. The only problem was that the weaving on the front did not like the stain at all, which made me think I made the wrong stain choice and I should have stuck with the blonde finish, Ahhh!

But then I took a deep breath and gave it a little turquoise attitude. Problem solved. The gold metal trim got a coat of silver and I'm happy. Now for that missing door over the receiver... the last one split so I'll have to go to Home Depot and get a new one cut. I wish I had more power tools!

I'm sure once I move I will have a whole slew of new projects to keep me busy, yay!

Remnants = Love

2009-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Lately my trips to the fabric store have been of the just browsing sort. But, the one thing I buy EVERY time I go is remnant fabric. I usually find at least half a yard or more of great fabrics that are marked down... and then marked down again! Right up my alley.

I fell. in. love. when I saw this sunshine yellow cotton. As soon as I picked it up I knew what the finished product would look like.

My sunshine skirt was designed and patterned entirely with the use of my homemade dress form (or as I call her, my stunt double) and it was SOOO much fun!

It was my first time making a garment without the use of a seam ripper, each piece was sewn just as it should be. I don't think I swore even once during this project, weird.

This skirt may actually be the only project that turned out exactly as I imagined. Can I be quick to fall in love with my stunt double or is it or is it a fluke? I guess the next clothing project will be the answer. As for now, I'm smitten.

An Effort Toward Organization

2009-03-23T12:48:00.001-07:00

OK. This is embarrassing. How many of you have that room in your house that just ends up being storage? Storage for stuff you forgot you have or just don't have a proper place for. And for some reason it is never stored neatly, it just gets thrown in the pile of other stuff that doesn't have a home and it all mingles in a giant heap that you ignore for as long as you can stand. That would be my "craft/sewing room". It is no wonder I never get any projects done when it is such a disaster!

How do you get a smoke stain off w/o painting?

A dirty little secret about me, I LOVE being organized, yet (here is the dirty part) I rarely take the effort to keep the chaos at bay. So every so often I have to take a whole day (or more) to reorganize, and clean up after my laziness. Ugh. I do love the satisfaction after the mess is tackled which makes me wonder, if I kept it clean would I always feel that satisfaction?

So I guess this post is to let the world know that I am now going to do my best to keep the peace with my clutter. Now hold me to it ;) The addition of a craft/work table really got me motivated!

Here is part of my progress (and my craft table!):

I've had this shelf forever (target) and added those blind support things to hold dowels for ribbon, I need more ribbon.

Here is the crafty part of the day. This dry/erase/magnet board was just lying around with no purpose. So I decided to revamp it.

I took the frame off, stitched some fabric together and put the frame back over it. Now I have a cute magnet board to post my inspirations and notes on!

A work in progress but at least there is progress.

One Project Down, ____ to Go

2009-03-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've had these cute but very plain notecards for a ridiculously long time. I was the kid that collected stickers and never used them because I was waiting for a special occasion. Now I guess I've moved on to stationary. Well now that I actually have a reason to use them, I decided they just didn't have enough of, well, anything.

Scrapbook paper to the rescue. I matched the already colored borders to paper.

The final touch was printing quotes and then gluing. Super easy.

(I myself am made entirely of flaws)

(inside: stitched together with good intentions - Augusten Burroughs)

(Maybe one of these days I'll be able to give myself a gold star for being ordinary. And maybe one of these days I'll give myself a gold star for being extraordinary.)

(Inside: And maybe one day I won't need a star at all. - Sue Bender)

(Be Here Now)

(Inside: because, when you take a look around this life is pretty amazing)

(Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. - Carl Jung; blank inside)

(Dream as if you could live forever... Live as if you only have today; blank inside)

They are pretty simple but each is perfect for the person it will go to.

Does anyone else get the easy projects out of the way in avoidance of the ones that you're still trying to figure out? I have so many ideas tumbling inside my head, I just don't really know how to execute them. Here we go with that damn trial and error again.

Oh! I also got a fantastic deal on a craft/work table at Ikea. I am so excited, I am in the middle of setting up my official craft room so I stop taking over the kitchen counter. Yay!

Stunt Double

2009-02-24T21:59:00.000-08:00

Any time I go shopping for clothes you can find me examining the construction of the garment. Not because I care if it is well made, but I am inspecting the feasibility of creating my own. I usually return home empty handed but full of inspiration. I just can't see paying some of the prices asked when I can make one similar for SOOO much cheaper. Unless it is on sale... like under $10. What can I say, I'm thrifty. I don't think I own an article of clothing that I paid more than $20 for. Ok, maybe a couple pairs of jeans. But even my 7's were only $35.

Which brings me to this project. I have been wanting a dress form for as long as I can remember and found these instructions a couple years back. Of course I would make my own, have you seen how much a real one is?!?! Haha, I am too funny. Ask any of my friends how many times I say "I could totally make that" when shopping with me.

Anyway, I FINALLY made one. And, with the help of my trusty side-kick, Anna, it was a success! My very own ~~stunt-double~~ dress form.

You definitely need to ignore any body/self image issues you may be holding with this project, it is a little odd to be looking at the shape of your body other than in a mirror! I opted to use paper tape which you can find in the shipping/packing section of an office supply store. You just tape over an old, fitted t-shirt and then cut it off once it dries. I also recommend watching a good movie or show to keep your mind off the fact that you can not move. We watched Muppets From Space, it was highly entertaining!

On a side note. For any of you pet lovers/owners out there, don't you just love that when you bend down to take a picture, pick something up or just try to utilize floor space they automatically think it is to give them attention... I do. It makes me laugh and I just had to share. This is Jasper:

Once I carefully took the form off, I taped the cut closed and paper taped over it. I then reinforced the neck, arms and bottom. Now all I need to do is stuff the form and create a stand for it. It was WAY easier than I thought and totally pain free :) I don't know why I put it off so long. Now I can make all those clothes that I study! For further inspiration, Kathleen over at Grosgrain just made this adorable little cardigan copy of an anthropologie find:

And wouldn't you know, she's giving this amazing creation away. But then again, she gives tons of amazing stuff away! Thanks for being an inspiration, Kathleen!

Grosgrain: Anthropoli-fication Boyer Cream Cardi GIVEAWAY!!!!

Working Out the Kinks

2009-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Ok. I have been a slacker when it comes to my blog. Damn. I have been training for this triathlon and I am loving every minute of it. It feels so great to kick my own butt! But I am also missing the crafts. I think I may have just needed a break after the holidays. Also, I was getting extremely frustrated with my camera and its lack of desire to take a decent picture. Now I have a shiny new Canon that I got a fantastic deal on. Next up, a digital SLR... someday.

Anyway, I have had this little project in mind for quite some time and finally got around to finishing a semi-successful version of it. Don't you just love trial and error?

I had a thought one day, "wouldn't it be nice to go out and not have to haul a purse with ALL of your belongings in it?" After making these cute flowers I had another thought, "it would be kind of fun to wear these as a corsage". Then the birth of the wrist wallet happened. I'm not sure if this has been done yet but I haven't seen it so let me know if you have. I still want to perfect it and keep playing around with the actual wallet part. right now all I can squeeze in there is an ID, credit card, some cash and a wee tin of lip balm. But then there is the dilemma of your cell phone... can't win them all.

I may play around with bigger or multiple flowers.

The flower snaps on and off so you can change to another one to suit your mood :)

(yes, I STILL have a Utah ID)

In the Mood to Paint

2009-01-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

Haven't really had much inspiration lately... I'm working on a couple different projects I just don't have anything fully finished, yet. So thought I'd post a little painting that I did. It was mostly for meditative purposes but I still like how it turned out. I had some gouache paint in primary colors and black and white. I just mixed colors until I got the color I wanted. Now I just need a better camera... mine takes horrible pictures, especially when indoors :( someday.

Closer up. This camera just makes it look so bad, sorry.

I Might be Crazy.

2009-01-13T11:13:00.001-08:00

I have committed myself to training for and completing a triathlon! I am a bit nervous but mostly excited. I swam competitively most of my life and am not worried about getting back in shape. The running thing is the only part that I worry about, I am so NOT a runner. I just thought telling everyone I know would make me less likely to back out or make excuses.

The web is FULL of amazing resources for training and advice. I am so grateful to live in this world right now. It is amazing to me that any information you could possibly want or need is right at your fingertips within seconds.

Here are some of the sites that I have been utilizing for my new adventure:

slowtwitch.com

trifuel.com

beginnertriathlete.com

trinewbies.com

trifind.com

everymantri.com

ontri.com

And of course craigslist.com for equipment (bike).

Wish me luck ;)

Better Late Than Never

2009-01-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post about the Christmas presents I made for my family for quite some time now... I know, I'm the ultimate slacker. I have come to terms with it, and now think of it as one of my many endearing qualities. So, here they are, I love them. And I love my family too! I have a 15 year old sister who loves music and anything that screams for attention. I saw this tutorial and knew it was perfect for her! Of course I didn't follow the directions at all and just went from the idea of it. I especially adore the zebra print strap.

This is the shirt I printed for my mom. It is the Hindu God Ganesha, who is the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles combined with the Om sign. I found the image here.

After I made the classically trained shirt for myself, I had to follow it with this one for my little brother, Justin. I found a picture of the gun and used photoshop (my favorite program) to turn it into a stencil.

My brother, Andrew is an amazing self taught guitarist and I hope he appreciates this shirt! I used the same method for this one, found a picture of an acoustic and turned it into a stencil.

So there they are. Simple, yet perfect for each of them. My family has kind of adopted a minimalist view on giving presents. It's just stuff and the holidays are so much more enjoyable when you don't have to stress about shopping for a million things and you can enjoy the good company you are blessed with. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated the New Year too, I know I did!

A Charlie Brown Tree... or Two

2008-12-19T20:25:00.001-08:00

So. I have had this idea in my head since I made this little Tim Burtonesque tree in October. It has been plaguing my thoughts and keeping me from sleep. Okay, my sleep has been fine but I have REALLY been wanting to make this for a long time! All during Thanksgiving I thought I'd start as soon as I got home. Then there was the great roommate switch. Next, the process of choosing new paint and where the new furniture should go. Then Christmas presents (that I'm dying to post about!) took priority. Finally, my little tree came to life and OH! was it worth the wait! I made two. Two adorable trees. One for me, one for a friend... but which one do I keep?

The skeleton is a wooden dowel and floral wire. I wired little bits of a wreath I got for $.99 for the branches. A little paper mache and brown paint made it tree like. The base is just some scrap wood I had lying around.

This is the ornament on the first tree. Of course I used Modge Poge and paper. I thought about just doing an ornament like the one on Charlie Brown but we are going out of the box this year, remember?

Here is the second tree. The picture is taken at night so I had to use the flash...

And the second ornament. Don't you just love a houndstooth?

I think this is my favorite project that I have ever done. I can't stop staring at them!

Where do I live again?!?

2008-12-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share the amazing amount of snow we got here in Bellevue, WA. I feel like I am back in Utah again! Unfortunately, there are not any snow plows and salted roads to make going out and about tolerable so the city just shuts down. I wonder how long it will be until we see the actual pavement again...
Look at the huge snowflakes!

I am really anxious to venture out and take some pictures. I hope I will have time tomorrow, not to mention courage to brave the freezing cold. It's been in the twenties temperature wise!

Our Girly Christmas

2008-12-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Why not step out of the box this Christmas?? Anna, my roomie, and I are both unable to see our families this Christmas so we decided to create our own fun! A very girly Christmas :) *On a side note: we are in the middle of painting and have taken a hiatus until we get off our lazy butts and finish. We got the brick around the fireplace done and just have to do the walls, it will be a lovely shade of blue.

Here is our pink tree:

And the silver one, I think the pink boa makes a nice tree skirt.

Stockings hung on the mantle.

Check out this great beaded garland and the hanging ornaments!

Anna made these adorable pillows.

How can you pass up this? It used to be a rust color.

I hope everyone has had as much fun decorating as we did!

The Coolest Shirt. EVER!

2008-12-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

I saw this and HAD to duplicate. I spent many hours in my youth playing classic Nintendo and still have the moves ingrained into my hands. I am so happy with how it turned out even with the little spots that smeared a bit. It took SO long to cut out the stencil but it was so worth it!

Which Came First...

2008-12-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

Decoupage. I love it. I think it is becoming a new addiction. I am now looking at everything and wondering if I can cover it in paper and glue. These are the latest additions to add to the kitchen. The eggs were inspired from a poster I saw here. The chicken was a stencil outline I got here.

Upcylcle! Turning a Shower Curtain Into Shopping Bags.

2008-11-24T00:11:00.000-08:00

Ok. This is my first tutorial, so bare with me... I was at Linens n' Things for their store closing clearance and found a fabric shower curtain for a couple bucks. It wasn't the color, but the type of fabric that caught my eye. It is almost like a windbreaker material which I thought would be perfect for a chico style bag, mine is starting to fall apart. You could probably use any fabric shower curtain for this.
Once I spread out the curtain and started pondering my possibilies, I decided to go for bag that was a bit bigger and thought a paper grocery bag would be the perfect template. I cut the sides of the bag and left the bottom attatched to one of the middle sections. I then lined up the top of the bag with the side/bottom corner of the curtain. With a pen, I marked around the bag making sure to leave enough for seam allowance. I also marked where the actual seam would be on the corners and cut from the outer line at a 45 degree angle to the mark to allow the bottom to fold into the top.
After you have marked and cut out your pattern, pin the two open sides right sides together and sew. I just used 1/4" seam.
After the sides are sewn, you can press with an iron to give you a better visual for where the corners will be. Pin sides to bottom, right sides together and sew.
Once turned right side out you should have something like this:
For the handles, I just cut the remaining rectangle of fabric that was the length of the long side of the pattern. I then cut that in half lengthwise.

Pin the right sides of the handle strips together lengthwise and sew. Turn tube right side out and press. Then sew 1/8 allowance on each side of the handle. Pin the handles to either side of the bag and sew.
Hooray! A green shopping bag for green shopping! And it's designer too ;) the tag adds a nice touch... If you want, you can cut a piece of cardboard for the bottom but I like it to be soft and flexible so I can squish it into a pocket in my purse. Easy Peasy. Time to go shopping!

Free is the Best Kind of Frugal

2008-11-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

I have this little part time gig at the cutest little deli, Pasta & Co, a few hours a week. If you have not been in this store and you live in the Seattle area, you HAVE to check it out. I mostly keep working there for the wonderful food (it's definitely not the paycheck!), the great people I work with and of course the discount! We always have cute displays and when we're done with them the decor is tossed. Which means I get cool stuff like this:

Not sure where it is going to go yet. I am going to hold off on decorating projects until the roommate switch is over. Oh! I convinced my good friend Anna to pack all her belongings, ditch SLC and become my roomie! I am so excited that I don't have to live with a stranger. I have lived with her before so I know we won't kill each other... at least I think we won't. She is also a fun crafty gal so we're planning on turning the extra room into a craft/sewing/project room. I am so excited, I can't wait for this transition to be over. I don't like living with box piles, it makes me stop cleaning so then the whole house is a giant mess. Speaking of cleaning, I just bought these at Home Depot and they removed stuff I thought was permanently stained into the tub and without any cleaner or chemicals! If you can find them, it is a good purchase for a couple bucks.

love the craft store!

2008-11-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

I went to Michael's today. I can spend hours in that store. And Joann's happens to be right across the street. So, needless to say I spent a whole day between the two. It made me realize how EXTREMELY frugal I am. A whole day of inspiration and gathering ideas and I could only allow myself to spend $30. Did I mention I have not been shopping for months. I still have most of my birthday money because I can't decide what to put it toward. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world...When I first saw these words in the dollar section, I thought about making them into stocking hooks. But I think I may have other more permanent plans instead. I am overjoyed that the idea popped in my head! I will reveal soon!I found these hideous signs and decided that they would be great with a scrapbook paper face lift. I just need to figure out what I want to put on them. This was my first official purchase of scrapbook paper. I think I have been avoiding it all my life because I grew up in the scrapbooking capital (along with jello) of the world, Utah, and it seemed so cliche. Now I realize there are many more uses for it than photo albums and I am excited for the possibilities!

Disappearing Act

2008-11-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

I have been MIA since Halloween. There were friends in town, birthday parties to attend and did I mention I am on the ultimate search for a new roommate?! Ahhhh! I have exactly a week and a half before I leave town for Thanksgiving. In that time I have to find a nice, friendly, mostly clean and hopefully semi-normal person to share my lovely home with. All of my friends are currently settled, at least for the time being, so I have resorted to meeting strangers. It is like going on a blind date only you have to decide if you want to see them EVERY DAY rather than just giving them a second date. Now dating doesn't seem so scary.

In order to calm my nerves I think I'll try this:

pumpkin pietini

shopping list:

2 parts Absolut Vanilla vodka

1 part pumpkin schnapps

cream

nutmeg

cinnamon stick

shake: 2 parts vodka, 1 part schnapps, splash of cream in a shaker with ice.
strain: martini glass.
Garnish: Sprinkle of nutmeg on the rim & cinnamon stick.

From Cathie Filian's blog

Final Costume Check

2008-11-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

So here it is, the project I poured hours into, poked my fingers numerous times with a needle for and have major neck pain over. It was worth it!

I ended up getting more feathers for the tail and adding them to the bottom rather than covering it with fabric. I then made a belt loop out of felt that provided cushioning on my back. It turned out fabulous. I just need to figure out what to do with it now that the party is over! Speaking of party, here is how the food table turned out (I didn't take a pic of the cupcakes :( they were so cute!):I HIGHLY recommend the eyeballs, they turned out amazing!

One last decoration...

2008-11-02T20:18:00.001-08:00

We've had this vase hanging out at our house for some time now. I thought it was hideous but for some reason never got rid of it. So I turned this:

Into this:

I just drew a skull on paper and cut it out with an exacto knife. I then put little pieces of double stick tape on the stencil and slapped it on the vase. A little 99 cent black spray paint and I had a spooky vase to liven up my food table! I am so happy with the results!

Costume progress

2008-10-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

I have been diligently working on my costume. It is very labor intensive so I have not accomplished much else this week other than making these candy corn cupcakes from I Heart Cuppycakes that are so amazingly cute that I squealed out loud when I saw them! I made them in mini souffle cups so they are bite size. They are waiting patiently in the freezer to be frosted for our party on Friday. I made no bake cookies in bite size portions (too easy). I am also planning to make these creepy edible eyeballs from The Crochet Dude. I am all about small portions for party food, it is so much easier to eat standing up when you only have to worry about one bite at a time and not dropping crumbs everywhere. I will post pics of the food this weekend after our party.

In the mean time here are pictures of my costume progress:The top turned out nicely, it would be sooo much easier if I had a dress form (or someone to help me make one)!

My floor workspace. I dream of the day I have a work table.

I didn't like the way the quills of the feathers looked so I did this:

You can still see the eyes at the top but the rest will blend in with my dress. I also put it on a hinge with magnets so it can be worn up or down! The skirt will be a basic circle skirt with tulle around the bottom.