Just Add Glitter and Stir

Three Maiden Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

I have a new project to show you, a wall hanging I made using a tin sign I got on clearance from Hobby Lobby. Y'all know how much I *love* stalking the thrift stores and clearance aisles for cheap signs, frames and such to make over and I got lucky finding this tin sign with hooks already attached to the back to hang on the wall. (Longest sentence ever.)

I recently got the "Fashionista" paper pack from Graphic 45 and used that as the inspiration for this project. The biggest reason for starting this project was that I got some new inks that I'd like to use in my Sketchbook Project but since I'm a total ink noob I wanted to practice on something else first. So this thing was inked within an inch of its life. I started by inking these laces pieces my mum-in-law gave me:

Lace Pieces Pre-Ink

I ended up using the circle pieces as a stencil with Distress Stickles because they didn't turn out quite right. lol But let me tell you, inks are SO much fun to play with, even if I did end up spraying myself in the face once...okay, twice.

I got lucky with the line of text which I found in one of my old books, "Three maiden ladies who have lived impeccable lives..." Unfortunately I added a layer of beeswax which made the paper transparent so the words are a little harder to read now.

I had a lot of fun on my "Ink Adventure" with these three maiden ladies!

Friday Night Fab Five: Trailer Me This Batman

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

First of all, how about a big round of applause for Kate Gabrielle of Scathingly Brilliant for my snazzy new look. What do you think??? Kate was a doll to work with and I HIGHLY recommend her services if your blog needs an overhaul. I just love my new look, it's kitschy, it's pink and it's glittery. Just like me. :P Thank you Kate!!!

Welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I love for the week. This week I decided to share some movie/TV trailers which I'm really excited about. There's nothing like a good trailer to get you pumped up for a new feature...

1. Pixar's Brave

I am SO excited to see this movie, the trailer looks gorgeous and the heroine is just darling. Look at that hair! *love*

2. Game of Thrones Season 2

A new trailer for season two which starts April 1st. Wooooooooooo and hooooooooooo! This looks so awesome!

3. The Hobbit

I love Lord of the Rings, books and films but the Hobbit holds a special place in my heart. I reread it at least once a year and parts of it still creeps me out. I cannot tell you HOW excited I am that Peter Jackson is back in Middle Earth and making The Hobbit.

4. The Avengers

I'm not rabid about comic book movies in general but I loved the first Iron Man and really enjoyed Captain America. So I'm open to The Avengers which starts both Iron Man and Captain America and Samuel L. Jackson. Done and done. Speaking of movies based on comic book characters...

5. The Dark Knight Rises

Oh my. I didn't think anything could top the last Batman movie but this trailer makes me think otherwise. The scene with the football field collapsing is creepy indeed...Can't wait!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! What movies or upcoming TV shows are you looking forward to?

Toot-isms

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Toot is three years old going on thirty and with great power comes great responsibility. Wait, that's Spiderman. Scratch that. Anyhoo, Toot says or does things and I'm at a loss to know where the heck she got them from. Her father. I'm going to say her father.

So here's a slice of my life with Toot:

-Is it ever a good thing when your 3 year old runs out of her bedroom, where she's suppose to be taking a nap, and says, "Everything under control!"

-Speaking of naps, I walked into her room one day, where she was supposedly napping and she was sitting calmly on her bed reading a book. With no pants on.

Me: Where are your pants???
Toot: Mommy, I change my Pull-Up!
Me: That's great honey...Wait, what's that smell?
Toot: Mommy, I poop on carpet.

I'd like to note on the following picture that I had NOTHING to do with the bucket:

A sweet conversation between mother and daughter:

Toot: Mommy, I LOVE YOU!
Me: Aw, honey! Thank you for saying that, it makes Mommy very happy!
Toot: Mommy?
Me: Yes, my darling?
Toot: I got poop.

And for the finale: Toot and I were getting the oil changed in the car and were in the waiting area. Anytime we find ourselves in a room with strangers, forced to be together while we all wait on something, Toot takes it as an opportunity to entertain the inmates with a dance.

Smash It All

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

So one of my Fab Fives last week was Smash Book. I've done a couple of pages and thought I'd give you a peek. Sometimes I think creative types can become frustrated or overwhelmed by the amazing amount of tools, techniques and supplies available for projects. I further think this can be made worse by the internet which provides extremes between availability of inspiration and tutorials to time wasted surfing around and the feeling that what you make will never measure up to anything out there. It's amazing the pressure we can place on ourselves when doing something in the name of "enjoyment" or "relaxation".

All that load of crap to say that I decided that this Smash Book o' mine would be fun, that I would use a minimal amount of supplies for each page and that I would work on each page less than 10 minutes. My seemingly lackadaisical approach may show its slip but hey, I'm having fun and nuts to the rest of it.

Anyway, I'll shut up now so you can peruse the pages...

So this is my first page, I knew I wanted to add the yarn band since it said "Full O Sheep" which I think is hilarious. I found the chick in a magazine and loved her. *rwor* P.S.-This book really is full of sheep BTW.

This page came with the donkey and mouse talking to each other but I found this ad for Tiffany and changed what the mouse was saying to fit my own brand of humor. That is a big darn ring and it does look like it's going to crush these poor animals. Or probe them.

Here's me trying to wax philosophical. Aren't I the deep one? This page makes me feel like I should be sitting in a Starbucks, writing bad poetry on my laptop while Tweeting how lame my parents are on the cellphone they're paying for.

Toot helped me out with the one. Handprint, Tolkien quote. Bada-bing bada-boom. Done.

Easy enough, right? Now, you can go crazy with technique and artistic bliss which I think is awesome. But sometimes the simple process works too.

Friday Night Fab Five

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I like, adore or think are cool for the week. Another random collection for this week, is there any other kind? Here we go!

1. Smash Book

I just recently discovered Smash Books although they've been out since last Spring. And I love them. Hardcore. See, when I was younger I used to cut up magazines: pictures, quotes, words, ads I liked and make collages from them. Smash Book brings me back to that feeling and I just love it. They're perfect for people that aren't sure they're "crafty" but want to have a little notebook to fill with ideas and pictures. They're also good for people that trick them out with all sorts of creative whatevers but I really love them for their simplicity. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the glue stick/pen combo the books come with (also available separately in different colors), genius!

2. Creepy Ad Guy Returns

Okay, remember this Friday Night Fab Five where I found that creepy guy's picture along with an ad for Moms to go back to school? (Which just makes no sense on so many different levels.) Well, he's back and wants to give you a school grant!

Go back to school or I'll kill you.

Seriously, who is this, where did they get this picture and why do they think it'll encourage me to go back to school?! Unless he'll kill me if I don't, is that it?

3. Crochet on TV!

I've talked about spotting crocheted items on TV before, no matter how much I'm into a show or movie, if something crochet pops up, I perk up like a dog that's just heard a car pull in the driveway and immediately reach for my camera. I love seeing crocheted stuff on TV but imagine my joy when I saw characters actually crocheting on this week's episode of "New Girl":

Crochet Time on New Girl

*happy dance* "Crochet Time" they called it and I love love love it!!!!!

4. Thrift Store Finds

I found this darling upon visiting a new thrift store. Isn't she darling?! She's got a new home in my craft room. :D

5. Fujifilm INSTAX Instant Photo Camera

(Image Credit)

Okay, so I don't have this yet but I reallyyyyyy want one! Wouldn't this be perfect to take pictures for my Smash Book? Someone go tell my husband!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five for the ages! What are your favorites this week?

Now What?

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

So I mentioned The Sketchbook Project in this past Friday Night Fab Five. I've been following it for a year or so now. Some of my favorite artists such as Frieda Oxenham, Lenna Young Andrews and Jo Urbani have all participated in the past and have created stunning sketchbooks. (P.S.-If you're not following their blogs already, get your tail over there tout de suite.)

Anyhoo, I was reading up on the new Limited Edition Sketchbook Project (meaning they're limiting it to 5,000 artists for this one) and decided what the heck, I can do this! Maybe a year ago I wouldn't have this much confidence but right about now I'm thinking I could use a challenge and try some new techniques. I really want to get better on the mixed media front this year and something like this could give me the incentive and creative energy to do it. Plus, I can go to the Arthouse Co-op in New York and visit it whenever I want.

So it was with this plucky spirit that I paid my entrance fee, gave them my address and sat back, satisfied with my initiative and impressed by my own sense of kick butt-edness. But then it showed up:

It came to my house. Staring at me. Daring me to glue crap in it. Mocking me with it bareness. Taunting me with its due date of April 30th. Oh.Snap.

Here's what I do when I need to get a project done and have no idea what the heck I'm doing: I go into my stash and start throwing things in a box:

And I go shopping:

This project will either be a fantastic success or a glorious failure. Either way, they're getting this book back, 100% finished.

Magnet Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Okay, I can't be the only one that has a collection on crappy corporate magnets on my refrigerator, can I? You know, the ones businesses hand out for free? Like these:

My fridge was tired of being purely functional so I decided to "Gauche" it up by snagging these magnets and giving them a Gauche Alchemy makeover! I was given a series of Japanese Hello Kitty stamps and decided to incorporate those with my Moshi Moshi Kit to revamp the magnets. The fabric and patterned paper in the kit was the perfect background for these babies.

I added various pieces from multiple Mixed Media Color Kits (by far my favorite thing in the shop!).

This last one was the most labor intensive thing I've ever done. I cut a flower from the patterned paper, then got the bright idea to individually cut teeny tiny pieces of the sewing book page and glue them in the outside of the petals. (The I ran over them with Distress Ink.) Luckily the time consuming cutting was worth it.

I still have more boring magnets I'm going to makeover. Look out magnets, I'm comin' for you!

Friday Night Fab Five and Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

First a funny story: So I've been going on and on about my 4 year blogging anniversary and one night I'm looking at Toot thinking what a sweet three year old I have and how I started blogging after she was born. My three year old. I started blogging after she was born. Three years old. After. It is NOT my 4 year blogging anniversary. It is my THREE year anniversary. *face palm* Good night mama, I must still be postpartum because I've obviously gone insane and have forgotten how to do elementary math. So join me next year when we'll celebrate 4 years of blogging all over again. LOL Oh brother...

Anyhoo, time for the winners of my Not-Really-Four-Years-It's-Only-Been-Three-Years Blogging Anniversary! Thanks to everyone that entered! Without further ado, the winners, picked by Random.org are:

Cupcake Hat: Julie!
Chipboard Mini Album Pack: Jacque!
Custom Cloche: Jocelyn!
Gauche Alchemy Pack: Theresa!
My Favorites: Emma!

Congrats to the winners! Please e-mail me your address: justaddglitter at gmail dot com :D *Jocelyn, please also let me know what color you would like your hat to be*

Now, on to this week's Friday Night Fab Five!

1. The Sketchbook Project

The Sketchbook Project is an amazing collective put on by the Art House Co op in Brooklyn, New York. Essentially, you sign up, they send you a blank sketchbook, you fill it up, send it back to them and it goes into their library for anyone to peruse at their leisure. They get sketchbooks in different mediums from artists all over the world. A few artists I heartily admire have participated in the past and I decided to join in their Limited Edition project for 2012. More on this as I get started!

2. International Delight Iced Coffee

(Image Credit)

I love me some Starbucks iced coffee but I really love having a big 'ol thing of iced coffee ready made in my fridge. Enter International Delight's premade iced coffee. Yum-o! It's a little pricey (about $4 for the carton) but when you figure it saving you trips to Starbucks, I told my husband it's already paid for itself. :P

3. On Agate Hill

(Image Credit)

This was a book I received for Christmas and it was a great read, although rather sad. Written by Lee Smith, it tells the story of Molly Petree and her orphaned life after the Civil War through the early 1900's. I also loved it because it takes place in North Carolina. If you like historical fiction, check this one out.

4. Chuck Close's Thoughts on Artistic Inspiration

Chuck Close is an artist and this is his response to having "no inspiration" to create. I love love love what he had to say and need to write this out and put it somewhere I'll see it when I start whining about the whole "no mojo" thing.

“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case.”
― Chuck Close

5. Drunk Ron Swanson

Someone please tell me they watch and love Parks and Rec! The show is hilarious, I want to be Amy Poehler's BFF but Ron Swanson is The Man. Someone made an infinite loop of a dancing drunk Ron Swanson and I could watch it for hours. I won't, but I could. Experience the glory here: drunkronswanson.com.

And that it's for this week's Friday Night Fab Five! What are your favorites this week?

Sewing Box

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

So yeah, I bought a little box frame at the thrift store for like, 60 cents or something. It sat in my craft room for the longest time but once I got the Moshi Moshi Mixed Media Paper Craft Kit from Gauche Alchemy, I noticed that it had these cool vintage sewing book pages and this thread card of well...thread. That gave me the spark I needed to dig out that little frame from under piles and piles of who knows what in my aforementioned Craft Room of Perpetual Chaos.

I first created the background using some of the sewing paper and then stamped onto that using the included PVC punchinella and blue and bronze paints. The rest came together when I decided that instead of using some of the thread off the card, I'd just glue the whole thing in there. lol I cut the woman out of another piece of sewing paper, drew lines on her dress and attached her using pop dots for some added depth.

I thought the thread card looked a little bare so I added the button from the kit and some crystal pins that I had saved from my wedding bouquet. See, hoarding does have its advantages! A little piece of PVC punchinella and the beaded string that comes with the kit and I was finished! A quick and easy project that's found the perfect home in my craft room. :)

Hey! Don't forget about my blogoversary giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy and Day 5: Fab Five.

The Gauche Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the blogoversary good wishes and for the happy get well thoughts. I'm still feeling pretty gross but I'm sure it'll blow over soon. :D

A little project to show you today! I got a chance to play with the Knick Knack Paddy Whack Project Kit from the Gauche Alchemy store and this kit it so cool, I just love little shadowboxes! This kit comes with a naked shadowbox and some Gauche Alchemy whatnots, perfect for a one shot project. Here's what I made:

I started by painting the box, including the inside, with brown and gold paints, then added a couple layers of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint (I'm addicted to the stuff!) Then on top of that I rubbed on some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I'm proud to say that with the exception of the little vintage photo in the middle square, everything came from the kit. Y'all know I gotta have my glitter so the butterfly in the bottom left got a dose of Stickles. (Which, by the way, I had to do multiple times as my three year old kept sticking her finger in it. D'oh!)

There are so many great components that come with this kit like rusty keys, game cards, cool fabric remnants and of course a piece of Punchinella which I used as a stencil and stamp on some of the backgrounds for my squares. And the little bit of bling that comes with the kit was the perfect finishing touch for part of the outside frame.

I felt pretty good after getting this one finished as I "got stuck" for a while on where I was going. I've found that when I'm getting blocked on a project, I'll do a little bit, take a break, rinse and repeat. Usually the finished product is worth the extra time!

Don't forget about my blogoversary giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy and Day 5: Fab Five.

Friday Night Fab Five: Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Okay, so I have to admit that I'm pretty sick at the moment. The girls were fighting it and then gave it all to us feeble adults in the house. I was the last one to fall. Blech. Anyhoo, all that to say that I love you so much that I'm dragging myself from the depths of disease and illness to bring you the last giveaway.*

*Sorry for the drama, I'm going for the Oscar this year.

Anyway, to the prize!

I've got a small collection of some of my favorite things, most of which have been featured in a Fab Five at some time or another. A box of Flipsides crackers, a box of Crystal Light Wild Strawberry Energy drink packets, a Charlie & Lola DVD, a jar of Martha Stewart glitter and a cutesy-poo ornament that's all crafty and cute and stuff.

What? Not enough for you???? Well how about this:

The winner of this pack will also receive a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Amazon is a HUGE favorite of mine!

So there you have it, the last giveaway for my 4 year blogoversary! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me you want to be entered by Midnight on Thursday, January 26th. I'll announce the winner next Friday.

Also, don't forget about my other giveaways: Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche and Day 4: Gauche Alchemy.

Good luck and thanks again for being a part of the madness here at Just Add Glitter and Stir!

Blogoversary Giveaway 4: Gauche Alchemy

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Today is my *official* anniversary of 4 years of blogging! Thank you all so much for being here with me!

Today's giveaway is so gauche I can't even stand myself. Gauche Alchemy that is. :D I've got a collection up for grabs and is a little bit of just about everything we offer in the store.

I mean we're talking HEAPS of GA awesomeness here. There's pieces from our color kits, Ouchless Cardboard, napkins, wallpaper, foreign text. Not to mention stuff from various theme kits and our ACME kit.

I also threw in a roll of variety Punchinella and some lace. If you've always want to give mixed media a try or are have already been bitten by the ephemera bug, leave a comment on this post by Midnight on Thursday, January 26th for a chance to win this package bustin' with Gauche Alchemy goodness.

Good luck and don't forget about entering my other giveaways, Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard and Day 3: Custom Cloche.

Blogoversary Giveaway 3: Custom Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

My Blogoversary Giveaway week continues with this prize up for grabs:

Well okay, the prize is not me nor the hat...not this particular hat anyway. I've decided that the winner of this giveaway will receive a custom Charleston Cloche made by yours truly in whatever color they desire.

I had so much fun making this hat for myself and have already wore it about a dozen times. I'd love to hook it again for someone who will enjoy it as much as I have. :)

So leave a comment on this post by midnight on Thursday, January 26th and I'll announce the winner on Friday the 27th. Good luck and don't forget about entering my other giveaways, Day 1: Cupcake Hat and Day 2: Mini Albums and Chipboard.

Blogoversary Giveaway 2: Naked Stuff to Make Stuff With

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Here's Day 2 of my Blogoversary Giveaways, make sure to leave your comment on Day One's post for a chance to win my cupcake hat.

Today I'm giving away some things I think the scrappers (or altered artists) in the audience might like...Behold! Naked mini albums and stuff to make stuff with!

Ta da!

Win me!

These are from my personal stash but I'm had them for a while and think one of you will be able to be of better service to them. :D I've got a Bo Bunny word album (it says, "I <3 You"), a flower shaped chipboard album, a set of white oversize tags, another chipboard album in the shape of a purse and an unopened pack of Tattered Angels white chipboard pieces, Glimmer Chips in Frosty Memories from the Vintage Seasons Collection.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post **telling me you want them** by midnight on Thursday, January 26th.

Good luck and thanks again for hanging out with me here at Just Add Glitter and Stir. Here's to another four years! :D

Blogoversary Giveaway 1: Cupcake Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Well this week (and Thursday specifically) marks my FOUR year blogging anniversary, can you believe it???

I really wanted to do a couple of giveaways, each marking something that I love or love to do, something that's "me" so for my first giveaway this week, I'd like to offer my recent hookery: The Cupcake Hat:

Crocheted on New Year's Eve from a pattern by the ever delightful Twinkie Chan, it can be yours if the Price Is Right! Actually, that's not true, you just have to leave a comment.

Would you like to win this delicious* hat? ALL you have to do to be entered is leave a comment telling me that you want to be entered. I'd like this to go to someone that would really love it so if it's not your thing, no worries! So to be entered you HAVE to tell me you want it, "Enter me!" "Please enter me!" "I will wash your dishes if I win!" Things of that nature.

You don't have to follow me (although you're welcome to, of course), no Tweeting, no checking out something and then coming back here to tell me you love something else. Just leave a comment and I'll announce the winner on Friday, January 27th during my Friday Night Fab Five. Easy, yes? Good luck and thank you for hanging out with me here at Just Add Glitter and Stir for the past 4 years!

*Not a real cupcake, please do not eat hat.

Friday Night Fab Five

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone and welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list 5 things I adore, am obsessed with or maybe just sort of like for the week. :D This week is a random sampling so let's get started!

1. Crystal Light Energy Wild Strawberry

(Image from Amazon)

I kid you not, this stuff is like my liquid crack. I got some in a swap once, tried it and was instantly addicted. Have I added this to a Fab Five before? Well, whatever. It's too good not to share again.

2. Jewel Tone Yarn

I've got this wool yarn that I decided to use for a tapestry (still a work in progress) and part of the reason I picked these gorgeous colors was how well they complemented each other. There's something about a jewel tone that makes me feel fancy.

3. Hot Summer Days

(Image from Wikipedia)

Hot Summer Days is a 2010 romantic comedy from Hong Kong. I thought it was similar to Love Actually in that you've got a few different love stories running around which intersect each other at different points. It was too cute and pretty darn funny. If you enjoy comedy and are looking for a good foreign film (it does have English subtitles) check this one out!

4. Granny Squares

Some hookers will tell you that granny squares are everything that's wrong with crochet. They're too easy, too kitschy and too ugly. Well, those hookers are crazy. The simplicity of a granny square, its retro look and infinite amount of color possibilities are exactly why I like it. There's something about hooking on autopilot that I find very soothing.

5. Game of Thrones Season 2!

ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy It's coming back y'all! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

And there you have it, another Friday Night Fab Five. FINALLY.

What are your favorites this week?

I Felt Like It Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:31:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

So remember last week when I posted I Felt Like It Part 1 where I showed you the super cute hat I was working on?

(Image from Crochet Today)

I talked about how my initial run through my Wonder Wash went well (alliteration, snap!) and my hat was looking dandy:

Flush from my awesome success, I quickly washed it again in hopes of smoothing out the seeable stitches even more and then...

I don't want to talk about it.

I shrank my hat. It's way too small and once again Toot will look more fashionable than I. I went through the 5 Stages of Crochet Grief:

Denial

Anger

Bargaining - "It'll stretch, it's still good, it's still good!"

Depression

Acceptance

Yes that's right, I am now the human Q-Tip. Although I suppose I could add flowers to it and be Thelma Harper from "Mama's Family":

(Image from TV Time Warp)

The Post About Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Hi everyone.

Ah yes, I used a . after "everyone" instead of my usual ! Ever have a case of the Mondays on a Tuesday? Bah. I try to keep things bright and cheery here because well, I like it that way. Not that I don't have days that suck and/or try to hide them but I like to focus on the good things instead of the crap. I'm just having a day where I feel unusually lost and figured I'd post about it since hey, it's my blog and stuff.

It's not that I don't have projects to work on or ideas simmering in the old brain because Lord knows I've got enough things started that need to get finished. I've actually finished a bunch of mixed media projects recently but since they're all for Gauche Alchemy I can't show any of them yet.

Speaking of which, I am now part owner of Gauche Alchemy so go buy everything in the store right now! Go on, I'll wait...

.....

Are you back? Found lots of good things, did you? Awesome!

My 4 year blogging anniversary is coming up on the 19th. 4 years, can you believe it??? I had a week of giveaways last year so I have NO clue how to top that. Maybe I should give myself away and go clean the winner's house or something.

Hey, here's something cool. Zippy turned 8 (?!) months old yesterday:

Here's a new blanket I'm working on:

I've only got one square done of like, 1,000 but don't worry. I'll get there.

Can you believe I haven't done a Friday Night Fab Five since October 2011? Holy smokes, that bites. I'll get back into that hardcore this year but I wanted to share one of my favorite Fab Fives entitled, "Friday Night Fab One With Four What The...?!" Definitely one of my funnier ones so go read it because chances are I'll never be that funny again. And that one was almost exactly 2 years ago so what the heck has happened since then?! Sheesh.

Anyway, back to this blog anniversary thing. Last year, a couple of good friends graciously gave away some of their beautiful creations during my giveaway week and I crocheted the rest. What do y'all want this year? More crocheted stuff? No crocheted stuff? Eternal youth? Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth? What? :D

Okay, think I'll stop rambling...for now. Funny enough, I actually feel better. To those of you that read this far, you have my thanks. To those of you that join me here on a regular basis, you have my love. And to those of you that take time to leave a comment, watch it cause I'll probably want to make out with you later.

In Your Face Nana!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:51:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

My husband is obsessed (okay fine, everyone in this house is obsessed) with the game Skylanders. Toot loves it especially as she can pick up the figures and put them on the "Portal of Power" for Daddy while he plays. My mom made a *snarky* comment tonight that Toot is going to know all the names of the Skylanders before she can say her ABCs.

So I cut the camera on, asked Toot if she could sing her ABCs and then this happened:

In your face, Nana!

I Felt Like It Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

For Christmas I asked for a Wonder Wash portable washing machine to felt some of my crochet. I have a front loading washing machine which SUCKS when you're trying to felt. I've been wanting to felt for so long and did a jig when I discovered this portable washer.

BTW: "Felting" is when you crochet or knit with animal fibers (like wool) and then wash them in super hot water to agitate the fibers and create a fabric. Here's the technical definition from Wikipedia:

"Felt is made by a process called wet felting where the natural wool fibers, stimulated by friction and lubricated by moisture (usually soapy water), move at a 90 degree angle towards the friction source and then away again, in effect making little "tacking" stitches. While at any given moment only 5% of the fibers are active, the process is continual, so different 'sets' of fibers become activated and then deactivated, thereby building up the cloth."

Wow, that was boring. LOL But luckily this process creates a neato fabric and makes you look awesome. So anyhoo, I've been drooling over the Fine Feathered Cap pattern from the March/April 2010 issue of Crochet Today magazine. Isn't it fabulous?

"Maggi is so jealous of my hat..." (Image from Crochet Today)

And since Santa is such a nice fellow and feeds into my crafty obsessions, he was kind enough to bring my Wonder Wash and I was off to the hook! One thing about crocheting to felt is that you have to crochet BIG because the hot water will shrink the piece. Here's my hat pre-felt:

My hat all crocheted and ready to felt!

Not quite so chic at the moment...

Time to wash the crap outta this hat! Can I just tell you how much I *love* this thing? Seriously, I want to divorce my husband and marry it.

I want to make out with it a little bit

After 30 minutes of handcranking, this is my hat so far:

After 30 minutes in the Wonderwash. Sidenote: that styrofoam head got way too much collagen put in her lips...

You can still see some stitch definition so I'm going to run it through another 30 minutes and get it nice and felt-y.

You can still see the stitches, back in the washer it goes!

What a great first experience in felting! I'm going to get this finished up and hopefully have a chic new hat to show you soon!

Moshi Moshi Hooker-Chan

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:38:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

We've got a new kit over in the Gauche Alchemy store! It's called Moshi Moshi and it is AWESOME. I got a chance to get my glue covered hands on it before it hit the virtual shelves and will be showing those projects off later this month. :)

Moshi Moshi!

In hooker news, I've been bitten by the hat bug in the new year and have made these two so far and am working on a third, my first wool hat which I'm looking forward to felting. New techniques FTW! But first, here's a cloche I crocheted as part of a "crochet-a-long" (or CAL) in the Citizens of Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller group on Ravelry.

Super cute and very fast to hook up!

Y'all know I love me some Twinkie Chan so on New Year's Eve I pulled out my *autographed* copy of Twinkie Chan's book and made her cupcake hat:

Yep, this is what I have to show for New Year's Eve. I was sitting on the couch, crocheting this hat and catching up on Doctor Who. I looked up at 12:05 and said, "Oh crap, happy new year!" to my husband. :D

So far 2012 has started off with a creative bang on my end. Wait, I mean the figurative "my end", not literal. :D

Hooking Up Some Strawberry Shortcake

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone! As I'm sure you know already, Toot is obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake, in particular the updated version of the character:

(Picture from The Hub)

So for Christmas 2011, I crocheted her this hat using the Girl's Newsboy Hat pattern from the November 2009 issue of Crochet! magazine. I, of course, added some Strawberry Shortcake flavor to it:

This was a pretty quick pattern to hook up and luckily I had the yarn on hand to make it for Toot.

I just realized that I've got no pics of her actually in the hat. How the heck did that happen? lol

Last Post of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:12:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Well, here we are at the end of another year, can you believe it? I've always found it strange how time both crawls and flies. But it can't be stopped and we're now on the brink of 2012.

On a personal front, 2011 brought us Zippy:

Who is now 7 months old:

And Toot turned three:

This Christmas was a fun one as Toot finally "got" the whole concept of Santa and how a strange man would break into our house to leave her presents. She was thrilled. It was also Zippy's first Christmas and I can only imagine the Christmases to come when they're both a little older and a little wilder.

On a creative level, there wasn't much scrapping that got done (d'oh!) but I did rejoin the team over at Gauche Alchemy and created more mixed media projects.

2011 also brought my obsession with crochet to a head and I found myself drawn to the hook more and more.

In 2012, I look forward to watching the girls grow more and more and hopefully watch my creative endeavors grow more and more as well. :) I want you all to know how much I've appreciated you visiting me here at Just Add Glitter and Stir this year and for being with me on this journey (Oh geez, I totally sound like The Bachelor.)

Anyhoo, thank you for spending time with me, here's to another year of blogging, creating and going nuts on a regular basis in 2012!

Oh the Sweater Outside is Frightful

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Christmas is over, are you recovered yet? Now we get to look forward to a brand new year, see you in hell 2011! But before we ring in another year of possibilities, I wanted to show you what I made for my mom this year. I offered to crochet her something for Christmas and she picked out a sweater coat. Well, crap. I say that because I had never hooked up a sweater type thing before so this was a major project. But I did it! I can't decide if I'm happier with the way it came out or that I actually finished it in time to get it under the tree. Sometimes finishing something is more reward than anything else.

My mom will be PO'd that I posted a picture of her but she's gorgeous, I love her and she can kiss my grits. :P

I used the Broadway Coat pattern from the September/October 2011 issue of Crochet Today magazine. And although the sizing is a bit wonky I think, I'm so proud of it. My first major crochet project finished! And sort of wearable! In your face, no skill! :D

This pattern was actually pretty easy, thank goodness! It also gave me the confidence to try harder crochet projects in 2012. Maybe even something for myself I dare say?

I hope y'all had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a bright shiny happy new year!

Have Yourself a Blurry Little Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Maggi) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Christmastime brings so many things: good times with family, great food, a chance to make someone's day merry and bright and crappy pictures with Santa Claus.

When Toot was born, I looked forward to the day when I could take her to see Santa. It was easy the first year as she was only 1 month old. (We like to go in late November to miss the crazy crowd.) And being just a month old, Toot obediently sat there while the photographer snapped away:

2008

The next year, Toot was just over a year old and things didn't go so smoothly. Her and I were out and on a whim we stopped to see Santa. Toot promptly freaked out. Which really, you can't blame her. I had spent months screaming, "STRANGER DANGER!" only to plunk her down on a strange man's lap and demand she ask for presents. Parenting is awesome. The best part (or worst part as I like to call it) was they made me be in the picture and I'm so thankful that my child has this horrible picture of me to remember this lovely day of horror, tears and emotional scarring:

2009

The year after that, Toot was dressed to the nines,we talked about meeting Santa for a week and I even took my husband, mom and dad along in an effort to create as much excitement as possible. Toot wouldn't go near him. So the next week her and I were again, out and about which is why you see her dressed in a hot pink Hello Kitty tutu instead of the holiday-themed outfit she originally wore for the picture that never happened.

She also bogarted the Elmo doll the photographer was using to try and get her to smile and from the looks of it, strangled him. She still refused to sit on Santa's lap so he had to sneak around the back. At least I didn't have to be in it this time:

2010

Cut to this year. Now we not only have Toot but Zippy's in the picture and at 6 months old, I was worried we'd have Christmas War on our hands with the both of them. I dressed them up, took them in and prayed to all that was holy to please please please, give me ONE good Santa picture.

And guess what? They were AWESOME! Both the girls were enchanted, Toot was smiling, Zippy stared adoringly at Santa and we got the perfect shot. Sort of:

2011 Take One

Behold! The perfect Santa picture, in all it's blurry glory! WTH?! The guy tried to convince me that it would "print out not blurry" which of course it did NOT. They offered to take it again at which point Toot screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" We finally convinced her but she wouldn't smile and Zippy was getting restless. Santa, being the smart man that he is, suggested he "read" with them and take the picture that way. Which was a great idea except the photographer apparently was confused by the words, "auto focus" and the picture was still blurry. Not as blurry but blurry:

2011 Take Two

So there you have it. Christmas does not want my children to see Santa. I guess there could be some deeper lesson here for me like the reason for the season, being thankful and all that but I think I'll stick with Christmas hates me.

God bless us everyone!