La Femme Knitkita ~ Re-Create Yourself

One Little Word Project

2012-05-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

I am so happy to have gotten a seat in One Little Word by Ali Edwards. I have wanted to take the class for a while, but during school I didn't want to sign up for another class I didn't have time to do, and once school ended a few weeks ago I was a little worried about finances. But lucky me, I was able to get in through a giveaway.

While the class started in January, and I am 5 months behind, I am not going to rush through it to catch up. The premise behind the class, for those of you who haven't heard of it, is that you pick a word for the year, once that speaks to you or represents something important to you. Then, each month, you do a different project, layout, etc, revolving around that word to make you more mindful of it and begin incorporating it into your life.

My word is Change. I am looking at change as both a physical and mental thing. Not only am I going through changes this year (graduating, getting married, etc) there are a lot of things I want to change in my life, i.e. my complacency about my weight loss journey, my addiction to smoking, judgment, negative self-talk, fear of risks, etc, etc. I feel that this year could be great for me if I could just get the hell out of my own way for a few minutes.

I did the pre-class project and January's assignment, and plan to start thinking about February's assignment this week. They were simple ones, just making a cover page and making small cards that talked about different aspects of the word, what you wanted out of the word, and so on. I even went a little beyond and did an art journaling page to illustrate it a little more. Art journaling is something I love looking at, love the idea of, and want to do so badly. But, I am not artistic in the sense that I can barely draw a straight line. In fact most of, ok all of, what i draw looks like it came out of a pre-school art class. So, this judgment of my own abilities keep me from doing it. I know, I could do it digitally, but one of the big things I like about art journaling is the chance to play with paint. (Although I have to say I have been considering, once I get a job (which it looks like I will) getting either the Studio Box or the 2010 Art Journal Caravan from Tangie Baxter as I really enjoyed her free e-zine on Art Journaling, and her stuff has a more messy, I just covered myself with paint feel.) So I went out and bought some gesso and some cheap acrylics paints, got out my markers and made something.

What does this have to do with Change? One of the things I am trying to change is the way I look at my "art" and stop the self-criticism that keeps me from doing something I truly want to explore. I am also changing my fear of sharing that by posting it on the blog, so be kind. I hope to do this semi-regularly, because I really enjoyed it, although I was less than impressed with the result. But, much like every other craft I have tried, I will only get better with practice (hopefully).

The cover is the small pocket that says "Change" on it. The top left card has embossing powder stamping in a mandala shape on it, but you can't see it that well. I have to find a better place to take pictures.

The small cover pocket opens up to my picture (and yes, that is me wearing ANOTHER skirt, another big CHANGE) and then January's assignment is the small pocket cards with journaling, and then 4 cards that were left empty for your own embellishments.

*sigh* It looked SO much cooler in my head. Why can't I draw what I see in my head??

A Share from 31 Things with Ali Edwards

2012-05-21T19:10:00.001-05:00

I mentioned I in the previous post that I was lucky enough to win a seat in the 31 Things class at Big Picture Classes. So far I am loving it. I will admit it is a bit of a challenge to really think about the prompt for the day, think of a photo that illustrates it and then journal about the topic. I mean I could phone it in, just pick something very self-explanatory, write some weak story to go with it and have done, but I am trying to really think about the prompt for the day, and pick something that is going on in my life to go with it, and document it with a related photo and journaling that captures why that certain thing is important to me right now.

In the video and handout for the class Ali stresses the importance of "telling her more." To really go into what something means to you, why it is important, etc. Something more than, for example, in my morning routine I do XYZ. She wants to know why that is your routine, how it is different than your routine last year, what do you find pleasurable about it.

I am doing the class in a completely digital format and plan on printing the pages out when I get a job (Interview 3 of 4 Wednesday afternoon! Wish me luck!) and have some money to spend. The pages will most like live in my 2012 Project Life folder as it is another way I am capturing the every day things this year.

There is still time to sign up for the class, you can read more about it here on the class page, as registration closes on the 23rd. Below is my first page from Day One. The page includes the album cover and first prompt, which was "jewelry."

Now I am off to work a little on the million little projects I have strewn across the craft table. If I am a little absent this week, excuse me. Hayden is on vacation and this is the first time in years that we have both been off together for a week with no homework, research assignments, or plans with other people. We keep saying we are going to stay home and chill, and then we end up running all over the place instead :)

Template and "Jewelry" Word Art - Ali Edwards, Digi Kit elements - La Belle Vie by One Little Bird.

Start of the Vicksburg Travel Album

2012-05-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

Good news! My back is almost completely better. Other than some slight stiffness when I first stand up and making sure I am careful about bending, I am moving normally. Hurrah!!

So, to celebrate I thought I would share the first few pages of my Vicksburg album. My plan with this album, as I have mentioned, originally began as a mini album. But once I got all the pictures printed and went through all the paper memorabilia we brought home, I realized that was not going to work. My new plan is to do one main layout per topic, i.e. the bed and breakfast we stayed at, the battlefield we visited, etc, with one or two favorite pictures on it. Then, the rest of the pictures will go in pocket pages with, Project Life inspired, journaling cards with more of the story written on them. If I tried to do a layout for all the pictures I would be here until next year, and I have a million projects I am dying to get into. So far I have the title page, the bed and breakfast layout and corresponding picture pages done. I start on the Court House museum pages next.

Please excuse the lighting. I was going to take these earlier today when the lighting was better, but I was busy getting my student loans in order and doing research for a JOB INTERVIEW I have tomorrow morning, more details on that when and if I get the job. Plus 31 Things started today, so I was also working on my first layout page for that class as well. I plan on sharing that later in the week. Remember there is still time to sign up for it!

So, here are my pages. Thoughts? Comments? I would love to hear them!

The title page. I had a small photo collage printed that had some random photos from the trip. A BIG thanks to my Blog Buddy Karla who suggested using a ruler to help line up my alpha stickers. It is a huge improvement.

I am so proud of the stamp in the lower left. I tried something new by coloring different parts of the stamp with different distress ink colors to see what happened. You can't tell but it came out as a multi-colored image of red, sage green, black and brown. I totally made Hayden come in and admire my awesomeness when I did it.

Pictures of the house we stayed at with some handmade journaling cards and memorabilia.

The top journaling area has a small history of the house printed on it, with some die cut stamps.

Better pictures next time, I promise!

Not Even a Smidge of Crafty Goodness

2012-05-15T11:19:00.000-05:00

So, here I am, almost a week after my last post, and not a bit of crafty goodness to share. I, of course, have a couple of excuses for that. John, my BFF, was here from Wednesday till yesterday and we were busy, busy, busy traveling around, laughing, and in John's case, eating. I really don't know where the guy puts it all. And then, on Sunday, before we drove to Tunica to go to the outlet mall (I might have a trip to D.C. coming up regarding some work so I needed something nice to wear), I leaned over, felt something slip, and BAM my back is out again. From what I can tell, it's a pinched nerve as the pain is radiating through my hips, legs and up my back. It all stems from a decision I made 10 years ago to pick up a box of books that would have been best left to Hayden during one of our moves. My back was completely shot for 2 weeks and hasn't been the same since. I cannot wait until I get a job and have health insurance, this has got to be seen to.

But, a couple crafty things I am working on/looking forward to working on over the next couple weeks (when I can sit up for more than a few minutes):

My Vicksburg album - You will remember that Hayden and I went to Vicksburg MS for our anniversary back in October. My original plan was that I would make a mini album out of the stuff we picked up and the pics. Nope, too much stuff. So I am making a 12x12 album of Vicksburg, my trip to NY last summer, and other travels. As I work on it, and when I can move to take pics, I will share some of the layouts and the supplies I am using.
31 Things - A new Ali Edwards class that I won a seat in. It starts Thursday at Big Picture Classes and it looks like a lot of fun. I am doing the digital version.
One Little Word - Another Ali Edwards class I get to take thanks to a giveaway (I got really lucky on giveaways for a couple days) that I have been DYING to take. Since I haven't had the chance to get in there and look at the materials, I do not know if I will be doing it paper, digital or hybrid, but I will keep you updated. I know I have been enjoying seeing how Karen Grunburg has been doing her One Little Word (her's is Savor) in a Project Life format.

I am going to admit I totally, much like a lot of people, have a huge scrapbooking crush on Ali Edwards. Her style is very inspiring to me in my scrapbooking style evolution, she was very inspiring personally when Hayden and I were going through our relationship issues, and she has a really great attitude about life, memory keeping, and everything in general. Plus she is too nice and friendly. She one of those people you could imagine have a cuppa with and feeling completely comfortable. I love when she is on Paperclipping Roundtable.

Got Glue? - A FREE class about Junk Journaling and Smashbook type memory keeping over at Creative Passion Classes. They just released 3 videos, and the supply list. I am really looking forward to this starting in a couple weeks! This will be my first class over at this website so I am interested to see how it goes.
Heidi Swapp's Handwriting Workbook - I got this recently to try and make my handwriting look a little better on layouts. I really think handwriting is, and will become, a lost art. I know, even before I started doing any type of memory keeping, I loved looking at hand written letters from days gone by. I loved seeing the way people wrote in the 40's compared to now. I think handwriting on my paper scrapping pages really adds to the "memory keeping" aspect, and I want to learn how to make mine just a smidge better.
Masterful Scrapbook Design Sampler - I am really looking forward to, now that I have the time, working through the sampler lessons over at Masterful Scrapbook Design. I have read a couple articles and watched a couple webinairs, and found them dead useful. I am definitely thinking about becoming a full member when (and if *insert me as The Scream painting here*) I get a job. I love everything about it so far.
Design Your Life Class - And I get to finally finish the Design Your Life Class I bought AGES (ok, a year) ago. I was really enjoying working through the lessons, and seeing Cathy Z's videos, and then third year of law school hit. So now I can go back and start where I left off.

Cathy Z is totes another crafty crush. She is an absolute hoot, and I want to be her when I grow up.

So on the good side, I have lots of crafty goodness to keep me busy. On the bad side, I cannot find a comfortable resting position other than lying flat on my back looking at the ceiling (which lasts for about 5 minutes before I am up trying to do things again) and I am stressed about finding a job. (Being the worrier I am, I am convinced I will not find a job, and August will find us having sold everything we own and living in a Van Down by the River.)

What are you up to?

Fun with Hooks and Needles

2012-05-09T14:18:00.001-05:00

I mentioned a few months back that I had made John, my best friend of almost 20 years, a couple gifts for his visit, but I couldn't share them on the blog quite yet as he reads it sometimes. Well he is in the air on his way down here right now so I feel pretty safe in sharing the projects now.

The first one I made for him is an embroidery project. It is from the pattern Sad Valentine by Sublime Stitching. I had been looking at it for about a month as I knew it was something I wanted to make for John. The sad girl in the rain just reminded me of how much I was missing him at the time. Then, on Valentine's day, Sublime Stitching offered as a FREE download. Lucky ME!!! It really was a quick and enjoyable stitch up, and even thought at first I questioned the choice I made for gray fabric, I really like the way the colors stand out on it. One of the reasons I used it in the sugar skull I just did!

The other, and don't judge me on it's looks, is a crochet amigurimi pig. It was my first real crochet project that wasn't a coaster, and while it does tilt a little, I think it came out ok :) I made it for him because we all call Radclyffe (my dog) the Pig, and John LOVES the Pig, and plus now, we all love actual pigs because of the Pig. So I thought it would be a cute little gift.

I also got him a Paper Coterie notebook (I got the Instagram "My Life" one) that I covered with pictures of Hayden, Me and the Pig, so we could carry us around with him when he was back home in NY. It came out FANTASTIC. Very pleased with this company.

I might not be posting for the next few days as John is here until Monday morning, and since it is only my second time seeing him in 3 years, I plan on spending every second I can with him. However, if I have time today before he gets here, to get a post pre-written, I will do so and post on Friday or something.

Oh yeah....

I'M A LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE NOW!! La Femme Knitkita, JD.

Put That in Your Pocket

2012-05-05T20:19:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy year for me, and due to that I have seen tons of articles on various forms of crafty goodness that I did not have time to read, but wanted to come back to. I originally started putting them on my Pintrest boards, but while Pintrest is awesome for keeping track of images I find inspiring and projects I want to do, it wasn't great for keeping track of blog posts or articles. Mostly because I didn't associate the article content with the image I pinned, so everything just kind of got lost in the mix.

I then used the "reading list" feature that Apple integrated in to Safari when the Lion OS was released, but that almost was as bad as my bookmark folder, just a list of text that made my eyes glaze over when I looked it.

Enter in Pocket, formerly known as Read It Later (RIL). I started using RIL when I found it in the Mac App Store and really liked it. It still have me a list of text down one side, but when I clicked on each article, the full article popped up in the window view, allowing me to quickly scroll through without having to visit the actual webpage. And what I really loved was that it synced with my iPad, iPhone, and my Flipboard app (which is great for reading blogs) so that I could read anything I saved without being tethered to my desk (where I spend entirely to much time as it is) or add things directly from Flipboard. RIL just recently transformed into Pocket, and I can say I love it even more now. The app can be used by browser, so regardless of your OS, you can use it. I can't speak to Windows users, but I have a handy little bookmarklet in the top of my browser that I just hit when I come across an article I want to read later, so to speak, and it automatically adds it to my reading que, and syncs it to my iPhone and iPad, so I can read it (something the "reading list" for safari never did as it should for me).

I also really like the clean and graphic look the app gives the articles, almost magazine like, just like my Flipboard app (or the Feedly app, another web and device based awesome app) does for my RSS/Blog feeds. It makes it easier to sort through visually then the old version did. With my iPad, it's almost like I am putting together my very own magazine that comes filled with articles on fashion crafts, beauty, etc and no ads. I took some screenshots so you could see it too.

My browser view. Totes love the clean interface. No distracting bells and whistles.

View from my iPad, same great look.

An article opened on the iPad.

And, finally, the iPhone view.

I think it is an awesome resource for people who live on their computers like I do, and are constantly seeing things they want to come back to later, but know they will forget about it as soon as they aren't looking at it any more. You can tag things, sort and more. Honestly its like Evernote and Pintrest had a baby. I personally have a ton of crafty tutorials are how to articles saved in there and am looking forward to perusing them over the next few months. Best thing? Totes free to use and download to your devices! Hopefully you will find it useful as well.

*Obligatory Legal Schmegal - As usual I was not asked, compensated, bribed, offered small animals as tribute, or coerced under duress to write this blog post. I just like sharing things I find useful in my crafty endeavors because if someone else hadn't shared it with me, I would have never known about it either.

My last final is Monday morning so we should be back to our regularly scheduled craftiness then, and since John will be here on Wednesday, I should be able to share the stuff I made him on here as well. Till then my little muffins! (I call the people I love muffins, or muffin head, or something... I'm just a bit odd like that.)

Excuse My Silence

2012-05-02T07:19:00.001-05:00

Finals are upon us and I am attempting to care about studying. :) Hopefully I can get a post up this weekend!

No Cutesy Embroidery Here!

2012-04-29T08:44:00.003-05:00

I love love love the way this embroidery patterned turn out. I have never been a big fan of sugar skulls. I have always throught they were cute, and enjoyed looking at pictures of crafts and such worked in, (especially cake toppers or Skull Blythe Dolls, which really make me want a Blythe Doll too so I can make her all creepy and goth), but they were never something I cared to put up around the house.

But, a couple weeks ago, after I finished my first cross stitch pattern, I wasn't ready to go back to the granny squares quite yet, but I also didn't want another Xstitch pattern either. After few hours of kicking around on the internet, putting things in and taking them out of my Urban Threads cart, and being generally uninspired by the free patterns available, and the ones I already had, I found this Sugar Skull pattern over at Elemental Stitches. At first I was skeptical that I would like it, but it had a lot of little motifs within the over all pattern that would allow me to use a lot of different colors and require a little more time to stitch up. I printed it out and used my iron on pen to trace over everything so I could transfer it on to my gray fabric.

I finished it last night.

Like a Boss.

I ADORE IT, as in I can't believe I made something so freakin' awesome. The colors are so much brighter in really life.

In fact I like it so much, I think I will do more, possibly in the same pattern, just with different colors and in some new ones if I can find some I like.

I used my cheaper floss that I got in a multi pack because it was the super bright pastels I associate with sugar skulls, and if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have used my "good" thread (because you know, at $0.39 a skein, if I run out of a color, it will break the bank to buy some more. I have a supply hoarding problem... I fully admit it). I am so glad I did use the cheaper, more cottony looking thread. The colors look fab against the gray fabric and it gives a nice soft, summer feeling to the whole thing. I especially love the contrast of the back outlining within the skull, and I originally that that was going to be the biggest mistake of the whole project. Just goes to show, sometimes I just gotta make the whole thing without deciding half way through I have totally messed it up and chucking it.

I plan on starting back on the granny squares, but I am already itching for my next embroidery project. Can I top this one? Any suggestions for something a little off the beaten path with a good bit of stitching involved? I am thinking either something from the Alice in Wonderland set over at Urban Threads, or perhaps their Apothecary Labels on some muslin, but I would love to see some other suggestions. Let me know, cuz if I see something awesome, I might have to just embroider it!

We're Married!

2012-04-27T21:35:00.001-05:00

11 years ago we met and fell in love.

In those 11 years we have good times, great times and hard times. We have fought through our obstacles and celebrated our victories.

Today, we were married.

I can't wait to see what the next 50 years bring.

Project 2012 - Week 16 & Moving News

2012-04-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

Project 2012, Week 16, and my first digital Project Life layout. I found the process to be very simple and quick. I think I had it made and journaled in 45 minutes. It's making me want to do the paper version more and more, but unfortunately the paper set I want, either the Amber or the Clementine editions (links to the digital versions so you can see them since I can't find the paper versions), are completely sold out. What I really really want is the Original paper set, it is all in gorgeous bright colors with a graphic, floral theme, but that is near impossible to find. I found one set on eBay, but it went for much more than I could afford, even though it was still a fantastic price. I was very sad :(

Anyhoo, since I am just beginning on this project, I have not let myself spend any money on it, forcing myself to use things I already have. I plan on doing the same with any paper Project Life stuff I do for the time being until I see if it is something I am going to do for the long term, and I see which method I prefer, paper or digital. Although I will admit, I am thisclose to buying the digital version of the original set, because I could use it paper-wise to by just printing it out.

Ok, I might buy that soon (like tonight, I have been talking myself out of it for 2 weeks now).... but nothing else! I have paper and pocketed page protectors out the wazoo, and digi products galore.

One of the tools I used in this LO was the Wendyzine Scrap It Actions Pocket Pages. It is an action that you run in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, and it will automatically crop and pace your pictures, journaling cards, and background paper. It will even add journaling blocks and embellishments for you. I was lucky, since I am a member of the Daily Digi, and Steph, the owner of the site collaborated with Wendy on these actions, I got them free as a member download back in December or January. (You can read Steph's post about digital Project Life and the actions, and see a video of them in, well, action, here). I am actually surprised I did download them as I usually don't download things I think I will never use, and at the time I didn't see what all the Project Life fuss was about. If you aren't a member of the Daily Digi (and if you are a digi scrapper, why the heck not?) and you didn't get these, you can buy them from Wendy's store here. I am super glad I got them, and didn't delete them, because if you have these, you don't need to buy the digital templates that are sold in the Jessica Sprague Project Life store. (If you are buying them, they are a little more expensive than the PL digital templates, but thats because they do the work for you.) The Wendyzine actions have an action that will create a page that has the same layout as each of the original PL templates, so either one will work, its really a matter of personal choice.

My personal tip if you are using the actions by Wendy though: have the pictures you are using all ready and edited and saved to a folder or your desktop. As the action runs it will prompt you, for each "pocket." to choose either the paper, photo or embellishment from folders on your computer, not from within the PSE or PS program itself. Watching the video I linked to above will probably make that statement make a whole lot more sense.

So the story about the LO, and it's aftermath. I can't remember if I mentioned it (and am too lazy to look) that we actually got an apartment in TN when we went up there a couple weeks ago. Hayden got his classes straight at his new school, and it looked like he would be able to transfer to the Home Depot up there easily. We thought everything was finally falling into place. We came home on Friday night quite optimistic. Sunday we had an open house, that had some promising visitors, and that made us more optimistic. Then it fell apart. We found out that Hayden was not going to be eligible for a private student loan this summer, and since he does not work full time because he is in school, we are dependent on that to supplement our income. And we would be even more so this summer because we were going to be paying to house payments if the house didn't sell. We spent all of last week trying to figure out how to make the money work, hoping that either the open house or the few house showing we had would produce an offer, which would have allowed us to move as planned. But nothing happened. We had to accept the fact that we were not going to be able to move, not in May, or even in August, as we first thought when all this happened.

So yesterday we cancelled the apartment and took the house of the market. Good news is we don;t have to worry about selling the house. Bad news, I have no job. I am trying to apply for as many as I can while I study for finals right now, but jobs are scarce. It might be that I have to wait tables for a while (a complete blow to my ego as the whole reason I spent NINE years in school was so I never had to wait tables again) to make ends meet until I find something, which I will do if I have to, no questions asked. We were so looking froward to the move to TN, we are just a little bummed out :(

So that is the stress now, finding a job. If you could just send positive thoughts out for me every once in a while that would be great :) I know everything will work out in the end, it always does, it's just a little scary place to be in right now. I am staying as positive as I can, and trying not to let it ruin my wedding or my visit with John (my BFF) in a couple weeks. I promise the next post won't be such a downer.

*Kit Credits: Narrative by One Little Bird Designs, Scrap It Actions: Pocket Pages by Wendyzine (linked above)

Day 3 of Week in the Life

2012-04-25T07:23:00.002-05:00

So far so good. I have been keeping track of our days, not so much an issue for someone in law school because A) I really have no life outside of school and driving to and from school and B) in the legal community, when you are a lawyer, you keep track of your time in 6 minute increments for billing purposes, so checking in every hour isn't really a big stretch for me.

The cool thing about it is that it is making me try to take more photos and be more aware of what I am doing on a daily basis. However, keeping track of those things have just made me realize how boring my life is, ha! Literally my days are Get up & eat > exercise > get ready > drive to school for an hour > attend class > drive back home for an hour while eating lunch in the car > study > make dinner > study > watch 1 hour of TV and embroider or play Warcraft > rinse and repeat. I also find it difficult to think of things to take pictures of. Of course, there are the million or so pictures of the Pig, but how many pictures can I get of my drive? I am trying to look at it as what will be different about my life next year? What I am seeing now that I know will not be there (well, am pretty sure) next year? What are the things that are focal points right now? I guess this will be a ton more interesting when I do not have school and/or I have kids.

Today is my official last day as a law student. No more classes, just 2 finals. Wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. So I actually get a slightly different day tomorrow: get up > exercise > study (which means play on pintrest or do everything else BUT study) > eat lunch > study > make dinner > study.

The whirlwind life I have, the mind boggles!

Hows your Week in the Life Project going?

Getting Ready For Week in the Life

2012-04-22T19:17:00.000-05:00

Yay! Week in the Life starts tomorrow! I spent a little time last night getting the cover layout for my album ready to go. I have also printed out the PDF that Ali Edwards put up on her blog to help keep track of the week. I had planned on going through my stash, both digi and paper, and picking out the main papers and journaling cards I wanted to use when I get to make the actual layout's and album, but I think I am going to wait until the week is finished and I see what pics, memorabilia, words, etc I have from the week before I decide on that. Besides, I am still trying to decide if I am going to do a mix of digi photo pages mixed with paper based memorabilia, or go all out and do all paper. All I know right now is I am using this as a way to try out Project Life type memory keeping.

The cover LO is made with Heidi Swapp Color Magic paper (which I am 100% officially in LOOOOVE with), Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists in Viva Pink & Electric Blue (both of which, coincidentally, come in the Heidi's Favorites pack) and some K&Co Stickers I got in a clearance bin a year ago. I really wanted an excuse to try out the paper, but it I loved the result. The only thing I didn't like, was that the paper curled a bit, as you can see in the pic above. I think next time I will use the spray and then weight the corners down while it dries to avoid that concave bend that happened this time. But other than that there was no warping or curling from the wet ink.

The paper comes out of the package white, and your can spray it, stamp it, paint it, distress ink it, etc. What I did was spray it completely in blue and then used a paper towel to wipe away the excess. The blue wiped completely off the page except for the areas that were not covered in the "resist" material. I then repeated the process with the pink. It was very easy, and had the added bonus of making me look all cool and knowledgeable. If you want to see a great video showing the Color Magic paper in action, take a look at May Flaum's (highly recommend her blog as well) video demonstrating it here. I knew I had to have some when I saw this video and there it was, just waiting to come home with me when I went to Archivers last weekend.

Is anyone else attempting Week in the Life this week? or doing Project Life? I would love to hear about it!

I Choose Happy - Smashbook Post

2012-04-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

For the first time in all my 34 years I am finally keeping a journal. Odd when you think that my first craft, my first creative outlet was writing. When I was in grade school and junior high I used to write the these elaborate stories staring my best friend and I. We would meet whatever band we were currently obsessed with (Nelson, Queensryche, etc) and they, of course, would fall madly in love with us. My mom actually sent me some of those notebooks a few years ago, which I have kept despite my first impulse to burn them from embarrassment.

For some reason though, keeping a journal never stuck. I think it was partly that I have a hard time reading my own writing. Despite the fact that I have had several of my stories published in books, to me my writing still seems clunky and elementary, and the subjects I wrote about, when looked back upon, seemed foolish. That is changing with my journey into memory keeping, even more so now that I have my Smashbooks. I am using one of them as a free for all, all about me, Hayden, my thoughts and things I want to preserve without wanting to take the time to do a full layout about them. Kind of like an art journal, but without the stress of my sheer inability to draw, paint or anything else along those lines. Stickers and embellishments do that work for me, and I am able to get my thoughts and frustrations out in a way that I am able to look back on and still like.

I just did a spread in my book on my feelings as Hayden and I progress through this period of immense upheaval in our lives. Hayden, normally the calm one, is in full on freak out mode. I, usually the Type-A, hair standing on end, basket case, am surprisingly calm. I attribute the vast majority of that to my hobbies and creative outlets I am doing. Forcing myself to slow down, take time for myself, and create something just for me.

I thought I would share the pages with you. Nothing grandiose, but I like them.

The whole thing was inspired by the Melody Ross card in the middle of the left hand page that reads "I choose happy." It really resonated with me tonight.

******

Journaling reads:

Things have changed for me lately, in the way I approached life and the challenges it brings. For as long as I remember I have allows the smallest bump in the road to grow into a mountain even the most skilled climber would be loathe to scale. The smallest stressor would over take my life, blocking out everything else until it was the only thing I could see, and it would remain so until it was resolved. And then, would I relax? No, I would immediately find something else to worry about, starting the entire, ugly cycle all over again. I would wake up in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning, and instead of allowing myself to feel happy, I would list everything I had to worry about.

But not lately. Even with all the stressful events found on in my life, I have a mostly calm outlook on it. I am finding that I am making the conscious choice to choose to be happy throughout it all. I still have stressful moments, moments where I feel my chest seize and my breath grow short, but instead of allowing it to happen, I stop and tell myself I am doing all I can for the situation and that out side of that, it is out of my control. I cannot let it take over my life, I can only respond to these events with the tools I have and allow life to take it's course. My mood is my choice, my reactions are what I can control, and no matter what, life goes forward taking me along for the ride.

I choose happy.

No stress. Just Joy!

******

Am I saying I am completely zen all the time. Hell no. I am not, but this is a MAJOR change in mentality for me. It's such a change I often find myself wondering if someone is lacing my morning coffee and daily 5 gallon drum of Mtn. Dew with happy pills. I just hope I can keep it up over the next few months while we try and get this house selling/moving/job thing straightened out and put to bed. Once I have a solid idea of how this will be accomplished, I will share it, but right now, for every step forward we take, we get shoved right back from a different direction.

Thats OK though. Things happen exactly the way they are supposed to. And now, because of the blog, my scrapbooking and my Smashbooks, I will be able to look back on all of these events and say See, everything is fine, and X happened so Y could. Always remember this.

I choose happy.

Oh! And guess what! My back is all better except for a few twinges here and there if I spend to much time at my desk. Happy!

*I wrote this post last night before bed, and when I woke up I found myself trying to go through my stress list. I walked into the office and saw the book open to these pages. I stopped my thinking, I took a deep breath and I chose corn flakes and coffee, which at 6am, is happy :)

Have a happy day.

Evolution of a Scrapbooker - Week in the Life & Project Life

2012-04-17T19:57:00.001-05:00

Paper scrap collecting for new projects.

While the stress of the lack of offers on the house has some what diminished my enjoyment of my impending graduation and move, there are a couple reasons I am thankful to see this chapter in my life end. First and foremost being that I will finally get some well deserved me time so I can take part in some of the crafting community's (scrapbooking for this post purposes) bigger events.

The first one I am going to attempt is Ali Edward's Week in the Life. I saw it last year, but was WAY too busy with school to pay a whole lot of attention to it or even think about participating in it. I simply said I would so it next (now this) year. For those of you who may not have heard of it, it is a project where you really focus on documenting your life, every little thing from grocery lists to date nights to meals, for one week. A kind of intense snapshot of your life every year so you can see how things grow and change within your family and your life. Next week is a BIG week for me, a week that will never be replicated as long as I live (I am not sharing why because I plan to share my pics/documentation as I go through the week) so when I saw Week in the Life was next week, I decided come hell or high water I was going to participate. Ali has some really great posts and PDF's (just click the link above to go to this years WitL post with all the links to previous years and downloads) to use and read over if you would like to get in on the event as well. I am going to follow her example and focus on taking photos and getting the writing down during the week, sharing them here on the blog when time allows. The week after will be spent studying so I do not plan on having a finished album to show you until a few weeks after. Especially since some of it will be digital and I will have to have it printed.

Which leads me on to my next possible project, Project Life. I have really been enjoying my weekly layouts that I have been doing, and while right now, they have been documenting what they need to, I am feeling the need, with all the changes in our life, to evolve the system. Bring in Project Life. A lot about the system appeals to me. My scrapping style is evolving a lot. I don't know why, but I am finding myself drawn to more graphic, clean, and modern styles/colors/aesthetics with vintage lightly mixed in. I have also been thinking I wanted a way, outside my my Smashbook which is more of a personal journal, to document the everyday stuff and memorabilia that does not really need an entire layout. And I want to use up some of my paper. (The fact that I am moving to a place with an Archivers 30 minutes away has NOTHING to do with that.)

But I also know that I am fickle, and I need to try things out before I completely commit. So, I am going to do the Week in the Life in the format of Project Life (every non-scrapper just went WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT?? if they didn't already close their browser). This will allow me to try out both systems at once! I will share how I will use the PL system (both digi and paper) more as I progress through next week (again, time allowing) and if I decide I like it. I am still doing a lot of research (I have started a pinboard of some of the stuff I have found if you are interested) on it and asking myself what I want from it and scrapbooking in general since I am going to have a lot of stuff to document over the next year. I am really excited about it.

Are any of you guys participating in these projects? How are you doing them? I would love to see! Feel free to link up to your blog in the comments! I love seeing other people interpretations of these projects.

Scrapping with the Pig

2012-04-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post today. We just back from Nashville last night and we have to spend today getting the house perfect for the open house we have tomorrow and catching up on homework etc that we put off for the past couple days. More on the Nashville trip later when I post this week's Project 2012 Layout.

Today I will leave you with another digi page about the Pig, and how I am convinced he isn't a real dog. In fact, due to my childlike belief in magic and faeries, I am pretty sure he is some otherworldly creature sent to me to equally frustrate me and make me laugh. I thought I might not post this because, I mean, who wants to see LO's about someone's dog all the time, but then I thought, Hey, people post LOs of their kids constantly so whats the difference?

Hope your weekend includes some crafty time! I personally hope to work some on my new embroidery project (a Sugar Skull on gray fabric), possibly play with some paper and glue, and read some magazines. I won't get all of it done, but it's a good goal.

Kit Credits: Heart First Collab from ScrapbookGraphics.com, originally part of the March Digi Files. (The collar doesn't appear to be in the store yet, so I linked to the Daily Digi Page about it so you could see it and some inspiration LOs.)

Stitchy Goodness!

2012-04-12T07:19:00.001-05:00

Wow, I finished, really finished, my very first cross stitch project. I have started many over time, but never finished 50% of any project, much less all of it. I am super happy about this!

I won't lie, there are 3 mistakes in the finished project. I miscounted twice on the head portion of the bust, and somehow, probably due to the fact I was tired while finishing it last night, I did something weird to the frame in one spot. But, for the most part, you can't tell unless you are really looking for it, and I am rather pleased with how it looks. I especially glad I went with my first decision to go with pink and black (my two favorite colors). It will look lovely in my craft room after we move. I hope to have a whole wall, or section of wall filled with hoops containing embroidery, cross stitch and scraps of fabric in bright colors.

The pattern came out of the book A Rainbow of Stitches (my blog post book review about it here), which is filled with little projects like this one, both cross stitch and embroidery. This book is definitely going to see some use around Xmas time, and I am planning on starting another cross stitch project very soon (although I start some embroidery tonight). I am not as enamored with it as I am with embroidery, as it requires (at least at my skill level) a lot more thought than embroidery does, but I love the way it looks and can see me doing a lot more small projects over time.

What are you working on this weekend?

Online Scrapbooking Weekend Over at Shimelle's

2012-04-09T08:52:00.002-05:00

Image from shimelle.com. Used with permission.

As you might have noticed from my blog posts, I have been really getting into paper scrapping lately. Whether this is just a by-product of my current love of *SMASH books or just the natural flow of my craft interest, I am not sure. But, results aside, I am really enjoying the tactile feeling of paper and scissors.

Shimelle, a super cool scrapper, is hosting an Online Scrapbooking Weekend over at her blog this weekend. There will be giveaways, challenges, guest posts and more. Best part? It's free and it is designed around getting you to use your own stash rather than having to buy more supplies. I think it is something both Digi, Paper and Hybrid scrappers can do. You can read more about it here. I don't know how much I will be able to attend as I will be away from the computer Friday and some of Sunday, but work/school permitting I am going to try and join in at least a little. Just thought I would share in case you hadn't heard about it yet.

And, even if you can't attend, I would still recommend heading over to Shimelle's blog. She has some great e-courses, tutorials, projects, etc. I am personally enjoying her Glitter Girl Series that you find either in her blog or at Two Peas in a Bucket.

*I am in no way being asked or paid to promote this event. I thought it was neat, I think Shimelle is even neater, and I thought you might think it's neat too.

I Can't Even Scrap Straight

2012-04-06T20:13:00.001-05:00

*Sigh* And the paper scrapping journey continues. When I had this layout planned out on my craft table, embellishment and picture wise, I loved it. The color palette I came up with rocked my world. The Tim Holtz button over the $1 Walmart flowers rocked my world, and the Time Holtz metal plate REALLY ROCKED my world. It was simple, neutral and pretty. Perfect homage to 2 of my favorite (among 1000's) of pictures of my Piggy and me.

As I made it I continued to love it. It came together exactly as I envisioned it. And then I write on it, which as you can see, came out crooked. I always write at a slant. My date stamp is crooked, even when I lightly drew pencil lines to follow. My title alpha is crooked. I like everything else about it, but those things... well and the heart/ribbon combo could be just a smudge lower.

A lot of people write their journaling on the computer and print it out. I have chosen not to, even though it is always slanted, because I love seeing my grandmother's hand writing, and I know, soon, a lot of people won't even know cursive writing (don't EVEN get me started on that!). So, I think I will be happy to have my handwriting, as imperfect as it is... but still.

I am really disappointed in, what I see as, mistakes that totally bombed the layout. I know, in a 10 years no one will care that anything is crooked, they will be more concerned with the memories.

You know what. I will care, because I am a Type A Perfectionist, and the crookedness really bugs me. Hopefully, as I paper scrap more, my ability to line things up and letter straighter will develop, and thanks to digital pics, I can easily redo a variation of this layout down the road.

And here I was just talking about making mistakes and screwing up for the fun of it. It's not terrible by any means, especially since it's only my 3rd paper page. I guess I just wanted it to be as perfect as it was in my head, perfect enough to hold a little piece of my love for that piggy. I guess I need to look at it as another learning experience. Lessons learned: be more mindful of what your writing, stamps and stickers are doing, but good job on the overall design and embellishment use. It could also be that I am so used to being able to position everything so perfectly and exactly the way I want it when digi scrapping, that my paper imperfections seem that much more glaring. Just something I have to reconcile as I move forward both in digi and paper. Perhaps I should go look at those first few digi layouts that NO ONE has ever seen, where the drop shadows are so massive the flowers are floating a foot off the page, and nothing is scaled properly.

Hayden likes it, but then again, he kind of has to.

Any tips on straightening my act out? Besides that I should not expect my layouts to look like those in a magazine?

*Yes, the lighting is still terrible. My back, which was doing a WHOLE lot better, is back to being very painful. I took Piggy for a walk today, which was a lot more than he used to walking. He got tired, and his hips were bothering him. So I carried him home, all 25lbs of him. And now I want to scream again every time I stand up....

Project 2012 - Week 13

2012-04-04T06:29:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe I have been able to keep this up so far this year. I mean its really not a huge time commitment, an hour tops, if the page just is not coming together the way I want. It's just surprising that I have made it enough of a priority that I am able to put something else aside long enough to do it. Just evidence of shifting priorities I guess, my realization that my whole life cannot revolve around work.

Last week was, and this week continues to be, a little stressful. We are down to the last few weeks to sell the house. I am actually surprised we have not got an offer yet. The first month we were on the market we had multiple, daily showings and the feedback (other than iffy closet space) was glowing. People came back for 2nd and 3rd showings and I felt pretty good about the renovations we had done and the price we chose (which we dropped by 2K last weekend). I really thought we would have had something by now.

We have a couple back up plans to put in place if the house doesn't sell before we move to TN. They are not at all optimal, and we really don't want to fall back on them. But we will if we have to. Hayden and I are problem solvers if nothing else.

Other than the house stress, and my back still being out of whack for week number 3, not too awful much is going on. We are staying close to home, settling in for the last few weeks of the semester, thinking positive thoughts, and trying to have faith that everything will work out exactly the way it is supposed to at the exact time it is supposed to.

*Kit Credits - Just Another Day by Karen Lewis. The kit isn't in her store yet, it was part of last month's Digi Files, so I linked to the Digi Files post instead.

*And yes, I know there is a typo. PSE really needs spellcheck.

Attempting Cross Stitch for the Umpteenth Time

2012-04-02T07:24:00.001-05:00

4 rows without a mistake! A record! They are even neat on
both the front and back!

I have been trying to finish a cross stitch project since I was 15 years old. A counselor I saw at my high school got me started in stitching when she decided I needed a hobby (I did have a hobby, dressing in black, listening to Nine Inch Nails and reveling in my teenage angst). I wanted to learn it, although I would have been hard pressed to admit it at that age, but this was long before we had cross stitching that was cool and modern. This was still when cross stitching looked like something my grandmother would have been embarrassed to be seen with, teddy bear and duckies galore.

But, I did try, and from time to time as I grew up, I even tried again in moments of desperation of something to do. Unfortunately cross stitch requires being able to count, a skill I do not have. (Hence the REAL reason I went to law school. Trust me, the only people in law school that can do anything more than basic math are the hardcore tax people.) So, this meant I would be midway through a project, happily stitching long, and I would notice that the rows were not lining up the way they were supposed to, everything just seemed a little off. And lo and behold, about 4 rows ago, right in the middle of the project, I made one less stitch than I should have and threw the whole pattern off. That would be when I would put it down, with loudly voiced intentions I would come back to it when I wasn't mad and fix my mistake. Instead, it just kicked around the house until I felt like I could toss it without anyone (Hayden) ever remembering I had started (paid good money) for it.

But, with my new found love of embroidery, and the proliferation of cool cross stitch patterns (nary a duckie in sight), I am giving it a go again. I am doing a very simple pattern out of the book A Rainbow of Stitches (which I reviewed here). It is just a silhouette of a woman in a frame. I am doing it in black thread on white 14 count Aida fabric, although I might make the frame surrounding the woman a different color. I have been wanting to do this since seeing this post at Allison's Little Lovelies blog (love the colors she chose for it) and finally decided that it would be a perfect, simple and small project to try again. (And I had to take a small break from the granny squares before I A) got sick of looking at them and B) my thumb fell off.) So far I have not screwed up, but then again I am only 4 rows in. Hopefully I will have the finished project to show you soon and a post about how it went this time.

Any crafts you tried, failed miserably at, but still want to attempt again?

How to Get Over Craft Hoarding - A 4 Step Program

2012-03-31T08:49:00.000-05:00

In my March Month in Review I mentioned I got a few new products to play with. Now normally, and much like a lot of paper crafters I have read about, (I can't say "know" because I am the ONLY person I know who crafts...) I have a tendency to hoard things. You know, saving them for that "special project," convinced that if I use them now, and god forbid, mess them up, months and months and months from now I will fall to my knees, shake my fist at the sky, and cry "WHY DID I USE THAT SHEET OF LOST & FOUND??? WHYYYYYYY????" And of course, that one sheet will be the ONLY sheet I could ever POSSIBLY use for that project, the whole thing will be ruined, and the crafting police will take me away for the crime of waste.

Laugh, but I know some of you have totally thought something close to that in the deep, dark recesses of your mind. You are also the person who bought journal after journal when you were younger (and maybe still do) and never wrote a damn thing in them because you were scared of messing up that gorgeous expanse of pristine paper.

Come, take my hand, we will work through this together.

Join me as I make a concerted effort to use more of my products, even if that means royally screwing something up and tossing it in the trash.

My black smashbook is my inspiration journal, a mood board or paper Pintrest, if you will. I am using it to record ideas I have and collect things that inspire future projects, especially things I can't "pin" or stick into Evernote because they are physical rather than digital. A good thing too because I also hoard magazines, usually because there is one little picture that I find inspirational and that I think I will come back to later and make something fabulous.

Not going to happen. That magazine is going to sit there and collect dust with all the other 5000 that have one little bitty picture and I will never look at them again. Case in point, I have a magazine by Stampington called Mingle, which is all about parties. I have been hanging on to it since SEPTEMBER. Super cute mag with lovely pictures, but, out of all the articles only a couple caught my eye and made me think, Oh, I would so do that. (Just in case you were wondering, they were a breakfast themed birthday party, a cookies and milk party and a halloween treats party.) And, to make it easier to recycle, I decided a few pics of those parties would make it into my inspiration book.

Which leads me to hitting my paper stash up for supplies, even when I had no clue what I was going to do.

The original pages in the Black Smashbook.

Tip 1: Pick a project that is not a "special" one, i.e. don't try out a new technique on your wedding layout.

I ended up cutting out more pictures to keep that fit neatly on a two sheet spread in my smashbook, so I had the idea of "adding" a page to those to pages, by gluing it a piece of patterned paper down to the original page and having it open outward. It was not going to crush me if this idea did not work out.

Tip 2: Pick some paper and supplies that are not your most prized paper possessions. I know we all have paper stuff we are stashing away. Mine are a few pieces that I love and can't get anymore because they have been discontinued, but I know you have some "so-so" paper in those bins somewhere, pieces that you always look at and think "meh."

I even had the perfect paper in mind that fit the color scheme of the page. It was a washi tape patterned 8x11 sheet that came with Somerset Memories magazine.) Definitely not something that was going to make it into the paper hall of fame.) It felt pretty thick, so I decided to cover up the white back, that had the name of the print and the designer on it, I would play with some of my supplies and make something I was sure would be awesome.

Tip 3: Play away. Ink, stamp, ruffle, and tear. Spray, paint, use markers!

I made something. It actually turned out awesome, but it did not become what I pictured.

You can see a little bit of the glimmer and some of the colors, but not all of them. My pictures suck as of late as I am on week 2 of dealing with a back that is completely out of whack and therefore, cannot get the pages in the area of the house with the best light. This paper really looked good, it was just too crumply to use. Apologies.

I covered the paper with Tim Holtz Crackle Paint in Picket Fence, which gave it a really cool texture. I then payed around with Distress Ink in Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge and Denim to match the color scheme of the original pages in the book. It came out looking a little to vintage for the bold, graphic look that the book pages had through, so I decided to use some of my Glimmer Mists to liven it up.

Tip 3: See the positive even if you didn't end up with what you thought you would.

I loved the way the finished project looked. It reminded me of a beach a sunset with the gold glimmers (which I don't think the pictures shows) and the mix of orange, blue, and textured white. But it did NOT go with the pages I had chosen, nor did the paper hold up to all the painting, inking and misting like I though it would. It just got curly and weak, and the mists soaked through and made the washi tape print kind of icky. Would have been better on some sturdy card stock.

Tip 4: Be ok with tossing the whole thing out.

I ended up trashing the whole thing and taking up two double page spreads in my smashbook instead of one.

But I don't look at this as a waste, even though the papers are used, the Glimmer Mist bottles have less in them and the ink pads are a little drier. Why? Because I learned some lessons. I learned how to use crackle paint, and how it looks with various inks and sprays. I learned just a little more about layering colors and how these products blend.

And I learned that it is ok to totally mess something up, its ok to crumble the piece of paper up and toss it in the trash. Hoarding that paper was serving no purpose. I had it in a container, safe and protected, and it was sad. It wanted to come out and be sprayed, inked and stamped. It wanted to LIVE, even if only briefly, and serve it's purpose. And it did. It gave me 2 hours of crafting pleasure, helped me practice techniques and then was lovingly buried in the trash can when I decided it wasn't what I wanted.

And guess what? No one showed up to arrest me for wasting supplies and the world did not end. So go to your supplies, grab some stuff you have been hoarding, and PLAY. Bet even if it comes out looking like a hot mess, you will be 10 times happier than you were before you started!

I personally am looking forward to completely ruining some more perfectly nice and attractive bits of paper.

*If you want to hear more about getting over making mistakes, listen to this older episode of Paperclipping Round Table on Art Journaling. It's what inspired me to just get in my stash and USE something, and be totally ok with screwing it up.

Already Missing Autumn

2012-03-30T12:06:00.003-05:00

It's been in the 80's all week here in Mississippi, and I am already missing the cool nights and bright colors of Autumn. I can already tell this is a going to be a beast of a summer. The lawn looks unkempt one day after Hayden mows it, it is impossible to be in the car without air conditioning and it's only March. I feel completely screwed out of getting any sort of winter this year. Luckily enough though, the fall was one of the more colorful ones that I remember having since I have been living here.

Blech. Give me nights where your hands are cold unless they are wrapped around a cup of coffee or tea, harsh lines of leafless trees are outlined against a moon, and the promise of cold winters.

Until the wheel turns back around, I will stare longingly at my photos, and look forward to my upcoming fall around the mountains of Tennessee.

*Kit Credits: Ablaze ArtPlay Palette by Anna Aspnes, Fall WordArt by Anna Aspnes

Month in Review - March

2012-03-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

March was an extremely fun and crafty month for me. I, thanks to my Amazon Gift Cards and an unexpected Hobby Lobby Gift Card, was able to fully indulge in craft goodness, without breaking the bank.

The first thing I had to do was take advantage of the sale that One Little Bird Designs had through the Daily Digi. The post with the coupon and pictures of the kit that is part of the March Digi Files is here. (I am posting this a few days before the end of the month to give you time to use it!) Rarely does OLB kits go on sale, so I allowed myself a slight indulgence and bought some kits I had been eyeing for a while. They are:

Airtime - which I got because of the "King of the Backyard" word art it had so I could make the layout above. Hayden's love/hate relationship with mowing cracks me up, and these are his last few weeks of mowing since we will be renters for a year or more very soon.
Unconditionally - to scrap our wedding photos
Retrospective - cuz I loved it and it came with these matching Journaling Cards
Confessional - for a project I haven't talked about yet.... it's my secret
Shadow Like Me - shadow styles for PSE, because I haven't had the time to really devote to learning drop shadows properly, and her's are perfect.

PS, She just released a super cute kit called Meadowlark. GO check it out!

I am starting to realize that my paper and digi crafting styles are changing, a lot, and I hope to have it all articulated into a post soon... I am still figuring it out though.

I also got some paper crafting supplies I have been eyeing. When I had my HL Gift Card all of their Tim Holtz products were on sale so I got a couple rolls of his Sketchbook Tape (which I LOVE, it looks gorgeous on paper!) and his Adage Tickets. And I got both the Sundance and the Heidi's Favorites sets of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists. These are too messy (in a fab way) and too fun to play with, but I highly recommend using a craft sheet to cover your work table because of the fun messiness involved.

I also got, as you have seen repeatedly, SMASHBOOKS. I will not revisit these here, you can see my posts by clicking here. I am scared if I keep gushing over them, someone will smash me.

As for finished projects, I was able to finish two gifts I made for John. I am dying to share them, but since he glances over here every once in a while, I can't. They will show up after he gets them.

I have also started on my granny squares (post and pics here). It's slow going as crocheting for a long period of time hurts my hands, and I am usually doing them while watching Star Trek, and therefore, forget what I am doing at times. But they are fun, and I really like the colors I picked out. I think they are going to make a really nice afghan when they finally are finished.

I finished my apron, but unfortunately, quilt squares got preempted by my Smashbook obsession over spring break. But I hope to get a few days over the next month to continue working on them. Who knows though, it's going to be a pretty busy month.

So I am not setting any goals for April. If I can keep up my Project 2012 up over the next month (which I have been keeping up with religiously) and just get a few minutes to craft each day or every other day, I will be happy.

How was your crafty month?

* Kit Credits - Airtime by One Little Bird Designs (linked above)

One Month to Go

2012-03-27T06:54:00.000-05:00

GOODBYE LAW SCHOOL!!!

As I write this, the countdown has begun, and by the time it will be posted, I will officially have less than 4 weeks left of being a student.

Ever.

(Well unless I take a few classes later on about graphic design, which I might, when I can look at a textbook again without throwing up.)

But really, other than the year I took off to run the Mineral Makeup store my friend and I opened, I have been a full time student since 2003, with part and full time jobs here and there. I really can't wrap my head around it. I can't believe that for a few glorious months I will have a simple 8 hour, Monday-Friday job (plus my possible part time one over the summer, but I don't think that will be anywhere near my work load now). I will have the majority of my non-work time free to spend time with Hayden, read magazines (I have a pile of Stampington issues I haven't even cracked open), craft, play Warcraft, blog, etc, without homework or a work assignment hanging over my head. I leave work and I don't come home to more work, or work on the weekends. The mind boggles.

I am both excited and scared. Excited to be finally graduating and getting out of law school, scared because being a student has been my life for a very long time.

My Evernote and Pintrest boards are bursting at the seams with planned projects. I am making abstract, short hand notes about possible Xmas gifts, and I am looking longingly at the books on craft photography and Etsy business that I have ordered and squirreled away for summer reading.

This month is going to be crazy. I just got a huge work assignment from my Professor, the house hasn't sold yet, we have to go to Nashville one more time, we are still waiting on approval regarding our rental application, finals are coming, the house hasn't sold yet, final projects are due, the student group I run needs a new president, the Symposium has a few loose ends and budgetary books that need tidying, we are getting married, we have visitors coming to stay, and have I mentioned the house hasn't sold yet?

But I am going to just tell myself everything will fall into place when it should and this next four weeks or craziness will serve to make me appreciate the slower (and craftier!) summer ahead of me. A new state, a new home, new surroundings to explore, and a completely new life style with new opportunities every where.

Excited.

Scared.

But ready to see what the next chapter brings :)

Sewing on a Sunday - My Pretty Ditty Apron Is Finished

2012-03-26T10:45:00.000-05:00

Before I get to the crafty goodness, let me just let everyone know that my Legal Symposium was a success. We had double the turn out of last year, the classes and topics provoked a lot of great discussion among the lecturers and attendees, and the Alumni Dinner I planned afterwards was wonderful! The Dean has said he wants to make this an annual event, and I got a part-time, from home, job offer from an Executive Director within the ABA. I will start after we get settled in Nashville (which FYI, no offer on the house yet, we reduced our price yesterday. Not the best thing, but the best decision).

Anyhoo, since my events were so successful, I took the weekend off. Saturday we went to Joann's, I smashbooked a few memories of the Symposium, and we chilled at the house. 2 hours were spent watching the TERRIBLE movie In Time. A really good idea but the acting was awful and the writing was even worse. I really don't think it was the actors fault either, but I digress.... We were both so exhausted we ended up eating cereal for dinner! Ha! Sunday, I got my Project 2012 layout done and finished my apron! And against my better judgement, as I loathe having pics taken, I am even posting a pic of me wearing it, rather than hanging on a door (the apron, not me) or other nonsense.

This is a new exercise in torture for me. See that smile, its the smile one makes when they would rather crawl under a rock, but such is my commitment to you dear readers!!

The pattern is from Jamie Christina and it is a called the Pretty Ditty Apron (follow the link to her Etsy Shop). The apron is able to be made as one sided or reversible. I made mine using the reversible apron instructions, but the back side is all black. The pattern comes with a full size pattern sheet which you cut the pieces from and then use as templates to cut your fabric, and, as you can read in the listing, can be made to fit multiple sizes from children to adults.

I made a few adjustments to it. I skipped a couple of steps, mostly basting, and everything still came out ok. The only place I really had an issue was that the ties where they were to be sewn to the waist band, ended up wider than the waist band. But I definitely think that is due to my sewing (and tendency to eye ball seam allowances rather than measure, my type A personality does not rear its head when crafting) and not due to a mistake in the pattern. I also made the pockets bigger, and embroidered them, which you can read all about in this post.

I really like the retro look of this apron. The most time consuming task was cutting all the pieces and hand embroidering the pockets. Honestly the sewing time was, total, 2 hours tops. I can definitely see myself making a couple more of these, especially in different fabrics as shown on the pattern cover, once I get moved. They are super cute, and fit really well.

Another project finished! Did you get something crafty accomplished this weekend?