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...