Sunday, September 30, 2012

Super late Take Tuesday #2

Sooo... this is my Take Tuesday post... on a Sunday... cuz hearts were a little hard to find. But no more excuses! Here's my photo. As you can see, this week's subject was hearts.

This is a picture from my February Photo-a-Day challenge.  It took me & Lamar shamefully long to get the heart to look right, lol.

Shakti Dove

If you want to take join in on this week's Take Tuesday, it's still open until Monday. So find some hearts, snap a picture, and linkup over on ShaktiDove or Nicole Marie!

Sheepish Yarn Bomb Day [photo heavy post ^.^]


Hurray!  Meredith over at OneSheepishGirl declared that today (Sept. 29th) to be Sheepish Yarn Bomb Day. So, of course, I had to participate. :-)

I went through a lot of different thoughts of what I would make to bomb, and finally settled on granny hearts (pattern here). At first, I was going to put them up in a tree by the child development lab at Oakwood but then I felt like they wouldn't be fully appreciated... I dunno...

Plan B was to go downtown and bomb there.  So off I gallivanted to share my yarny creations with strangers in the park.
The Trusty Bomb Kit
First bomb
First I gave this little boy statue a scarf as it will (hopefully) be getting cold soon. I had to go through the most ridiculous antics to get this one on.  I mean jumping over pokey holly leaf bushes, ducking every time anyone drove by, and looking over my shoulder ever 2 seconds while tying the tags on... Too bad no one was with me to get it all on video... I'm sure you would have gotten a really good laugh at me. -chuckle-

Now, on to the main event.

My message tags.
Originally, the message tags were only going to have the instagram hashtag on them, but then I felt that if people were going to see these hearts they should have something to say. So I added the 'give love' 'share a smile' & 'call your family' tags.

Here are my hearts with their lovely message tails :)
Oh, my hearts a flutter!
I'm very happy with how they came out. ^.^  And it was a little breezy this evening, so they were fluttering quite nicely.

While I was putting them up, a few people asked me what I was doing, and when I told them about the yarn bombing day and my attachments- these strangers smiled at me in such a kind way.  Like they  appreciated the messages... especially the 'call your family' one.  I really hope that someone does.  Sometimes we get so busy that we can forget to check in on those people most important to us... I know it happens to me.

So yeah, this was my second time yarn bombing, but my first time going guerrilla art with it. (My first was at a yarn shop after the owner asked me to do it... Not very daring.)  This time I felt... sneaky... and odd. Like people were thinking 'what the crap is that girl doing...' as I tied a heart from a willow tree branch. But when I finished I was so excited that I did it. My heart felt like it was racing and I couldn't stop smiling. 

Thanks to Meredith for giving me an excuse to do something different and exciting and new. ^.^  I've been checking the instagram tag and it's amazing how many people participated so far! (Shout out to Erica of Caught On a Whim! Your bows are darling!)  It's so awesome that one person can have an idea and through the internet that idea can spread across the world.  I'm constantly in awe at the power of this 'blogosphere'...  Welp, I guess I've made this long enough. Good night & if you haven't visited OneSheepishGirl yet, you should. It's lovely.  And check out the instagram tag #sheepishyarnbomb... OK, Good night for real. ^.^

Friday, September 28, 2012

Big Thursday (Ugh... can this title be any lamer?)

When I woke up for work (a teensy bit later than planned) this morning, I didn't think that my day would include so many awesome-tastic things :)

The work shift was what could be expected with a job title of 'Data Entry' so I won't even speak on that. The meat and goodness of the day came in the bits between.  I was able to steal away a few moments of blog reading after lunch and made this awesome discovery:  Shakti made a quote-pic from one of my favorite poems! I love it when others find appreciation and value in something that means so much to me. [Check out her post -here-]

After leaving work, I went by the library to drop off a cd & dvd that Lamar left and first of all, the traffic was insane... ugh... I hate the stop & go life! Anyway, at the library I met a girl who makes natural hair products (Angela Janelle of Natural Beauty Mart).  We got talking about natural hair then sewing then crafting then crafternoons. I was/am rather proud of myself for not chickening out after the brief natural hair commentary. I actually started the convo about sewing after noticing her looking at that section.  Normally I would just quietly sneak away back to my yarny lair.  But I'm making an effort to be more outgoing and social since Lamar isn't here.  I have hermit tendencies... and I need to address this.

Before leaving the library, I stopped in the "Friends of the Library" used bookshop and got these two.
Streams in the Desert ($1) is a devotional that I first heard of from my friend Sharea.  I remember it being timely... and one can never have too many devotional books.  Of course I had to buy this Needlecraft book. Of course! I love the old books. This one is from... 1975 and I paid 75 cents for it. ^.^ Yay for vintage books for the steal!

FLAG ON THE PLAY!!! I just opened the cover of Streams in the Desert and this is what is written there:
10-11-2002
To our Darling Daughter:
I pray that this little devotional book will bless you as mine  has since 1979.
Every time I have been hurt, worried, sick, or just sad, I pick up my book- and it's as if God has a special word for me.
Honey, life isn't easy - but with the Lord's help- we will make it all the way to our eternal home.
Stay close to the Lord. Learn to forgive others & yourself. Be thankful and look for joy everywhere.
Happy 35th birthday - We love you so very much - never forget that.
Always in our hearts & my prayers.
Love,
Mama & Daddy

There was more to my day, but I'm going to end this post on that note. Good night and I hope your Thursday was a wonderful one.

Life isn't easy, but there will be streams in the desert...

Thursday, September 27, 2012

What's on My Hook? #15: Holiday Craft Update

Hi there :)

It has been quite some time since I last did a What's on My Hook post...  I'm currently (still) in the beginning stages of Handmade Holiday gift making. I just feel like my list keeps growing and growing... It's coming to things like, "well I can't give this person something and not give this other person something."

What's a crafty girl to do??

I'll tell you what! Scour DIY blogs in her free time to find enough easy gifts to make for these people... I know they'd better be happy with what I give them... All this sweat, blood, and tears... lol. No but srsly...

So here are my progression shots of the Drop in the Pond afghan. The pattern is super easy and sooo pretty. The only hard thing is trying to make the time to sit down and actually work on it. But whenever I can sit, the rows work up quickly because it's done in granny clusters.


All that's left on it is one more vertical zigzag on the left side and a white 2row border.  I'm really satisfied with the way its coming out.  And I'm glad because I also have to make it again in a neutral colorway.  I may make a third one for my house. So far, Ive only made one afghan that is out for use and I think I want more yarny goodness around my living space.

You know what? I need a granny square headboard for my bed... Someone find me a pattern for that! lol.

After I finish this afghan, I think I'm going to go into scarf/hat mode because there are... at least 3 scarves and 2 hats that need to be done... and one of the scarves is to have my brother's initials in it.  I really need to review this list and then schedule out time/days to get all this making done. (I suddenly have about 10 more hours free to use, but I'll talk about that in a later post.)

Well, I've got to get my tail to bed so I can be on my best foot tomorrow. It'll be day 3 in my new job and I'm having to gulp down loads of information... So I needs mah sleep :)

~Peace~

Monday, September 24, 2012

A Bit of Modcloth Window Shopping

Hey there ^.^

I said a few days ago that if God gave me disposable income, I would buy my clothes from Modcloth.  Their pieces are sooo stinkin cute! I just want them all in my closet!!!

I also was inspired to do this after reading Elycia's Wish I Wore post from Saturday.

That in mind, I went window shopping :)  I find that I'm mostly attracted to skirts and dresses even though I mostly wear pants to work. That would def change if my skirts/dress wardrobe was magically increased by the Modcloth giving gods... **oh please oh please oh please** So, on to my window shopping.

All dresses from Modcloth

I like to think of this style of dresses as "What Charlotte Would Wear." After watching every season of Sex & The City, I decided if I was going to raid anyone's closet, it would certainly be Charlotte's. Has she ever worn anything not amazing??? Ugh... I need to win the lottery...
All skirts from Modcloth
Let's see... the common skirt denominator is... twirl-ability!  I love circle skirts and skirts with movement. Now pencil skirts are great in their own way, but for everyday wear, give me any of these and a comfy pair of flats and I'm perfect. I think my favorite is a tie between the two in the middle on the bottom row. I seem to not be able to get enough polka-dots, so they're always a win in my book.  I really like the neutral, almost dye-free color of the other skirt. I feel like I'd wear that at least once a week, consistently, year-round.

Yes, ma'am! I would love love love to have these pieces in my wardrobe... Well, that's it... I have to stop torturing myself with these beautiful clothes and go to bed.  At least I'll be amazingly clad in my dreams ^.^

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Follow-up to "Dreams"

-Untitled-
When I was young
I dreamed of being an artist

I wanted to paint
saw me covered in colors
wanted to be van gogh or maybe dali
but sometimes brushes choked on the concepts
so i painted with my hands
dipped in too many colors
swirling them together onto papers
mixing
they always looked like dreams
or reality seen from squinted eyes

i wanted to sculpt
saw me elbow deep in clay
sculpting images pulled from my eyelids
i longed to show the world something
wanted to mold these handmade mysteries
the things seen when my eyes close
sought to offer them up as tributes
to unseen muses
my hands always coated with dust
proof of my existence

i wanted to create
channel the only divine thing these mortal hands can do
i wanted to touch
something
to be
something
but somewhere along the years
this creation dream became impractical
no parent wants their daughter to be
a starving artist
they said get a degree and work hard
behind a desk
9-5
mon thru fri
weekends off
repeat
this is responsible baby
and practical honey
and adult sweetie
creation is just a hobby
it will never feed you

and i listened
muscled through 4 years of university
and graduated with a bachelors degree
still housing a spirit drawn to create

you see
dreams deferred dont shrivel
they are no raisins in the sun
these are massive planets exploding
reshaping universes when theyre done

these days the weight of those dreams
falls on me like crushing boulders
knocking wind from fleshy lungs
cracking back my folded shoulders

broken open my heart and spirit
daylight flowing in as streams
fresh air cultivating promises
baby-
dont let go of those dreams

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Dreams

Good Morning

Today I'm feeling some kind of heaviness.  It's a bit indescribable and hard to put my finger on. It's a bit anxious and a bit like breath... not being knocked out, but pulled... I have pesky tears in my eyes threatening but without a specific reason I will them not to fall...

I dreamed about this poem last night.

Sometimes the hardest place to be
Is right where youre suppose to be
And I know I asked to be in His will
But sometimes when He leads He blocks the light
And I can't see what's in front of me
You see I'm afraid of the dark
But I know there's an oasis out there waiting for me
But to get there then
I have to be here now
And this aint easy...
 


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Tuesday Favorites #9: Mail Time!!!

Hi there!

Color me SUPER EXCITED!!! Why? I received a package in the mail!

The unboxing!

The whole shebang!
Lamar and I went over to my house to let the dogs out & I really squealed when I saw the box by the door, lol!  I also danced around the room before getting down to the business of unboxing my stash.

As you can see, the colors are very much baby blanket-esque.  Hopefully I'll be able to integrate that pink and the pastel variegated into something.  I just haven't got an idea yet.

The wooden rings to the left of the yarn are bag handles, 3 sets.  There are also 2 sets of knitting needles, 3 little steel hooks, an embroidery hoop, and some sewing machine pieces.  I plan to use the majority of the non-yarn items, but the sizes are WAY smaller than I normally use and one of the sets of knitting needles is a bit skinny for me as well.  It never hurts to have a few extra knitting needles or hooks around, tho. ^.^ 


7U_d6x on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs
I couldn't help making a gif...  Thanks for the crafty supplies Dad!
I also got another package from my mom. She sent me a webcam so that Lamar and I can talk over skype while he's in FL. That will be awesome.  He hasn't left yet. He's planning to leave tomorrow.  He had originally planned to leave early yesterday morning, but the weather prevented him from packing the U-haul and then today he was super tired from all the moving and packing he did yesterday.  I wish I could pack the whole truck while he's sleeping now.  Pray for safe travels for him as he leaves tomorrow and drives the 10-12 hours from here to FL.

I hope you had a great Tuesday and good night.
~Peace~

Take Tuesday #1 (Linkup)

I am excited to participate in my first blog linkup! Woot!

Shakti Dove

Shakti over at Shakti-Dove & Nicole Marie started a weekly photo series called Take Tuesday.  There is a new theme each week and all you do is write a blog post showing your photo that corresponds with the theme.
This week the theme is "Seeing Spots."
Hello Spots
This is an illustration from a book I got from Lamar called String Art. It has a bunch of awesome retro designs that I am excited to try my hand at.

I'm glad that Shakti started this linkup & I can't wait to see the other theme photos ^.^

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Terribly Terrible Moment at Work

Ok... I'm currently doing a lot of deep breathing to stay calm because of this oopsie I made...

So each month I (or whoever the AP person is) have to submit payments for the previous month's sales tax return... It's to be postmarked no later than the 20th of each month and for the last 2 times I've done it we've gotten all the way up to the day scrambling to get it done in time.  It's been super stressful and I made up my mind that this month I wasn't going to be pulling my hair out come the 20th.

How would I make sure the returns were ready? I would do them a couple days before the postmark day.  Simple right. Isn't that something they teach us for time management?  Don't wait til the last minute?

Evidently, that is not the way I should be operating. Because after I worked my way through the process I was brought to my attention that all the information hadn't been put into the system yet. 

I did the return too early.  And you can't just delete it and start over...

The missing data is suppose to be entered later today, and I've read up on how to do the ammended tax return... So I know how to fix it, but I'm chewing my fingers to the bone about telling my manager about the mistake I made.  When I told him that I was processing the sales taxes, he fanned it away like 'you have two whole days to do that'... I thought I was being timely...

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to go home... I hate messing up... hate it... HATE IT... HATE IT!

Hopefully I don't get in too much trouble :-/

----------------------------------------------------
Update... I told my manager. He reassured me that it can be fixed and not to worry then left his office to speak with the lady who is to give me the data. He wasn't visibly upset and I sat in his office on the brink of tears cuz I'd gotten myself so wound up about the whole situation...  I'll have the missing data within a few minutes.
I still hate messing up...

Not So Blue Monday #15

Good evening y'all!

I've been thinking about this NSBM post all day... like whether I feel like it is actually not so blue or if it's just blue.  Reason being, Lamar is leaving for FL tomorrow.  My emotions are all over the place with that reality.  Sometimes I'm excited that he's getting this awesome new opportunity to teach and sometimes I'm just sad thinking of how much I'm going to miss him.

So this is where my head was all day. Plus it rained... all... day...

Needless to say, I didn't get much accounting done in the office. I spent a few hours researching my family on ancestry.com (which was really interesting.) Ancestry.com has a 14 day free trial, and I'd recommend signing up for it if you're interested in finding out about your family history.


Finding my paternal grandparents' marriage license and my maternal grandfather's census record from 1940 was pretty awesome. 

Let's see, what else made me smile today ^.^
source: KellyConnorDesigns
I came across this tone on tumblr and I honestly think it might be my first etsy purchase. I loved the movie Fight Club. So so very awesome! I started reading the book, but stopped halfway thru.  I'm planning to pick it back up and finish it sometime soon.  Kelly Connor Designs has other cool totes, but this one was my fave.

In the middle of the little bit of work I did today, I kept thinking this:

I want to knit a scarf and this is something out of the ordinary because I NEVER want to KNIT anything... I always feel like it takes forever.  But I have some chunky needles and maybe I'll knit with 4 strands of yarn together to create a multicolor chunky knit scarf. 

I mean, fall is on the way after all. ^.^

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Photo-an-Hour: Sept. 7th

Good morning!

I finally remembered to do my photo-an-hour post! I wrote it in on my montly schedule for August and still managed to forget all about it.  Well, it's not like you really missed anything though... working in an office does not really lend itself to particularly interesting hours, but I try. 

I decided to do the P.A.H. on a Friday since it's a half day at work.  So here is Friday, Sept 7th in pictures.

8am: Catching up on blog reads before jumping into hours of paperwork.
9am: Paying bills... =P ehh... I suppose it must be done.
10am: Workspace & surprise camo'd nails. I love it when my nails randomly match something :)
11am: What else can be said? *shrug* See <this post> for reasons.
12pm: Leaving the office. Hello weekend!!!
1pm: Snuggles with the puppies. It's always nice when Toot is calm. Seeing as she's normally a blur...
2pm: Folding sheets & putting away laundry in my newly rearranged room.
3pm: Running errands with Lamar.
4pm: Finally finished reading Eat, Pray, Love. Now Lamar & I can watch the movie!
5pm: The BEST CORN EVER!!!! The picture is blurry from my sheer excitement due to the wonderful sweetness, lol.
6pm: Movie night with Lamar, watching The Expendables. Lots of explosion and action... verrrry little storyline.
7pm: Nail touch-up & layout for the church bulletin. The polish color is Dreamer by Revlon & I'm totally in love!
8pm: Writing, writing, writing. I can honestly say that I'm enjoying writing this blog & I hope it grows into something awesome for me and whoever comes across it. ^.^

That's about it for my P.A.H. day. Not a lot of pazazz, but it was a good day nonetheless. I wonder how I'm going to spend my Friday afternoons after Lamar leaves for work in Florida?  I suppose I'll have to actually make friends O.O  Either that, or I'll catch up on my reading and movie watching, lol ;)

What do you suggest I do with my new solo time?

I hope you have a good day!
~Peace~

Monday, September 10, 2012

Crafternoon #15: The Holiday Crafting Begins

Good evening and good night :)

I have officially begun my Christmas crafting! Hurrah for me!!!  I'm being super (stupidly) ambitious with this years gifts.  I mean- I'm planning to finish 4 afghans/blankets before Christmas... (sheesh Caleisha! some planning...)

Anyway, here are three of the color schemes I'll be using.
The top two are for Lamar (green) & my dad/wife (blue). The bottom one is for my mom.
My plan for the top color schemes is to make two individual afghans that button together to make a blanket. For instance, I'll have my afghan that is light green here in AL & Lamar will have his dark green one in FL.  When we get back in the same place, we can button them together for snuggles! I know... it's a little cheesy, but I really like the idea.  I'm also making one for my dad & his wife. 

The afghan I'm making for my mom is the Drop in the Pond Afghan. I have half of the first part done.  I'm hoping to finish it in a couple days because I want to make another one for my aunt & uncle.The pattern is simply written, but there are videos on youtube showing how to make the afghan... they were SUPER helpful.
Progress shot on the drop in the pond afghan.
Oh! Another thing I'm proud of with these project so far is that all the yarn I'm using was already in my stash.  I only had to buy another ball of royal blue yarn.  I will have to buy yarn for my aunt's afghan because I want to do it in light browns and neutrals, but luckily, I have a couple 50% off coupons for Michaels and a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby. I'm ready to stock up for this. I will have these gifts ready for Day 7 of Kwanzaa (at the Latest). lol. 

Well, I'm about to pass out sleep... I dozed off twice while writing this :) I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready to take on the upcoming work week.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Oh, What a Day Was Today.

Good evening!

Let me tell you that this has been quite a day. And lovely enough for me, I don't say that in the normal ragged and worn way I normally say it.

I wanted to construct some amazingly written post about it, but I feel it's better to just outright say it. 

My lovely Lamar got a teaching position! 

I'm so happy for him because he's been searching for another one for a while now and you know how awesome it is when someone is able to work at something they're great at and enjoy? That's him :) He said he got a call from the school this morning to schedule an interview, and when they found out that he was out of state, they just did the interview over the phone.  He got the offer call later on this afternoon.  ^.^ How awesome is God? 

Anyway, the school is in Florida, so we're going to be on long distance terms for a while. That makes me a little nervous because I've never truly had a long distance serious relationship and I don't know what to expect.  I want to get a job in FL so that I can move there too, to be completely honest.  And that was the plan until this happened:

I got a job offer.

A permanent job offer :) It's a part time permanent position in the enrollment office at Oakwood. The manager wants me to start within the next 2 weeks at the latest.  Now my temp position in accounting has gotten more active. They've started the annual audit, and there's so much paper pushing & number crunching that has to be done from my office... I have to talk to my accounting supervisor to see what she says.  The new job is about 6 hours less per week than I'm working now & would be less money, but I'm just hoping beyond hope that it will be something I can feel.  I'm so tired of working jobs that I dislike so immensely that I consider walking out in traffic...  Nobody needs that.

And the funny thing about this offer... I did horrible in the interview. I mean they asked me what my dreams were and I burst out crying and couldn't get it back together for the rest of the time.  When I told my dad about the offer, he laughed and said, "I told you that God's got you. He's a good friend to have."

He is a good friend to have... and I'm very thankful for Lamar's new job (even though it's presenting us with new challenges) and my new job.

So yeah, sorry that there aren't any pictures in this post & its really wordy. But sometimes you just gotta write *shrug*
~Peace~

Thursday, September 6, 2012

What Day is It?! lol

[Not So Blue Monday #14]
[Tuesday Favorites #8] 
Good evening.

Let me take a moment to explain this post. I started writing this yesterday morning at work, but stopped because Photobucket was having issues and whatnot.  I mean it was down for the entire day and I didn't want to do the post without the pictures.  So here it is, my Tuesday Favorites of my Not So Blue Monday on a Wednesday... (phew...) Let's get on into it, shall we?

Monday was a wonderful extra day off and I was so so so grateful for it.  I didn't do as much crafting as I planned to, but I was productive in other ways.

Let's see... I did a good bit of cleaning and rearranging in my bedroom. It's still "under construction" because I have a bookcase to move and lots of laundry to put away and clothes to sort out for thrift donation and carpets to vaccuum... etc.  This list makes me feel like I should be home instead of in this office.
In the midst of moving... I basically flip-flopped my bed and dresser.
Wow... looking at this picture I must say there is a lot of stuff in my room... I have a lot of stuff... It really is time to fill bags for donation.

Anyway, I made my bed with a new sheet set and the pillow cases I snagged from my mom the last time I went home. It's all flowery and makes me smile.
Love the floral motifs and the colors are great ^.^

I straightened up my dresser top and framed more pictures. I love having framed photos around. I want to have a photo wall one day. You know, the ones with shots of family vacations and milestones framed in the staircase or something like that :)  I'd like that...
I just realized how blurry this picture is... sorry.
I'm thinking about doing a photo shoot of just my dresser top... once it's all finished. That would be fun and a challenge to photograph my photographs in interesting ways.  Woot! Future project!
Kisses!
These two pictures are from when Lamar and I went to Delaware for my bestsisterfriend's wedding. The day before we left we went down to Rehoboth beach. It was a really fun trip within a trip. We took lots of jumping pictures in the waves... trying to get a perfect one. Of course I got soaked up to my waist by a huge wave that I wasn't prepared for, lol. I'll have to find those pictures and post a few.

Lastly, I went thrifting on Monday. Thrift Mart had a 50% off everything sale for Labor Day. My roommate & her friend went early-ish in the day and ended up standing in the line for like an hour... When I went in the evening, it was like a regular Monday night at the thrift store. That was nice.

I found a few really good pieces & now cannot wait for fall to get its butt here so I can wear them! Check it out.
Thrift Mart Haul-age! I only spent $20 and change. Yay me!
Ok. I picked up some frames, because most of the empty frames i already had were 5x7 instead of 4x6 standard size.  The two slacks are UH-MAZE-ING!  The picture doesn't do them justice.  The grey pair is wool and the brown one has a thin orange/tan window pane pattern on them. They both fit wonderfully and scream "wear me on a fall day drinking chai tea outside at 5 Point Books!!!" lol. I can't wait until it's cool enough to wear them ^.^

The tops are also cool. Top row: green cotton button down, pink & teal scoopneck tee shirts, batik/ethnic print collar shirt.  Bottom row: navy blue silk button down, textured silk sleeveless, cream silk/viscose cardigan.  I am such a fan of silk shirts.  I started wearing them this summer and I'm always on the lookout for them in thrift stores.  I like that they're so light on my skin and stay cool when it's hot out.  Although I'm not sure how that's going to translate in the fall and winter.

Alright, this has gotten long enough! I hope you all have enjoyed your weeks thus far, and I'm excited to be coming down to another weekend.

Goodnight!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Ramblings of a Temporary Accountant

Things that are irritating me right now:
  • Accounting
  • Photobucket not working properly
  • Office work
  • My shoulders being tense and up to my ears
Things that I'm trying to focus on because they made me smile:
  • Light blue finger nails
  • Lamar texting me
  • Helpful accountants who understand that this is not my field
  • Upcoming lunch break
It's times like now that I truly want to quit my job. If only I knew where I was suppose to be and what I was suppose to do there... Life would be so much better.  Smoother... More calm I think.  I know that learning new things and stretching one's self is suppose to be a way to cultivate happiness... but it's just not doing it for me these days.  Most days the mental stretching of trying to make sense of these accounts gives me a headache and leaves me on the verge of tears... and I can't help but to think why in the actual hell would God put me here... Maybe He knows something about me that I don't... well I know He does.  I just wish I knew what was going on... and I know I'm suppose to be faithfully following and putting my feet in the steps of God's plan as He lays them out for me.  This balancing act is so hard tho...

Monday, September 3, 2012

Crafternoon #14: Playing with Fire

Hi y'all :)

I came across today's crafternoon project while browsing my friend Tabby's crafty pinterest board.  She has pinned so many awesome things that I almost signed up just to re-pin project ideas from her. But I resisted, I don't need another internet time-suck... tho I probably will... eventually...

So anyway, here it is: How to Make Drinking Glasses from Beer Bottles

Pretty awesome huh :)
  1. Supplies: cleaned beer bottle with labels removed, acetone nail polish remover, yarn, lighter, (not pictured) sink of ice water.
  2. Soak the yarn in acetone then wrap it around the bottle where you want the glass to break.
  3. Light the yarn on fire and slowly rotate the bottle so the fire burns around it evenly. When the fire burns out, submerge the whole thing in the ice water.  The glass should break at the fire point.
  4. Sand the lip of the glass & its ready to use ^.^
Now this endeavor was a true adventure! I have the whole shebang on video (care of my friend Shanyce) and I'll post it tomorrow.  We both screamed when I put the glass in the water and it cracked apart.

Well this is what I've been up to today. Tomorrow, I plan to do some more crafting.  Maybe some sewing or just a crap-ton of crochet :)

So goodnight & I hope you had a great Sunday. If you're off work tomorrow, have a wonderful holiday! ^.^

P.S.
After finishing the bottles, my likely-pyro friend John did this...
This is what happens when you pour acetone onto water and light it on fire... it smells bad tho... but its really pretty right?

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Holiday Crafting

It's around this time of year (if not earlier) that those of us with a penchant for the handmade are getting started on making holiday gifts for our loved ones. 

If I were a responsible crafter, I would have already made my list of projects and they would be underway... Unfortunately, I am not that crafter and I haven't even thought about what to make for any of my people.  This will be my third year doing Handmade Holidays & I want to actually have my gifts ready for Christmas/Kwanzaa instead of New Years or St. Patrick's Day, lol...

What gifts should I make this year?

Do-Dee-Do Woo-Hoo-De-Hoo!

Hi there!

The weekend is FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!

LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok. Glad that's out of my system =D I'm SO happy about the 3 day weekend... I can barely contain myself!


OK. Now it's really out of my system (^.^)  I have a couple pictures to share with you tonight. Picture bits of my day. I was suppose to do a photo-an-hour today, but only took a picture this morning on my way in to work... so that was an absolute fail.  So since I missed my photo-an-hour post for August, I think I might do 2 in September. Maybe... we'll see.

Today is Roommate's Birthday, so I made her a banner last night. She said it scared her this morning, lol,

Wore my green chucks today. I haven't worn them in years! I almost forgot how much I love chucks.



Lamar bought donuts from K-May yesterday and this was the box.  Yes, I do deserve a donut!

I liked the box so much, I framed it. Yay for upcycled art!

I found this while browsing the thrift store today. Does anyone remember this program? It was my intro to 'graphic design' when I was younger. I spent many an hour on the computer with this program. I almost bought it out of nostalgia.

I found this note in a book at the thrift store. It's adorable *.*

Lastly, my dad got this huge box of yarn and crafty bits from one of his friends. He's going to send it to me soon. I can't wait! A whole box full of FREE YARN! I can't wait!!!

[Please excuse me while I find an appropriate gif to represent my excitement...]


Yep. I'm that happy. (^.^)

Oh, and I'm also excited about the fact that I feel like I'm making bloggy friends. Thanks for your comments guys! It makes me so happy to know that you're reading and actually care enough to write to me :)

~night~