One of the cool things about picking up a brand new hobby is that it’s usually pretty easy to figure out where to start, like the top five things you need to master to start and finish a project. With knitting, I knew I needed to learn how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off before learning anything else. With gardening, I got a really basic herb growing kit. With photography, I needed to learn how to take a picture in manual mode.

But when I actually make it past the basics, everything sort of falls apart for me. I get overwhelmed with all sorts of other techniques, I don’t map out where I want to go next, and then I lose the momentum and interest. I never really mastered gardening, but I definitely lost the spark with photography, which I want to re-ignite once this baby is born. And I keep scouring Pinterest for new projects and new possibilities with what I’m learning to keep me on track.

In the meanwhile, I’m keeping a running list of next steps and things I’d like to start incorporating into my creative life to map out where I need to go. Here’s what I have so far:

Paper Crafting

I recently ordered a Silhouette for a pretty good price and have been experimenting with cut outs and pairing the results with my Xyron sticker machine. My stuff tends to be more journally and heavy on the text like a zine, and I’m not terribly interested in mimicking traditional scrapbook layouts, but I do want to better figure out my style: how to make my hand-lettering prettier, how to arrange big blocks of text, how to incorporate ribbons and twine, how to embellish better without cluttering up the page. I’ve also been obsessed with tape, and I have a shitload of acrylic paints lying around that I’d like to start using in these journals.

I also spent a weekend a little while ago doing a cute little project with Hugga — I popped some film I found in the fridge into my Instax Wide and let her spend the day taking pictures of whatever she wanted, then we laminated her pictures onto a bunch of 4×6 cards and turned them into a book. I decided to get the Cinch Binding Tool so that Hugga and Baby and I could do more book making (my mom got Hugga a new kid camera to give to her upon her little sister’s arrival). I also have a shitload of kid paints lying around, so it’ll be fun to do that kind of stuff when Baby is finally here.

This also goes without saying but I’m forever yearning to get back into zining. And way way way down the line, if I even make it this far, I wanna learn how to letterpress with the Sizzix Big Shot. I mean, we’ll see.

Yarn Stuff

Once I finish Knit Lab, the first order of business is a big ass cowl for myself, like this:

Source: purlsoho.com via Theresa on Pinterest

I’d also like to make at least one thing for one of the girls — a sweater or a blanket or something — and that’s only before moving onto Crochet Lab. The main thing I’m interested in learning how to crochet is amigurumi. I really only want to learn how to make adorable toys for the babies first, and then maybe piece together a super awesomely colorful afghan.

I’ve mentioned that I also signed up for Sewing Studio, which I’ll probably take in the summer or later in the year, and I really need to learn those fundamentals first before getting caught up in projects. But I am pinning a ton on my Pinterest, just to be safe.

General Crafting

Okay, first of all, what the fuck do people use Mod Podge for? I am intrigued and have started following this blog to figure it out.

Also, now that I have the Silhouette, I went perusing all the cool accessories they sell for it. I jumped on a Plum District special for the Silhouette store over the weekend and ended up with the Vinyl Starter Kit and sketch pens. I’m thinking it might be time to cut a new decal for my MacBook Pro and replace my badass Snow White. They also sell Heat Transfer kits, Fabric Ink, and Sewable Fabric Interfacing, which I’d love to figure out eventually.

I know this is a ton of lofty aspirations, especially since I’m about to give birth, but I kind of have my whole life ahead of me so I know there’s time.

The latest crop:

Purple Paris Map Monuments Washi Tape
First off, I’ve been obsessed with washi tape for the past week. I placed an order with Pretty Tape over the weekend, and I should be getting it any day now, which I’m crazy excited about. The prices are great compared to the market down the street from my house — they had only two sets of three tapes on display which were priced at $11 each. I got about four sets with Pretty Tape for that amount, but I wish I could buy the whole store!

Paper Plane Air Mail Hand Carved Stamp
I’ve also been getting back into stamping, and I only wish I had my old rubber stamp collection from when I was 8. This is super cute for letters and cards.

Vintage Corsair Deluxe
I’ve been coveting a typewriter for a minute now, but I don’t really have the space for one. If I could find a portable working model that wasn’t ugly and came with a bunch of ribbons, I’d be so down. I might go hunting for one in some thrift shops after Baby gets born.

Brainscan Zine Snack Pack
They sell zines on Etsy! I have a shitload of Brainscan in the zine stash I will never get rid of for as long as I live. Finding this makes me want to get back into zoning.

Two Peas in a Bucket were having a super sale after Christmas, and since the only paper embellishments I have are of the newborn girl variety, I decided to splurge. I also totally fell in love with Amy Tangerine’s line and decided to place an order from SimonSaysStamp because they were the only store that had everything I wanted in stock. Problem is, New Year’s Day was mixed somewhere in there and it felt like it was taking forever to get my orders.

Good news is, I got both of them in today! I’m so happy!

Apologies for the crappy lighting in my office. I can’t get a picture without shadows of my hands in them.

Another obsession I’ve had lately is Japanese washi tape, and I placed an order for a few rolls from PrettyTape last night. I can’t wait to get those.

And for those of you who are interested, I just posted a free printable on I, Mami… I think you’ll like it!

Some of my Christmas loot included dead-simple scrapbooking systems: two SMASH journals and a Project Life set. I plan on using the Project Life set for a 52-week project in 2012, so I can at least stay on top of family pictures once the little one arrives. The SMASH journals are a little more free-form and I’m practicing regular old journaling and some scrapbooking techniques.

I’m obviously still on some really basic techniques — mostly just pasting pictures and journal cards, using stickers, and sometimes getting fancy with a paper punch. I’d eventually like to use some stamps and fancier cutting techniques. I’d spend more money on punches but I’d rather just save up and get the Silhouette Cameo (and damn, this is an expensive hobby).

Here are my first finds, which I hope you’ll use as gift ideas for the holiday season.

Vintage Distressed Working Switchblades
This is actually what kicked off my quest. My friend Justin (the dude who makes these) brought them over the house one day to show me how they work, and yes, they’re actually working switchblades. Waiting to buy these for myself when I have more cash after the holidays!

Fine Black Leather Brass Knuckle Clutch
I love the look of knuckle dusters, and there’s a ton of them on Etsy that I can’t wait to share. This clutch looks so badass and would be such a perfect compliment to a fancy black dress you’d wear at an elegant grown-up dinner party.

Graffiti Love Old School Door Knocker Earrings
I have a pair of gold nameplate door knockers that I got at the Slauson Swap Meet, but I love the brightness and the character of these. These would go perfect with a pair of…

Custom Dunks!
Surprisingly, there are not a whole bunch of these on Etsy, but they’re there. I can’t really vouch for any sneaker customizing services online — they’ve always been too expensive for me to get, but oh how I covet! A better bet, I guess, is to try to find somebody local who can meet with you in person and talk about the design you want. But back to Etsy.

Personalized Airbrushed T-shirts
Remember when these were the shit back in the day and every mall had a booth that did these shirts with Looney Tunes designs?

Mic Crochain
Lastly, a crocheted mic on a chain! It’s a long chain, too, and seriously adorable. I want this so bad.

This little exploration opened the door for me. I found tons of other stuff I haven’t shared here, but will share in the future. I’m finally an Etsy convert!

These pictures are all kind of weird. They’re from 2008-2009 mostly, when I didn’t know how to set white balance or shoot in manual with my Pentax. Some of them were probably taken with my iPhone? I tried to fix some of them up in LR3 just now and played with some presets just to make them a little more dramatic. The gist is the same… I miss the snow and when my baby was still a baby.

It’s weird to say this because we have a really dope marriage, and I was even inspired to write about what an awesome husband he is, but I still hang onto these little memories I have of being very close to him and knowing he was about to break my heart. I don’t know why I do this, maybe to keep myself from taking him for granted, maybe I’m just that kind of person who can’t take the good without constantly reminding myself how much hard work it took to get here.

Anyway, I have a whole playlist of songs that remind me of him. Listening to that Amy cut got me all nostalgic for this stuff. A taste:

Res – 700 Mile Situation
Res came out the summer we met (’01). I was living in Cali and he was living in Connecticut and one week in the fall he came out to visit me, and all I mostly remember about that time is laying on my bed and listening to this song with him.

Mos Def & DJ Honda – Travellin’ Man
“The call heard around the world from the wives of emcees…”

Lauryn Hill & D’Angelo – Nothing Even Matters
Lots of memories of driving around together in the middle of the night. This is an old song but I remember him putting it on during the drive from a Mix Master Mike show.

Talib Kweli (f. Kendra Ross) – Won’t You Stay
This album came out on ’02, after I’d moved back to the east coast. Reminds me of holding hands and driving home from Massachusetts in the rain. Last time I saw him before he left for a trip to Korea.

Feist – Gatekeeper
We’d both been living in California for a years by this time and had found our way back to each other thanks to MySpace (I know). Whenever I listen to this, I get visions of napping in his super sunny apartment in Santa Monica and waiting for him to get home from work.

25/30: Black Friday chillin.
We skipped Black Friday (Huz had to work), did zero shopping all day, and paid bills. I’m really grateful for my job and paycheck, and even though we don’t have much leftover after bills, I’m grateful that we’re able to pay our bills each month at all. This reminds me of something my therapist posted about privilege on Thanksgiving Day:

Your job, your internet access, your education, your role in a civilized society… all of them are a platform, a chance to do art, a way for you to give back and to honor those that enabled you to get to this point.

For every person reading this there are a thousand people (literally a thousand) in underprivileged nations and situations that would love to have your slot. Don’t waste it.
-Seth Godin

26/30: Yo Gabba Gabba!
We go to one concert a year as a family, and that is Yo Gabba Gabba Live! First of all, THANK GOD this show exists. So much of Hugga’s favorite shows I just can’t take (and I was once an animation geek), but YGG is something we all get excited about, primarily because it’s so music-friendly and has guests we actually want to see. On the drive to the show, I was telling Huz about Ozomatli, as they would be playing at the Nokia Lounge right before we were going to see Black Star (an accidental purchase on his part, but it’s encouraged us to find babysitting and go on a very rare date night). I said to him, “I think you’d really like this band; I loved them in high school,” and they ended up being the musical guest for Yo Gabba Gabba, like, five minutes later. Biz also did a great (too short) set. And best of all, even though it took Hugga a few moments to stop crying and get used to the volume (she’s incredibly sensitive to noise), she warmed up pretty quickly and had an awesome time. It was another priceless moment for our family.

27/30: More moments.
We put up our tree over the weekend and Hugga rearranges the ornaments every day. I can’t think of anything I want for Christmas and yet Huz still keeps putting stuff under our tree. But I say this with 100% complete honesty: we could have zero presents here and I’d still be the happiest, luckiest woman on Earth. I know how fucking corny that sounds, but I am dead ass serious. Everything in my life is in its rightful place right now, and I’ve never felt more real about that than I do today.

28/30: Kicks and pics.
Now, to backpedal on that last para, I was able to find a great photographer who had an opening in December and could take our family photos. For the occasion, I got a couple new pairs of kicks that I always wanted — the Air Max Tailwind and the Air Max Navigate. The Tailwind is actually a kids’ size (thank you Mom and ancestors for the tiny feet) and both of the pairs were on sale. So excited for our shoot!

29/30: Growing up.
I’m a really nostalgic person, and I often can’t look through Hugga’s old pictures or videos without feeling some aches of sadness for the time that’s already passed. I work hard to say in the present, but I also find it a little difficult to accept that I’ll never get those baby days with Hugga again. While having another little one on the way softens the blow, so does all the great new things Hugga learns to do every day. She just started drawing faces this summer, and yesterday she drew a picture of me, complete with the big pregnant belly. Every time I get a little sad about my baby growing up, she reminds me that it gets even better every single day, and that the fun times are far from over.

30/30: A mellow holiday season.
Last year was a stressful holiday season for me. I got into a minor car accident, my mother-in-law was in town and we were still working out the kinks in our relationship, and Huz’s cousin from Korea was about to move in with us for half a year and I had never met her before nor did I know what to expect. There was no shortage of things for me to get anxious about.

This year will be a mellow holiday season for sure. My mom will be in town but she’s pretty unobtrusive (plus, I’ve lived with her before and know what I can handle), and I have lots of time and space to plan out our holiday meal, make a countdown calendar for Hugga, nest, and get organized before the baby’s arrival. I’m really looking forward to spending loads of time with my family, even though the So Cal sunshine is totally hindering my ability to get in the holiday spirit.