mostly crafty. mostly.

happy SUPER sunday

2012-02-05T10:05:00.001-05:00

It is Super Bowl Sunday today in Indianapolis! The city has been crazy over the past two weeks, and we have had just about the best weather imaginable.

I headed down to Super Bowl Village last night, and even with chillier temps and light rain there were almost 200,000 people Downtown!

Go Giants!

what i've read/seen/heard: GOT edition

2012-01-02T13:12:00.001-05:00

I have been amiss in not writing a read/seen/heard post about the best books I read in 2011: The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, AKA the Game of Thrones books.

Holy cow are these books amazing. I devoured the first two while on vacation in Florida, the third over Thanksgiving, the fourth during finals week and the fifth this past week on my Kindle. I couldn't wait to pick up a hardback copy of it. I won't lie- these books are full of violence, treachery and tragedy. But they are also addictive- many a night I was up past midnight reading, telling myself, "Just one more chapter!" The first four books are in paperback, the fifth book is in hardcover right now. The only downside is that the author takes forever to release each book. I'm not sure how I will wait six years to find out what happens to Arya, Jon Snow and Tyrion.

I've also been catching up on White Collar on Netflix streaming. It's a lot like USA's other shows in that each episode is very formulaic, while there is a greater "Big Bad" storyline each season, much like Psych or Burn Notice. Still a fun show!

And if you haven't already watched Downton Abbey: Season One, I highly recommend you do so soon because Season 2 comes out on PBS in just one week! Season one is free on Amazon Prime right now, and I believe also on Netflix. Season 2 has been out in the UK for several months now, but it premieres here on PBS January 8. Set your DVRs!

happy 2012

2012-01-01T12:36:00.004-05:00

It was very difficult for me to get into the Christmas holiday spirit this year. In between my internship, part-time job, new full-time job and a full courseload of classes, I didn't have much time to do very many Christmasy activities. I did almost all of my shopping on Amazon.com this year thanks to Prime shipping. I did some shopping for myself early on, but only kept a pair of jeans and some warm boots to wear to my new job. Overall the lack of money and time plus other pressing matters left me bah-humbugging the holidays.

I'm looking forward to 2012 as a fresh start. I now only have one job (full-time, with benefits beginning today (hooray)) and only one semester of classes left. I already don't know what to do with all of my free time (Answer: watching White Collar on Netflix seems to fill the time well).

Some goals for 2012:
-Blog more. I haven't really done many craft projects this year, so there's not much to write on that, but I also haven't shared others' cool craft projects either.

-Document what I read. I read a TON of books, especially on vacation. A lot of the time I'll read series mysteries, like Clive Cussler or Denise Swanson, where one book is very much like any other. Without keeping track I have no idea what I have and have not read. I need to keep track in my Goodreads account.

Note: I was just reading through past posts to find a link to the kitchen post (below) and realized I made the same resolution about keeping track of what I read last year. Clearly I am bad at this.

-Clean out this house. I have a lot of crap. I am a hoarder in training. I need to clean out this craft stuff, get it organized, and get rid of the stuff I will never use (pony beads? glitter?).

-I also have grand plans to redo the kitchen and bathroom. Who knows if I will be able to really make this happen, but since there is a gaping hole in my kitchen ceiling from fixing the bathroom plumbing, it seems kind of high on the priority list.

That adorable reindeer is actually an IKEA gift tag in an IKEA frame. I picked up a bunch of wrapping paper, ornaments, and other goodies when my sister and I were at an IKEA in California last October. On Southwest, bags fly free, so why not??

beginning to look a lot like winter

2011-12-04T18:51:00.004-05:00

With snow late last week an more "wintry mix" looming on the horizon, it is indeed winter in Indiana.

My sister helped me out by decorating my house before she flew home. As my mom said, I have a lot of Christmas trees!

happy thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! As a part-time retail associate, I like to think of it as the day before the worst day of the year. Can you believe stores open at midnight tonight? Outrageous! Except for movie theaters. They need to be open today so I can go see the Muppet movie. But that's not what this post is about.

I am very thankful for having an amazing family who has helped me out this year. I lost my job last December, so I have been in school full-time, working part-time, and then this summer working at an internship. I have weird hours, lots of homework, and not always the time to make dinner, let the pups out, or run errands. My mom and sister have helped out so much this year, and I am very thankful for that.

I am very thankful for a new job too! A friend recommended me for a position at an IT company here in Indy. It's a great job, a growing company, and right across from one of my favorite restaurants!

I'm also thankful for some wonderful friends. Whether it's hanging out at Target, watching a silly movie, or catching up over coffe (let's be honest- wine), it's those friendships that have helped me sanely get through this year.

And of course, I can't forget my pups. These cuties have been trying at times, don't get me wrong, but their adorableness makes up for that in spades.

supermural

2011-11-23T22:34:00.006-05:00

If you hadn't already heard, Indianapolis is the home of the next Super Bowl. As one of the legacy projects, the Super Bowl committee has commissioned 46 murals for different parts of the city.

The first is on the side of a small music shop in Downtown Indy near where I work. The artist, Pamela Bliss, has started to paint a second musician since I took this pic.

The second is on a somewhat vacant building that faces the Pennsy Trail on the Eastside in Irvington.

For more info, check out Arts Council of Indy

shake it like a...

2011-10-29T10:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Foam core + exacto knife + square cutout = photo hilarity.

Funny glasses optional.

day 3

2011-09-28T23:17:00.003-04:00

I don't actually have anything to write about, but I wanted to post three days in a row. A new blog record!! Fairly boring day- work, a quick trip to the gym, and then work some more.

I did catch Happy Endings, which is one of my favorite shows. Love it! I also caught the last two minutes of Modern Family, heretofore known as one of my favorite shows, but will now be known as the show with the annoying four year old. Seriously, it was a major mistake recasting Lily with a child that could talk.

That's about it...but if you do have a minute (and since you are reading my blog instead of someone cool's, then you surely do have at least a minute), stop by Art vs Art and vote for painting #47! It belongs to a super awesome artist friend of mine. You have to register, but Art vs Art doesn't spam you. Probably.

what i've read/seen/heard

2011-09-27T22:49:00.002-04:00

An update for posterity, more than for anything else:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
I think I got this rec off Jennsyvania's blog, and it was pretty good. I had reserved it at the library, and let it languish on the shelf for almost three weeks (now it's languishing, overdue, in the front seat of my car. Sigh). A rainy Sunday meant no flag football, but it did mean time to read this! It was a very quick read- I had anticipating it lasting all day, so I could stay curled on my couch under a blanket, but I think I finished it in two or three hours. Quick. It has some grotesque freaky pictures, which I believe are the basis for the story, but overall it was interesting and I would recommend it.

The Glass Passenger
I actually downloaded this off iTunes a few years ago (after seeing him on John Stewart) but I lost it when my Mac crashed. I just re-ordered the CD, spurred on because I saw Jack's Mannequin last month opening for Guster, and I remembered how much I love love love their music. Highly recommend it.

Pilot
I think I love New Girl! This is an Amazon link (full disclosure!) but it's available FREEEEE which is amazing if you didn't DVR it like me. What is not to love about New Girl? Zooey Deschanel is probably the cutest person on the planet, and she's 110% awkward in this show, and yet the guys still like her. It's just like real life! Except not at all.

And the guys: David Krumholz-Lite (IMDB tells me his real name is Jake, but it also tells me he lucked out landing a ZDC (Zooey Deschanel) show), The Actor Previously Played By Damon Wayans Jr. But His Other Show Got Picked Up So He Has Been Recast, and the one and only Officer Leo from Veronica Mars! As if you needed three (okay, like 1.5) more reasons to watch this show.

I DVR'd but haven't watched any other new shows except 2 Broke Girls, which I want to like because I like Kat Dennings, but the multi-camera laughtrackness of it makes me not want to like it. I caught the first three minutes of Whitney, and the fake laughtrack was SO fake and horrible I couldn't turn it off quickly enough. That show is Not. Funny.

So that's what I've read/seen/heard so far this week. If I remember, maybe I'll post another sometime before November.

super scarves

2011-09-26T22:43:00.003-04:00

I will continue my tradition of posting only once per month- at the end of the month no less- with a cool craft project that has been going on in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis is home to the 2012 Super Bowl (and much controversy over renaming three blocks of one street. Team Georgia!), and as such there are lots of projects to get Indy ready for The Big Game. I am, of course, referring to the endless construction on Downtown streets.

No wait, that is not cool at all. It's sheer torture. Michigan Street, I am looking at you.

I'm talking about the Super Scarves project, in which knitters from around the world (probably, or at least Greenwood and Carmel) knit festive blue and white scarves for the 8000+ volunteers who will brave the freakishly cold weather to do something for the Super Bowl. They chose blue and white as the colors because when they started this project, the Colts were awesome and not playing like a junior high school football team.

I have not yet knit a Super Scarf. I have looked at the website and visited Michael's craft store with my 40% off coupon, but all they had was tacky acrylic and my knitting needles are allergic. So instead if I get off my duff and make it to Mass Ave Knit Shop, I can purchase some festive yarn myself.

The website has instructions and a FAQ (all PDF documents), including color suggestions from major brands. The scarves should be 6-8 inches wide and 76-100 inches long on size 8 needles. Ravelry also has an active group with lots of patterns.

I wanted to include a super cute picture that I saw today of Blue in his scarf at the Dome, but now I can't find it. Use your imaginations: blue and white scarves, football. Go.

hey it's my birthday!

2011-08-31T07:28:00.000-04:00

Hey, it's my birthday! Don't worry if you didn't yet pick out the most perfect present yet, I have just the thing: A vote for Homespun in the Pepsi Refresh grant! Today is the last day you can vote for Homespun to win a $25,000 grant to create a craft teaching space. Homespun is a local store in my neighborhood, and $25K would go a long way here. Here is how to vote:

1. Go to Pepsi Refresh, sign in with Facebook and vote for Homespun Workshops.
2. Go to Pepsi Refresh, sign in with a Pepsi account and vote for Homespun Workshops.
3. Text 108002 to 73774.

You can do all of these things today! If everyone who reads my blog voted, there would literally be a dozen extra votes for Homespun - and every vote counts!

Thanks for my present. It's perfect!

what i'm reading: a little book on the prairie

2011-08-14T08:07:00.014-04:00

I have one source for all of my summer reading needs: Jennsylvania. If you haven't read Bitter Is The New Black, or visited Jen Lancaster's hi-larious blog, then take a minute, right click on those links, and open up a new tab. Finish reading this and then head on over there.

Every summer, Jen Lancaster writes a post or two on the best books for summer reading. After seeing the list, I put every single book on hold at the library and read them for the rest of the summer. Jen (can I call her Jen? Are we on a first name basis?) put out two lists this year, and I'm working my way through the first. And by "working my way," I mean, "I put two of the books on hold." I read through The First Husband, although I wasn't entirely enamored with it. Then I picked up A Wilder Life by Wendy McClure.

I have been a huge Little House fan all my life. I started reading Little House in the Big Woods in kindergarten. My mom bought me all of the books from a local bookstore, and I read them all throughout elementary school (before my equal love of Anne of Green Gables won out- you can see some of my Anne books in the picture of all my well-loved Little House books).

So of course when Jen Lancaster recommended a book about a woman who had an even more obsessive love for all things Laura Ingalls, I had to check it out.

At first, I thought The Wilder Life would be truly in the vein of Julie & Julia or Eat Pray Love: a woman takes a year off to follow her passion and live as Laura Ingalls did 150 years ago (I also call these books "It must be nice" books, as in, "It must be nice to not have to work for a living" books.). The Wilder Life is not that kind of book, which kind of makes it better. Wendy McClure tries a few "prairie" type activities, like churning butter or baking vanity cakes, but she also takes several trips to visit the homesteads and towns featured in the books. She also discusses the very real differences and discrepancies in the Little House world- the Little House on the Prairie TV show, the Little House books, and real life. She's clearly searching for something, but it's fun to read about her trip to De Smet, South Dakota, without actually having to drive twelve hours to get there yourself.

There's one chapter in the book about her trip to a working Illinois homestead that has stuck with me over the past week. I won't spoil it for you, as it is pretty hilarious (I have now used that word twice in this post. I need new words), but it brings to light a worldview of the Laura books that I never even knew existed.

To sum up, if you are a Laura fan, you should go check out The Wilder Life. And if you're a fan of reading, check out Jen Lancaster's books and book lists. I'll leave you with a 100% embarassing picture of me from seventh grade, to show that I was, indeed, a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. Please note this was for a school project, although I can't exactly remember what. Probably some sort of biography demonstration? But yes, my mom made me a red prairie dress. With a sunbonnet.

Related: My previous summer reading list

pepsi refresh- vote!

2011-08-06T07:14:00.006-04:00

A local Irvington business, Homespun Modern Handmade, is competing for a $25K grant through the Pepsi Refresh contest. Homespun won a grant last year that allowed them to open a retail shop that sells handmade goods, and is competing for another grant to open a teaching space/classroom.

There are three ways to vote:
1. Go to Pepsi Refres h, log in under your Facebook ID and VOTE for Homespun!
2. Text 108002 to PEPSI (73774) to VOTE for Homespun!
3. Look for Power Voting codes in Pepsi products. 20oz bottles have yellow caps with a code under them, 24 can cubes have the code on the inside of the cardboard case. Go to Pepsi Refresh, create an account (ugh, I know!) and use your Power Votes to VOTE for Homespun.

You can vote through Facebook, texting and your Refresh account every day - Homespun needs to be in the top 15 by the end of August. Vote early, vote often!

whoops

2011-07-12T17:54:00.003-04:00

Somehow I managed to make Mostly Crafty a private blog on Sunday. Not quite sure how I managed that, but I did! I couldn't change the permissions at work, but I was finally able to fix it tonight. Back to watching True Blood!

bathroom envy

2011-07-10T21:44:00.005-04:00

I posted many moons ago about renovating my kitchen. Well, that project got put on the backburner for another year. In the meantime, I am comtemplating redoing my bathroom. It is much smaller, more doable on a DIY scale, and I can break it up into two or three phases to make it more affordable.

Step 1: Rip out the awful plastic/melamine/whatever shower surround and redo some plumbing work (courtesy of my awesome neighbor). Tile the walls in lieu of a new surround and reglaze the tub. I've seen reviews on Angie's List that this is relatively affordable and easier than a new tub.

Step 2: Repatch some of the drywall, install a new sink pedestal and repaint

Step 3: New tile floor, new lighting

I'm not sure of the order on replacing the sink and the tile floor. Tile first, then the sink on top? New sink and tile around?

One thing is for certain: I have bathroom envy of Freckle Chick's guest bath.
I am in love. Gray walls? Check. Gray tile? Check. Tile shower? Check. And it looks pretty simple on a DIY scale. I think she has another post on how easy it is to tile. I'm not one for complicated projects, but surely someone in my family or friends is slightly handy? Right? Ummm....yeah.I love her gray tile floors from The Great Indoors. Such an unusual size. I have no idea where to find anything even remotely similar in Indianapolis. I may have to venture to the Great North aka Castleton to check out some fancy pants tile places.

This is the only pic I could find of the bathroom and it's pre-mirror. But you can see the green, which features prominently in three rooms of my house. I'm kind of over it and want something new and fresh. I bought paint for the stairwell (finally! Only FIVE years!) although I immediately wished I had purchased something darker. I may use that in the dining room to repaint and then go with something a bit darker in the stairwell.

**Off topic, I logged in and somehow old Blogger dashboard was back hallelujah! And I also noticed that all four lightbulbs are on in the bathroom pic. I had forgotten how darn bright the bathroom is/was because they have been burned out for I don't know how many years...it's probably time for some new ones, eh?

the most amazing candle in the world

2011-07-03T21:43:00.003-04:00

Are you sitting down? Prepared for some awesome amazing news that will rock your socks off?

My most favorite candle in the world is the Anthropologie Capri Blue candle- you know the blue one that they burn in the front of every store? And is thirty-five dollars? Sigh...I love it, but that price is a bit out of my range, even with a gift card. Every time I go into a home store, I smell all the candles to try to find one similar. It was all for nought until I stumbled across this little gem at Target. Yes, Target. I saw these on an endcap a few weeks ago and started checking them out one by one until I lifted the lid off Bali Sunrise. I was so surprised I actually dropped it! Good news, they bounce.

The small one is $4.99 and the label says it will burn for twenty hours. It came home with me that day and I am here to tell you that wonders up on wonders, it smells like the Anthropologie candle at a fraction of the price. The larger one is $9.99 and should burn for fifty hours. The larger one came home today...I plan on stocking up on these so I have a lifetime supply. So far the little Bali Sunrise is chugging along well.

I was going to post this earlier this afternoon from my new patio set!

Except I couldn't remember my password. Sad trombone. No longer am I relaxing on a lounge chair with a delicious cold beer, but inside watching True Blood. Yes, my beer of choice is Bud Light Lime. No laughing. It is delicious and refreshing.

The patio set was a very belated birthday present...or a very early one. It was on clearance and seemed like a cute set for my back patio.

happy father's day

2011-06-19T18:17:00.001-04:00

Any fellow blogger users out there? Blogger debuted a crazy spanking new editor over the past few weeks. I am not sure I'm a fan...it took me about a dozen tries to get a new post to load.

Today is Father's Day, although I am not spending it with my dad. I had some flag football earlier today (loss! boo!) and I'm sure my dad is spending it happily on the golf course. I'm about to head out to do some weeding since it's finally stopped raining. I really should get some pictures of my out of control gardens. I also started a compost bin yesterday...clearly I lead an amazing and exciting life. I kind of want some beehives like Finny Knits has, but let's be honest: I can barely keep two dogs and myself fed and alive, I'm supposed to be responsible for a thousand other beings? Also, she has an awesome awesome yard and I'm jealous.

This is a pic I took of my dad taking a pic of me in Greece. You can't really tell it's Greece except that there's some bougainvillea behind him, and there is bougainvillea in Greece. Erego, he is in Greece. Happy Father's Day to an awesome dad!

around the world

2011-05-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post, really, truly. I took some pictures of some garden work in late April/early May to add here, but I either managed to delete them or hide them so well I can't find them on my camera. It's totally worth it, so I will re-take the pictures just for you (sarcasm noted). A friend (hi J!) also reminded me so kindly that my 101 Things project is very early coming to an end. Yikes! I am way behind. I shall update my list and determine just how poorly I did on this project.

That said, I do have some new pics to share of a trip I just took to Athens, Santorini and Paros. It would have been an ideal trip had the weather cooperated even just a little bit, but that's the way it goes. You haven't lived until you've shown up on a desert island in a skirt and flip flops only to discover it's 63 degrees out with 40 mph winds. You haven't lived!

Jules and me in front of the Parthenon

Lighthouse in Parikia, Paros

This was going to be our Christmas card except A) the photographer cut off my dad's head and B)it's blurry. You can tell how darn windy it is in this pic! Also, you have not lived a second time until you try to convince Europeans to take your picture just so- right there- no, don't zoom- wait for that person to get out of the spot- did I blink? for the family Christmas card.

Bless the heart of some kind young American guy (married, drat!) who humored us into crouching down and standing on X marks the spot for this pic. We are obsessed with finding a suitable Christmas card pic in my family. Obsessed.

Hadrian's Arch at sunset

The fam, day one. Note that I'm wearing a jacket, jeans and a scarf. I brought two jackets, one pair of jeans, two dresses and two skirts. I wore my jeans every. single. day. No joke. I stand by my Land's End Canvas duds- they held up well!! Also, this was staged as a Christmas card shot, but we are clearly tiny ants in this perspective and that just. won't. do.

So there's my trip in a nutshell. We stayed at an awesome place in Santorini (Anatoli Hotel) and ate lots of yummy food, saw a bunch of ruins, and read a ton of books. I joked during the trip that we could have had the same vacation but $5000 cheaper had we just flown to Southern California (for the climate/landscape), sat by a pool reading and drinking cheap beer while eating take out from a Greek restaurant. My dad found this less than amusing.

cowl disaster averted

2011-04-19T14:44:00.002-04:00

Err, mostly averted. I haven't knit anything in quite some time (two years-ish?) but have been cleaning out my yarn stash and felt like I had to knit something. So a few weeks ago I poked around on Ravelry to choose a project. I wanted something short and quick to use what I had on hand.

I selected a pattern I favorited back in December, the Burberry-inspired Cowl Neck Scarf by Garter Girl Julianne Smith. I picked out some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn leftover from Elbac. Here came stumbling block #1: No size 10 needles! I could find one and one only. I have purchased multiple sets of tens but manage to lose them constantly. My favorite needles are cheapie Susan Bates aluminum ones, but of course JoAnn's didn't have them so I settled on some bamboo ones, which, may I add, performed spectacularly.

I cast on while watching A Room With a View on Netflix before leaving on a road trip to Chicago. How much did I finish in Chicago? None! Nada! Nothing. Instead I watched Butler win their Final Four game, drank a lot of beer and caught up with two dear friends.

I picked up the cowl this morning while watching Party Down on Netflix and knit until the cable, at which point I couldn't remember whether the cable was 8 or 10 stitches. I winged it with ten, but that didn't look right. I had bookmarked the pattern on my other laptop, but of course that died a painful death a few weeks ago (the bookmarks with it!).

I went on my Ravelry favorites list, found the pattern and surfed over to Garter Girl's website, but the pattern was nowhere to be found! Oh no!!! Instead I found a message that the pattern could be requested via email, but I knew it had been there when I cast on. This was stumbling block #2: was this indeed the pattern I had cast on? If not, where had I found it?? I spent a long, long while scouring the internet and questioning my sanity before I finally just emailed Garter Girl. She emailed me back immediately with the pattern. Have no fear: I am not crazy! She took the pattern down earlier this week to prevent copycats from selling it on Etsy. Not to get off track, but people like that are cheaters and I'm not a fan. Back on track: crisis averted!

I ended up knitting four-ish repeats, although when I knit this again, I'll make it at least five repeats. I also didn't follow the rows between cables exactly, because I lost my row counter. Also, I effed up the cables. The middle cable is held to the back, but I held it to the front. Oh well. You can't really tell since it's such a vague, wide cable anyway. Also, I had never done a kitchener stitch before, so the back is kind of rough, but it's not too noticeable and my coat or long hair will be over it anyway.

Overall, I really love this pattern because it is really, really easy. It'd be a great way to learn cables if you've never tried them. Elbac was the first and only other thing I've knit with cables, but those had to be right on or it would look off. This is much looser, so it would be good practice getting used to the cable needle. I think it would be cute in a chunkier yarn and just a bit longer next time.

platform 9 and 3/4, please

2011-03-24T10:02:00.001-04:00

Last week was Spring Break, so I hit up Florida (woooooooo!) with my sister. It was no MTV's Spring Break, though, since we stayed with my grandfather in his senior citizen's apartment complex. The weather was absolutely perfect- 80 degrees and sunny. The last two spring trips I've taken, the weather has been cool and not beach-friendly. We only got one beach day this time, but we did get to sit by the pool and get some sun.

The big news of break is that we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. This was one of the reasons we went to Florida in the first place for break, because my sister (on the right) REALLY wanted to go. Harry Potter World was amazing. The amount of detail in it is unbelievable. The rides are fantastic. But I wanted more. Like, an entire theme park more.

The WWofHP is in the Islands of Adventure part of the Universal Studios parks. You only need a ticket for Islands of Adventure. We bought the two-park pass which was entirely unneeded, since the Universal Studios part was kind of boring. Both parks were absolutely packed. Apparently it was Spring Break for 98% of the country as well.

We got to the park around half an hour after it opened and made a beeline for WWofHP. It was already to capacity, so we waited in a line (theme for the day) and got an entry ticket for two hours later. The lines throughout WWofHP and the whole park were insane. In the picture above, see the guy on the right with the black/gray backpack? He is waiting in a 20 minute long line for butterbeer. See the guy on the left with the black/gray backpack? He is waiting in a THREE HOUR long line for the Forbidden Journey ride.

My sister and I tried to make the best out of the day, even though lines were crazy. We got some butterbeers ($3.25 each) and walked around Hogsmeade first. One entrance of WWofHP is set up like the village of Hogsmeade from the books. The other goes past the Hogwarts Express and is kind of Diagon Alley. Ollivander's Wand shop was there (with an insane line to get in- to a gift shop!).

Hogsmeade has Honeydukes candy shop, Zonko's trick shop, the Hog's Head and Three Broomsticks restaurants, and a dragon ride. There was no line to get into Honeydukes and Zonko's, so we stopped in for a look. The main problem with WWofHP is that everything is so tiny. It's meant to be authentic, but instead you are shoulder to shoulder with other HP fans. Honeydukes had every kind of candy imaginable, but most were the same kind you can get at CVS, Meijer, or Target. They did have some nifty chocolate frogs, but at $10 a piece, I passed. We chatted with one of the employees there and they go through 3000 chocolate frogs a day at least. On a busy day, it could be 30,000. That is a LOT of chocolate.

Chocolate frogs are in the blue packaging in the background. This vignette is in the window to Honeydukes. It uses some small video screens to portray the collectible cards found in the chocolate frogs, like in the books. There were small touches like this around the park. One window had mandrakes screaming. We could barely make it into the Zonko's portion of the shop, so we grabbed a cauldron cake ($4) and took a break before riding the Dragon Challenge ride. The line snakes up the side of a hill and into a tent, as if you're in the Triwizards Cup yourself. You pick a dragon - red or blue- and then the two race in a twisty roller coaster through the walls and gulleys of Hogwarts. My sister and I rode it twice and liked the red better. Make sure to take your flip-flops off because you go upside down and every which way on this ride!

The line to get into the Forbidden Journey was about three hours long, so we visited the rest of the park until 7pm. We finally decided to suck it up and stand in line for the rest of the night so we could ride the ride. We ended up waiting about an hour, but that could have been cut in half had we known about the Single Riders Line. Several of the more popular rides have a single riders line that cuts off from the main line and fills in extra seats in the cars to keep the ride full. The second time we rode, it only took twenty minutes. Look for signs at the entrance to popular rides to jump into this line.

The Forbidden Journey is inside the Hogwarts Castle. The line stretched down the front walk and around the corner. At the entrance to the castle is a set of lockers to lock up your stuff. We wished we had kept some money or water for the long wait, since there was a beer cart halfway through!

Once you leave the lockers, the line winds around the bottom of the hill to the back of the theme park!! In the top pic, you can see that they have the gates open to hide the line as it snakes back towards the loading docks. It then winds around the hill back and forth several times before finally making its way up to the greenhouse. Nothing special to see yet, no special touches or moving parts to keep you entertained.The line moved pretty fast through here because of the way the ride is ultimately set up- the ride cars are moving on a conveyor belt so people are constantly getting on and off.

Once the line enters Hogwarts, though, it's another story entirely . My camera didn't pick up all of the special effects in here. This part of the line took about 20-30 minutes but you're constantly moving so you can almost take it at your own pace. You wind your way past the Mirror of Erised, the Hogwarts Jewels (that keep track of the points for each house) and through several rooms in Hogwarts. In this one, you walk through a series of portraits and some of them actually move!!! You also walk through Dumbledore's office. I think there's a line for a tour of the Hogwarts Castle by itself if you don't want to stand in the whole line to ride the ride. Watch out for line jumpers- we saw at least two jump from the tour line into the ride line, saving themselves at least an hour of waiting time.

Then you walk into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room where Harry, Ron and Hermione talk to you. The ride uses some sort of hologram projection images so that the three characters look like they are really there. You can kind of see the three in the second picture...they look like ghosts. In real life it's more effective, my camera just didn't pick it up well. The three wizards kind of set up the premise of the ride for you. It made no sense, really, but all of the special effects are so cool it doesn't matter. You end up eventually in the Room of Requirement with the Sorting Hat and then you take off on the ride, which is truly amazing. It's about five minutes long, and afterwards you end up in "Filch's Office," which is another gift shop. It was so so so so amazingly packed in there that we didn't stick around at all.

Overall, the WWofHP is really really really cool, but we left wanting more. A lot more. My sister and I kept bringing up other parts of the books that would make great rides, attractions, interactive events or shops. There is just so much more they could add! I know that they can't please everyone, since there are so many diehard fans that come to WWofHP. We saw tons of kids in homemade HP tshirts, walking around in robes for their favorite house, etc. But seriously, we paid $100+ to get in, and I felt like it wasn't really worth that much money.

Would I recommend it? Maybe on a slow day in October if you got discounted tickets, but at the full price, I'm not sure I can recommend Universal Studios unless they double the size of the Harry Potter park. On the upside, though, I did get two butter beers and they were delicious!

one item off the procrastination list - butterfly collage

2011-03-07T08:07:00.049-05:00

This is a project I have been meaning to create for over two years! I saw this project first on Craftster and Ali Edwards' blog in late 2008 (link is to her updated project page), and I blogged about it in 2009. I made my own butterfly collage using some assorted scrapbook paper, a Martha Stewart butterfly hole punch, and an IKEA Ribba frame I picked up last May just for this project.

The project took under two hours, so I'm not quite sure why I didn't do this months or, well, years ago. I was watching Arsenic and Old Lacy on Netflix, so I'm not sure of the actual time it took. Most of it was spent gathering the supplies, which resided in no fewer than five different spots in my house.

Gathering supplies- I keep my large scrapbook paper in these 12"x12" plastic containers I picked up at Michael's for about $5. I found this cigar box of scratch paper in my closet. I recieved it in a swap about six or seven years ago from Elizabeth of My Own Lil Space (she doesn't seem to blog anymore, which makes me sad b/c I loved her scrap projects!).

The punch is from Martha Stewart's collection at Michael's.

Little butterflies waiting to be glued down! I wish I had more varied paper, but right now I have mostly solids or holiday-themed paper. And I was just at Michael's two days ago looking at paper in the clearance bin! I really liked this stamp paper I picked out. I used several butterflies from it.

I drew a template on scrap paper so I could line up the butterflies on the vellum without drawing or marking up the vellum.

I cut foam dots cut into quarters to give the butterflies some dimension.You could stack them twice as thick if you want more height.

Lining up the butterflies. For the background, I used some vellum paper I found. I didn't want a true white cardstock because of the white frame. I kept the template beneath the vellum to line up the butterflies. I originally cut out a few that I didn't like once they were in the lineup so I switched them out.

The finished product! I was really nervous about making sure lining up all the butterflies in a straight line, which is why I drew the template but you can't really tell if anything is out of line. I'm already brainstorming holiday themed layouts I can make. I have a pumpkin punch, but I'd definitely like to make a heart or Christmas version. What shapes would you use?

another field trip - michael's arts and crafts

2011-03-06T15:16:00.000-05:00

I popped into Michael's the other day to get some ideas. I saw these chalkboard sheets in one of the aisles near their "dollar spot" section. They had adhesive chalkboard and dry erase sheets, plus different shaped woodcuts. I saw crowns, speech bubbles, circles, frames, etc. Some of them came in different colors - you can kind of see the pink sheets in the corner.

I have an idea for a bulletin board for my craft room, but was hesitant to buy chalkboard paint at $25/gallon. But these little shapes would be perfect for smaller projects. The sticky sheets you see in the picture were only $2 apiece, with the other shapes around the same price range.

When I got to Michael's, they had a sign in the window that they now carried fabric (aisle 10A!). I had to check it out and....not impressed.

They offered several dozen different patterns in one-yard packs for $10.99 each. That seemed very pricey for the quality and patterns offered. You can buy Amy Butler or similar designer fabric for $8-$10 a yard at any local quilt shop, and cheaper on Etsy. I wonder if they price it so high so it's more reasonable when you use a 40% off coupon?

They also offer some easy-to-sew "kits," such as these aprons. The trim is pre-printed on the outside of the apron, so it takes very little sewing ability.

Lastly, I found this adorable little crown ring dish and perfume bottle in the "Parisian" themed home decor aisle. How cute are thesering dish and ? Since I just finished watching The Tudors, I feel like I need need need this for my dresser! How Queen Anne!

what's new at pier 1

2011-03-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

I was out and about running errands at Target yesterday (spoiler alert: I bought a new lamp although I might need a larger one) and decided to pop into Pier 1 right next door. I'm not sure the last time I was at Pier 1. There used to be one near my parent's house, so it was the default go-to place for a last minute birthday present for my mom or friends. I bought many a candle and picture frame there in my youth! That store was hit by a tornado in 2002, and they rebuilt near Target. It's far enough from my house that I don't normally stop there, but I was out and had the time. I found a few cute ideas for my house and/or a craft project.

I really need a clock for our living room. I can't see the kitchen clock from the comfy sofa, so I never know what time it is. Wouldn't this look cute on a mantle? Then there was a larger clock, but really, for fifty bucks I might try to make my own.

This mirrored dresser is amazing. Back when I first bought my house, Pier 1 had this great mirrored and glass garden table and I wanted it so badly! But let's be honest...all glass? In this house? Right.

I also loved this beehive drink server. So cute!

I might try my hand at adapting the blue clock for a craft project. We'll see!

field trip time - kitchen scouting

2011-03-05T08:01:00.000-05:00

I ventured into the dangerous territory of the Lowe's kitchen design center this week to gather ideas for my future possible kitchen redo.

I like the dark colors in this cabinet set and also the contrast with the countertop. I really want granite but I'm not sure I can afford it, even with only 14 square feet of countertops.

I like the color of this one, too, but the countertops of the one below.

This is some sort of eco composite countertop made of recycled material.

This is a Corian countertop, I think. I love how it merges in with the sink seamlessly. But I would worry about scratching the sink up, since mine is pretty beaten up from use.

How am I supposed to select one color out of all these different countertops?? Too many choices!

well that was kind of a let down

2011-03-04T12:35:00.001-05:00

So....the Oscars 2011...not quite so young and hip, eh? I stayed up Sunday night to watch and ended up fast-forwarding through quite a bit of it. I'm not even sure "boring" accurately describes it. I mean, it seemed like a good idea. Adorable, funny, if somewhat smug performer Anne Hathaway paired with adorable, funny, if somewhat smug and wacky actor James Franco, and yet....FAIL. When Billy Crystal got up on stage I thought, "Yes! This is what I've been waiting for! Bring on the song and dance number." And yet...not. Overall, I was bored by the red carpet coverage (except for those adorable youngsters from PS22) and the telecast. To top it all off, after staying up late waiting for King's Speech to win, we had massive storms in Indiana. These storms brought flooding rains, hail and tornados! in February! It was great. The entire city crammed into Sbux the next morning, hoping some caffeination would prepare them for a loooong day of sleep-deprivation.

And so, after a mediocre awards season draws to a close, it's on to bigger and better things. Did I mention Downton Abbey? I simply had to finish it prior to the Oscars Sunday night, and I'm glad I did. I can't wait for Season 2. To tide me over, I'm getting my British aristocracy fill by watching Season 2 of The Tudors. I watched Season 1 on a plan to/from China a few years ago and am now getting caught up. I do love Anne, even though she is power-hungry, mad, and controlling. We all know what happens in the end (spoiler alert!), so that part is kind of anti-climatic. I have two episodes left this season and then it's on to Season 3.