I picked up yarn the other day for an up-coming swap. The Fall Into Autumn dishcloth exchange! Mark your calendar because registration opens September 1 and closes September 8!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Cotton yarn!
I picked up yarn the other day for an up-coming swap. The Fall Into Autumn dishcloth exchange! Mark your calendar because registration opens September 1 and closes September 8!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A-Z of me
T is for Toys
So, I mentioned eBaying some ponies. This is because I have far too many toys lying around the house for someone with no children. I'm not saying it's weird to have toys, I love toys! But I have FAR too many. I pick them up at garage sales out of habit, I get new ones for birthday and Christmas on occasion, sometimes I just can't pass them up in the store myself. So this is a picture of a few of the boxes of ponies I hope to find new homes for. Mind you, I probably have this many or more that I'm keeping in boxes in the basement. I have a few, 20 or so, out on display but one can't have 100 ponies on shelves where other adults can see them. Plus as cute as I think they are, sometimes their neon colors and over-use of garish pinks gets to me so I try to keep their presence limited.
So, I mentioned eBaying some ponies. This is because I have far too many toys lying around the house for someone with no children. I'm not saying it's weird to have toys, I love toys! But I have FAR too many. I pick them up at garage sales out of habit, I get new ones for birthday and Christmas on occasion, sometimes I just can't pass them up in the store myself. So this is a picture of a few of the boxes of ponies I hope to find new homes for. Mind you, I probably have this many or more that I'm keeping in boxes in the basement. I have a few, 20 or so, out on display but one can't have 100 ponies on shelves where other adults can see them. Plus as cute as I think they are, sometimes their neon colors and over-use of garish pinks gets to me so I try to keep their presence limited.
No-swap swap doll
A testament to my last post, this is what I came up with for HopHopJingleBoo's No Swap Paper Doll Swap. Would I have ever decorated this pretty lady if Debra had not used the word Swap? Most definitely not. Call it a swap, even if nothing is swapped, and I feel motivated! I'm going to try this trick and call my closet-cleaning project the Super September Closet Extravaganza Swap! We'll see if it works.
A-Z of me
S is for Swaps
I love getting mail! But that's not really the reason I do swaps. I like the clearcut deadline that a swap gives me for my creative endeavors. I have crafts on my crafty To-Do list that have been there for over 5 years. The reason they don't get done? They have no deadline. A swap has a definitive end date, a specific day when it MUST be out the door. And I strive to always abide by the due-date as should you.
Swaps also give me a starting point. I often get caught up in the first stages of a craft project, wondering if I really want to do the project, whether I picked the right yarn or paint colors, if it will turn out like I dream it should. And sometimes these worries lead to me putting the project away on a shelf never to work on it again for fear it will turn out terrible and I will have wasted my time. Most swaps (at least the ones I pick out) give me at least some idea on where to start. They give me a color pallet to use, or a medium such as embroidery or Popsicle sticks. With at least one decision out of the way, I feel more confidant to begin the process.
The swaps I most enjoy are swaps where you are clearly creating something special, just for your partner. Yes, I swap craft supplies and teabags and books sometimes. But I really like the ones that take some thought, some research and some good old fashioned time and attention to create a very special object that the recipient will cherish. Two recent swaps come to mind that I really enjoyed were a doll clothes swap I hosted on Swap-Bot. We each made an outfit for our partner's doll and the outfit I got was SUCH a lovely, handmade dress complete with bonnet and bloomers AND a doll quilt! Such thought and time went into all these pieces to create such a lovely gift for my doll. I hope she thought the same of her outfit that I created. And the other was the Trash to Treasure swap on Swap-Bot which entailed sending your crafty trash bits to your partner, then they created something and sent it back to you. My partner made me the most lovely book, I didn't even recognize my "garbage"! It had pockets and tags and beads and was just amazing. And I sent my partner a pirate-themed diorama that she flipped over. It was not anything I would have wanted but with a little help from a friend, we looked over her profile and got a good feel for what she might like, brainstormed a creative use for her scraps and it turned out SO well and I was so happy when I heard from her that she loved it! So I swap yarn and postcards and cocoa mix to get mail but I swap truly handcrafted items for the boost to my crafty productivity and for the sheer thrill of deciphering what my partner would truly treasure.
I love getting mail! But that's not really the reason I do swaps. I like the clearcut deadline that a swap gives me for my creative endeavors. I have crafts on my crafty To-Do list that have been there for over 5 years. The reason they don't get done? They have no deadline. A swap has a definitive end date, a specific day when it MUST be out the door. And I strive to always abide by the due-date as should you.
Swaps also give me a starting point. I often get caught up in the first stages of a craft project, wondering if I really want to do the project, whether I picked the right yarn or paint colors, if it will turn out like I dream it should. And sometimes these worries lead to me putting the project away on a shelf never to work on it again for fear it will turn out terrible and I will have wasted my time. Most swaps (at least the ones I pick out) give me at least some idea on where to start. They give me a color pallet to use, or a medium such as embroidery or Popsicle sticks. With at least one decision out of the way, I feel more confidant to begin the process.
The swaps I most enjoy are swaps where you are clearly creating something special, just for your partner. Yes, I swap craft supplies and teabags and books sometimes. But I really like the ones that take some thought, some research and some good old fashioned time and attention to create a very special object that the recipient will cherish. Two recent swaps come to mind that I really enjoyed were a doll clothes swap I hosted on Swap-Bot. We each made an outfit for our partner's doll and the outfit I got was SUCH a lovely, handmade dress complete with bonnet and bloomers AND a doll quilt! Such thought and time went into all these pieces to create such a lovely gift for my doll. I hope she thought the same of her outfit that I created. And the other was the Trash to Treasure swap on Swap-Bot which entailed sending your crafty trash bits to your partner, then they created something and sent it back to you. My partner made me the most lovely book, I didn't even recognize my "garbage"! It had pockets and tags and beads and was just amazing. And I sent my partner a pirate-themed diorama that she flipped over. It was not anything I would have wanted but with a little help from a friend, we looked over her profile and got a good feel for what she might like, brainstormed a creative use for her scraps and it turned out SO well and I was so happy when I heard from her that she loved it! So I swap yarn and postcards and cocoa mix to get mail but I swap truly handcrafted items for the boost to my crafty productivity and for the sheer thrill of deciphering what my partner would truly treasure.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Toofers
Oh and I know had you known I had a dentist appointment this a.m. you would be dying to know how it went. It went well, no reported findings, fantastic polish job by the tech! And I am glad I did not have to admit that I remember to brush my own teeth about as much as I remember to brush my dog's. (Which is still fairly often but not as often as I should if you listen to those toothpaste-salesmen/dentists on tv.)
Listy!
So Sarah of Craft n Clutter (typed and, had to go back and erase a and d) posted To Do as her T word in the A-Z of Me Meme. Not To Do as in a grand To Do like a big show. No, no, To Do as in To Do list! Now, I have found remarkable similarities between Sarah and I starting with we both live in Illinois and ending God knows where. But inspired by her listful post, I give you a portion of the lists that are crammed inside my day planner right now.
Above is my general To-Do list that lives paper clipped to the outside of the dayplanner. It is not very pretty because it continually gets things crossed off and then it gets rewritten.
This one is my list of swaps I need to get things ready for.
This is my brainstorming list for the swap I will be hosting on Create a Connection next month. Those of you reading closely will get an early scoop on both the timeline and the theme!
And this one is my brainstorming list for the sandwich swap I am hosting at work next week. It is based on the one held in Brooklyn. Nice coworker that I am, I have blanked out the last names of participants. And if you work with me, you will notice a scoop on what I am bringing!
I was mildy tense while scanning these because sometimes I tend to leave things in the scanner after I'm done scanning and the thought of leaving a list at home where I wouldn't be able to see it or add to it makes me a little jumpy. Also, I am a little glad my main list doesn't include things like "brush teeth", "shower" or "eat only whole grains" which it sometimes does but know that if it had, I would totally have scanned it in all its crazy glory for everyone to see.
Above is my general To-Do list that lives paper clipped to the outside of the dayplanner. It is not very pretty because it continually gets things crossed off and then it gets rewritten.
This one is my list of swaps I need to get things ready for.
This is my brainstorming list for the swap I will be hosting on Create a Connection next month. Those of you reading closely will get an early scoop on both the timeline and the theme!
And this one is my brainstorming list for the sandwich swap I am hosting at work next week. It is based on the one held in Brooklyn. Nice coworker that I am, I have blanked out the last names of participants. And if you work with me, you will notice a scoop on what I am bringing!
I was mildy tense while scanning these because sometimes I tend to leave things in the scanner after I'm done scanning and the thought of leaving a list at home where I wouldn't be able to see it or add to it makes me a little jumpy. Also, I am a little glad my main list doesn't include things like "brush teeth", "shower" or "eat only whole grains" which it sometimes does but know that if it had, I would totally have scanned it in all its crazy glory for everyone to see.
eBay!
Inspired by Tammy over at Mimmsical Creations I have posted my first in a series of de-cluttering eBay auctions. If you like My Little Ponies, or you liked them when you were 8 and wish to recapture that feeling, check them out!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
A-Z of me
R is for Reading
I read several blogs so today I thought I'd feature 5 of them.
Jenny C.-A blog I have been reading as long as I've been reading blogs. Jenny posts about her lovely yard sale finds, her garden and her wonderful pets. I could do without the posts about concerts but her project page makes up for it.
Amy-What a lovely person and she posts such lovely inspirational stuff, she's also the lady behind Club Little House.
Mimi Smartypants-Quite possibly the only "mommy blog" I can tolerate.
Tracy-A newer blog to me, I am enjoying her food, cat and garden pictures! I love blogs with pictures. So I have included one in this post even though it is thoroughly unrelated to the content.
Cybele-I love getting the scoop on new products, especially tasty sweet products. So I read Candy Blog and it's cousin (written also by Cybele) Junk Food Blog.
I read several blogs so today I thought I'd feature 5 of them.
Jenny C.-A blog I have been reading as long as I've been reading blogs. Jenny posts about her lovely yard sale finds, her garden and her wonderful pets. I could do without the posts about concerts but her project page makes up for it.
Amy-What a lovely person and she posts such lovely inspirational stuff, she's also the lady behind Club Little House.
Mimi Smartypants-Quite possibly the only "mommy blog" I can tolerate.
Tracy-A newer blog to me, I am enjoying her food, cat and garden pictures! I love blogs with pictures. So I have included one in this post even though it is thoroughly unrelated to the content.
Cybele-I love getting the scoop on new products, especially tasty sweet products. So I read Candy Blog and it's cousin (written also by Cybele) Junk Food Blog.
A-Z of me
Q is for Quilt
I don't typically quilt. But I can. Quilting is too long a crafting process for me to really get into, first the piecing then the sandwiching and quilting, then adding the binding. I suppose that's what some people like about it, it's time-consuming and relaxing. But I generally craft for end product. That's why I like
Malec Designs patterns for free-standing appliqué. Quilting with a glue stick?! That's my kind of quilting! It's still time consuming, hand-folding the edges of each appliqué piece. But the actual quilting goes a LOT faster since I use a machine to zigzag around each free-folded piece. Awesome! This wallhaning won fourth place at the county fair and will be auctioned off in October to benefit Corgi-Aid.
I don't typically quilt. But I can. Quilting is too long a crafting process for me to really get into, first the piecing then the sandwiching and quilting, then adding the binding. I suppose that's what some people like about it, it's time-consuming and relaxing. But I generally craft for end product. That's why I like
Malec Designs patterns for free-standing appliqué. Quilting with a glue stick?! That's my kind of quilting! It's still time consuming, hand-folding the edges of each appliqué piece. But the actual quilting goes a LOT faster since I use a machine to zigzag around each free-folded piece. Awesome! This wallhaning won fourth place at the county fair and will be auctioned off in October to benefit Corgi-Aid.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The key!
The key to getting a self-esteem boost semi-regularly:
Start a new job at your heaviest and progressively loose weight. Then whenever you need a little boost, visit an area of the office you haven't been to in a while! I was nearly 240 pounds when I started this job over two years ago and now I am under 200 (that finally happened this year!). I was swimming in my clothes and felt like they made me look like a bag lady. After purchasing a few new clothes this weekend, I am feeling SO confidant and getting MANY new compliments. People are probably getting tired of feeling the need to comment but I wish I could hug them all when they do!
Start a new job at your heaviest and progressively loose weight. Then whenever you need a little boost, visit an area of the office you haven't been to in a while! I was nearly 240 pounds when I started this job over two years ago and now I am under 200 (that finally happened this year!). I was swimming in my clothes and felt like they made me look like a bag lady. After purchasing a few new clothes this weekend, I am feeling SO confidant and getting MANY new compliments. People are probably getting tired of feeling the need to comment but I wish I could hug them all when they do!
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