craft show.

yesterday at work, my good friend jay gave me my birthday presents (only about 24 days early, he's not good at keeping secrets...) and i was very happy with what i got! two books (one can never go wrong with books of any kind), and all about photography and crafting, no less! i am very excited to read them and put the information in them to good use.

you may have noticed, as i did, that the one book is for people without a "creative bone" in their body. anyone who knows me will tell you that i have at least one, possibly located in my inner ear, which may account for the dizziness i sometime experience when working on a really good craft project.

to prove that i have experienced creativity and craftiness before owning this book, i thought i'd show you a couple of things i've done in the past. remember, i'm only claiming to have the one creative bone, no talent or skill...

this is a fleece "no-sew" blanket i made one year for myself at the same time that i made one for my parents for christmas. you may think that a "no-sew" blanket equals "no work", but you'd be wrong, as it is very hard work scooting around on the hardwood floor for hours on end tying hundreds of little fleece fringes just right so they don't tug too much one way or the other, making the whole effect lopsided. plus i had to measure and cut all the little fringes in the first place and after a while, your eyes, neck and back are really screaming at you. i'm not complaining though, it's by far the most comfy and warm thing in my house (as is demonstrated by the fact that one or both of the cats is on it at all times of the day and night. they are the true measure of the quality of many of the things i make.)



this is one of many towels that i have or am in the process of embroidering. i'm starting a pillow case too. i love to embroider, even though i only know like two stitches off the top of my head. but my mom bought me a book that will help me become as good of an embroidery pro as she is. this is the first one i ever did, and the pattern is from sublime stitching. they have the most delightful iron-on patterns there and i will definitely be getting more. in the future, i hope also to get some patterns from subversive cross stich, but i probably won't be giving those out as christmas gifts. well, maybe to jay and sam. i think they could appreciate the subtlety of the designs...

lastly, here are a couple of "draft dodgers". no pattern used, just made these off the top of my head out of scrap material i had. filled them with kitty litter (unused, of course). impressed? ok, so impressed might be a bit much, but they do keep the drafts out. i'm going to make more, my husband wants one on every window sill too. too much? now...what are some crafts you all are working on? please share...

primary colors.

a pirate's life for me!

my incredibly creative and disgustingly talented sister-in-law beth (go away green monster of jealousy!) has started a web company with her cousin. it's called citrus and they sell very cute and clever t-shirts and tank tops for the little ones. on top of being annoyingly talented, she has also given birth to the most adorable little fashion model, a.k.a my nephew griffin. ok, i may be a little bit swayed on that opinion since we share the same genes, (nice job brother!) but come on...have you ever seen such an impish little creature? doesn't he just scream "i'm a heart breaker! point the way to trouble!".i mean look at him, he's eating a dinosaur for goodness sake! (though he's also sporting a bemidji, minnesota t-shirt, so he's got that going for him.) he's got quite the fashion sense you see. he gets that from me. well, he got the t-shirt from me anyway.he's pretty much my favorite thing on the face of the planet, but i won't envy my brother and his wife during the preteen and teen years...better not get too used to those bars, buddy...(ok, it should be noted that he's a totally pleasant child; very giggly, full of smiles and really no trouble at all. yet. muahahaha.)

classic beauty.

ramona, goddess of relaxation.

bippity boppity boo!

yesterday i became a fairy godmother. ok, just a godmother, but it's an honor all the same. little anne was born last summer and is a total doll. tony is godfather to one of her sisters, liza, who is now three years old. i told annie yesterday, as she lay on the floor getting some 'tummy time', that this is a competition now. we're going to see which kid turns out better. muah-ha-ha. oh, and i granted her a couple of wishes. the glass slippers look adorable.

getting to know me...

(...with a little help from bella dia. thanks for the great idea!)

on my bedside table:

alarm clock...the dream machine! (christmas gift circa 1986)

a squirt bottle. anyone with a noisy cat knows this is a complete necessity.

tums

new year resolutions:

exercise and eat healthier diet.

get my blood sugars in better control.

get knocked up.

latest interests:

photography.

my blog.

networking.

on my mind:

baby. baby. baby. (tick tock)

cleaning out the clutter.

job hunting with relation to my newly earned degree. yay!

learning:

that marriage takes more work than i thought (but it's so worth it).

politics can be interesting.

less is more.

making:

draft stopper for kitchen door.

a list of craft ideas for next christmas.

rough draft of possible children's book.

looking forward to:

staying up late and sleeping in.

spring cleaning.

buying a house.

enjoying:

non-alcoholic beer mixed with bloody mary mix.

'sinnerman' by nina simone ala felix da housecat .

sweat pants.

amused by:

the cats, of course.

out west...

off to colorado to celebrate christmas and the new year with my family. some pics to reflect on our time in "berthood". all in all, i'd say this whole "spending the holidays with my husband" went pretty well. however, thanks to my nephew, my new soundtrack to life is the theme song to thomas the train. bugger!