Merry Christmas

"Merry Christmas!" says the bear in the 10-minute-insta-sweater I made it, my only finished craft project lately.

Hope everyones' holidays are going well. Mine did! Small Christmas, but a good one- I got a macro lens for my camera (macro lenses tend to be really expensive so it was exciting for me to get one).

I took this photo from 8 yards away with my macro lens! This catapult was my present for my brother- he loved it!

Tomorrow I'm heading out with family to visit my grandparents, who I haven't seen (not counting graduations) since I was about 15 years old. It's a 15 hour drive each way, and since I get crazy car sick at the least provocation, I'm taking along a pound-sized ball of yarn for my latest crochet project- it involves 30 8"x8" squares in different stitches that get sewn together into a moderately sized afghan throw. At this point I only have one square done, so there's room for a lot of work during the drive!

Hoping everyone traveling gets where they're going safely, and I'll be back in a few weeks with updates!

Pre-Christmas Stress

There aren't words for how bad I am at wrapping presents (except maybe 'I'm bad at wrapping presents'). My mom taught me the proper way to wrap presents when I was a kid, and I took that knowledge and skill and threw it all out, deciding in my strange child head that my way was better. A couple decades later I still suck at it to the point it's a running family joke.

This year I'm finally trying something new- boxes! My friendly local Joann's had these printed boxes on sale, and the peppermint ribbon was half off (!) too. I can't wrap presents, but I can put things in boxes and tie ribbons around them really well!

All of this is completely negated by my use of Post-It Notes as labels.

I have been crocheting as well. Some of those boxes in the photo contain crocheted gifts as well as storebought ones, but until the people receive them I'm not going to post anything more about it.

And below, these are the first few flowers in a flower-heavy project I'm starting with some yarn I found in my bin.

My yarn bin is like free shopping because I'm a compulsive yarn buyer and have a really short-term memory.

After my finals are over I can get moving on crafts for real. So close!

Crystal Bridges Museum

Yesterday the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art had its grand opening. This is a huge deal for this area for several reasons- Arkansas is not known for its culture and this opened that up, and also because WalMart (yes, that WalMart) gave it to us. Alice Walton, daughter of the founder of WalMart, has spent the last 10-15 years collecting art and spending money to build this large museum for Northwest Arkansas. She- and the WalMart Foundation- donated Walton land, personal art collections, and paid for all the work to be done to build this museum, and gave a large enough endowment to keep admission free so everyone can afford to go.

And today I went!

There's an audio tour that I didn't do but will in the spring- it was very crowded today! Also, it would be fun to take my sketchbook and draw some. Such a beautiful museum, and it's almost in my backyard!

Fall Leaves

No new crafts because of midterms, but today I took a break from schoolwork to go on a drive and see all the fall leaves. I'm not fond of living in Arkansas, even if it is for graduate school, but I will admit the best thing about it is the nature. Lots of trees, lots of hills, and in October when the leaves turn it is incredible. So here are photos of that in lieu of crafts.

War Eagle Craft Fair

The actual War Eagle Mill, the epicenter and about 1/25th of the total craft fair.

This past weekend was the famous War Eagle Craft Fair near where I live. The nutshell version is this short news clip from a local channel:

Since I am poor and need to start paying off my student loans one of these days, I didn't spend much. I got two knitted wool scarves and a big bag of "rescued jewelry" that a vendor was selling. Here's the content of that bag:

Bit of things, pretty things, assorted items that aren't too pretty as are but have a lot of potential, flat out ugly things, useless junk, amazing things, etc!

I see so many future projects laying there on my blanket, and since today and tomorrow are fall break I can work on some of my ideas.

Also, since crochet takes awhile and I'm crocheting most of my Christmas gifts this year (I get to make a baby hat with ears, finally!), I'm going to be talking a lot about crochet this fall. I already have three projects done that need photos to be taken of them, and am about halfway through a fourth! With three more projects lined up when I finish the current one, I have something to do all autumn long. So there will be photos of all that eventually.

Have a great fall, and see you again soon!

Crochet Along and renovations

Still over at Maybe Matilda's doing the crochet along! I am going to have one fluffy cowl in a few weeks! Personally, I think that if the farmer's almanac is to be believed regarding the severity of the coming winter (worst on record last year and this one is supposed to be worse), then no amount of fluffy is too fluffy!

It's fluffy, and a good use of what's left of my brain after grad classes end for the day.

The bathroom renovation also goes well. The wallpaper is about 95% off and the molding (wainscotting) is slowly coming off the doorjams and baseboards. I broke the light in the tub section of the bathroom on accident, but we are going to replace it anyway. Hopefully this week we can get the primer on and buy the blue paint, if not completely paint. It's going great! Meanwhile, my brother and I are using the guest bathroom downstairs since there's exposed wiring in ours.

Photo from Thursday. Even my brother's girlfriend came over to help. This wallpaper was universally hated.

So all is well. See you later for another update!

Crochet Along with Maybe Matilda!

I'm going to do a whole project! Not finishing projects is my kryptonite (that and grad school and having a job), plus no one I regularly come into contact with crochets so I don't do it as much unless I need a winter hat/scarf combo. This shall change this year, hopefully, starting in a few weeks.

Why? Because I'm doing Maybe Matilda's crochet along! The idea is that a whole bunch of Internet-dwelling crafters are going to make the same project during the same timeline, and then post pictures at the end. There are prizes and such, but mostly I like the project that we're going to do. I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out my yarn already because I'm that excited- Yarn Bee's sherpa blend 103- "Serenity", which apparently does not exist on the Internet. So I took a picture so you can see the pretty colors:

The best part (other than finding yarn at all) is that these were in the clearance bin, so I only paid $8 for all three!

I'll have more updates on this once the crochet along starts!

Virtual Redesign- Kitchen

Back in 2000, when we moved into a new house that Mom didn't like much as my Dad did, the agreement was that she be allowed to pretty much redecorate the entire place without having to consult him. Unfortunately, two of the biggest eyesores- the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom- have been untouched (Dad doesn't understand that there's a problem. There are walls, and the doors work, so everything's good, right?). It's finally been delegated to me, as the daughter bumming free rent during grad school a concerned family member to make the rooms pretty.

Things that can't change in the kitchen: the white cabinets, island counter and plantation shutters have to stay as they are.

Ideas:

^I love the color and look of these countertops

^The wood panel island idea is fascinating.

^When I showed it to mom, this was her favorite.

I like the walls, light fixtures, and everything about the

countertops (color, texture, rounded edges)

^Accent color tiles

The main thing is to replace the countertops and repaint in our kitchen, those two things alone will completely change the room. Next update: the upstairs bathroom ideas!

$5 or less- Goodwill Floral Dress

Above: Before. Below: After!

Hi again! Sorry it's been so long, yesterday was my first official day of graduate school. I'm about to depart for more errands (I bought two of the same textbook on accident, go me!) but wanted to update first. I haven't been slacking on the crafts, but I haven't taken any photos of my latest stuff. Eventually I will and will post them, but today's focus is this awesome 90s dress I got at Goodwill.

I've expressed my love of altering Goodwill clothing before, and this piece was just as easy as the dress in the link. The original dress had the hemline about 4" lower, a back and sleeves, and- of course- shoulder pads! What made me want to buy this was the little vintage crochet piece on the front and the little buttons right below it, and whatever I did to this dress must feature those pieces. So, halter!

Those were on the dress already and prettier than anything I can do.

I cut the shoulder pieces out to add to my collection and then cut the top of the dress into a halter shape sans the straps. I raised the hemline and used some of the fabric from that to make straps, sewed them on, and fitted the dress to me a little better, and BAM! Brand new dress in very nice condition for only $5, and nobody else has one like it! Bonus: this dress seriously slims me down. I'm fairly heavyset and it's nice to look skinny. Another bonus: cute and fresh without having to resort to copious amounts of cleavage.

This afternoon one of my stops will be at a local vintage dress shop I discovered in my college town, hopefully I'll have a post about that soon. For those of you in school, have fun, and for those who aren't, also have fun!

College cleaning tips

I somehow seem to spend the most time in the smallest, most cramped places. In my current living situation (back in my parents' house post-college), I have roughly 2/3 of my apartment's contents in an 11x 14 space. This includes my desk, queen-size bed, bookcase, dresser, several large storage bins, and a craft table. Yikes! So despite me not being a particularly messy person, piles accumulate.

Also, as hot as it's been in my area (yesterday it was 110 out, I wish I was exaggerating), I've been indoors when I'm home, hiding from triple-digit temperatures in air conditioning. So again, things are piling up.

Here's a bunch of tips I have learned about how to make a messy room (or entire apartment) look presentable in under 1 hour:

1. Make the bed first. Not only is this going to make roughly 1/4 the room look nice right off the bat, but it gives you a surface to put other things on while you clean.

2. Put all the clothes away. Trust me, unless you're super Type-A there's clothes laying around. Fold/hang up the clean stuff, and put the dirty stuff in its proper place.

3. Throw away all trash. Tissues, plastic cups from various stores, receipts, outdated post it notes, tiny fabric scraps, etc. Also, take this trash to the trashcan. Don't leave the bag sitting around the room.

4. Put things in their correct spots, or if you're in a time crunch stack things pleasingly. Textbooks can be gathered and stacked in one pile. Fabrics and papers can be folded and stacked.

5. If there's time left, dust/vaccuum, Febreeze, etc.

And voila! Passingly cleaned living quarters in under an hour!

Remnants- Jewelry frame

I've only been sewing since the beginning of 2011 (seventh grade home ec doesn't count), and I've already built up a large collection of spare fabric bits from various crafts. So far I've found out of the way places to put them, but soon there will be too many to stash under beds! Lately my goal has been to use a bunch of my remnants and clear out some room for more.

Today's craft is based on an idea I've seen on other craft blogs- a framed jewelry display. Here's the version that finally got me inspired to make my own, courtesy of Poppytalk.

First off, my materials:

Foam board- $2, Hobby Lobby

Fabric- $0, remnant from a previous craft

Nails/ hammer- $0, already owned those too

Wood frame- $12, Hobby Lobby (I have no doubt that cheaper frames can be found though)

Spray adhesive

Pins/tacks- I used $3 beading pins from Jo-Ann's and have plenty left over for future crafts

How- To:

First, cut out the right size of foam board- slightly smaller than the area in the frame. Cut fabric 2" larger on every side, and glue (or tape, doesn't matter) to the foam board.

Cut more fabric for the frame, 2" extra fabric on both the outside and inside of the frame window. Glue on frame.

Glue/tape foam board to frame. I had a damaged spot on the fabric in one of the corners, so I made a twisty flower by scrunching up one edge of fabric and glueing the whole thing on top of the spot.

Place pins on foam board as needed to hang jewelry on. Suggestion- put the pins in so they tilt up slightly, so that when the frame is on the wall the jewelry doesn't slide off!

Hang on wall, add jewelry, and show to all your friends!

Photography

One of my few hobbies that doesn't take up a lot of space is photography. I love taking photos of everything- whether it's interesting or not- and recently upgraded to a Canon Eos Rebel T3 (or as I call it in my head sometimes, the "Terminator 3000" because I'm a nerd).

A park near my house

It takes crazy detailed photos and because I am somewhere between 'beginner' and 'amateur' in my skill level I'm learning my way around the camera as well.

The camera I'm using for my photography class. Using real film instead of digital is so nerve-wracking.

Mostly I just wanted to show you some of my pictures I've taken with it.

One of my classmates. He has the Canon Eos T2, and it's his fault I couldn't wait for the T3 for Christmas like my original plan had been.

Hopefully I'll get the dress I made tailored a bit to fit and photographed for this blog soon, or at least finish a craft at all. Photography's taken over. That's all for now, folks!

Fake flowers

My mom tries really hard to have flowers in the yard, but due to weather and squirrels it never lasts. For years, she'd plant flowers all around the house and they'd look gorgeous for a month or so, until it had either flooded, droughted, hailed, or the petals had been eaten off by woodland critters. One day she came home and said "I found flowers that those damn squirrels won't eat," and pulled out these lovely pink blooms. She arranged them in hanging pots on the back patio and they've been there for years, blooming all year long. Many friends have been fooled into leaning up for a sniff only to be confused by the lack of a scent.

And Mom was right- squirrels don't eat fake flowers.

Key Necklace

I love looking at jewelry! Recently I bought several old keys of various shapes with the intention of doing this exact project to them- this is the key I have done so far.

First, I traced the key shape onto the surface of the design I wanted, and then cut it out. (Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for "big cats" that have been recovered from abusive situations or retired from active life, such as smuggled illegal pets and circuses. More info on that here.)

I used tacky glue to glue the image onto the key, making sure it was on there evenly so that the next step wouldn't be messed up by bumps.

Carefully pour Mod Podge Dimensional Magic over the image-side of the key.

I glued a small loop on the other side so that I can put the key on a chain, and then waited for it to dry.

And BAM! New necklace.

Sewing 101: Apron

One of the things I had wanted to do in college but didn't get around to was take a photography class, so this summer I am finally doing that. As it turns out, I am allergic to film developing chemicals (mostly the 'stop' but also the fixes), but I digress. Those same chemicals that make me get hives also are very bad for clothing, so aprons are required. Instead of using the ugly school aprons or buying one, I'm whipping one up this afternoon while enjoying my only day off from everything.

The pattern I chose was See N' Sew B5551 because I didn't want to have to concentrate on details on an apron I'm going to spill things on, but also didn't want a shapeless sheet. I picked a sturdy fabric from the red tag bin at Joann's, and had the project done in about 1 1/2 hours (because I'm slow).

I deviated some because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on detailwork for what is essentially a smock that prevents chemical stains, but I had to add the squiggly ribbons for a little detail. I love squiggly lines.

Quilts #2 and 3

I've got two quilts this time that I'm working on. One is for me, and one for a friend as my half of a craft swap. Mine's farther along because I started earlier, and my friend's....well, I bought the fabric and figured out the design. That's a good start. Here are the fabrics for the quilts!

My friend's quilt, which will be navy blue and white (or perhaps navy blue and tie-dyed white and grey), and all the patterned fabrics will be cut into owls and handstitched on. She likes owls.

My quilt, which will be more geometric.

Upcoming projects

Main Street in Grapevine, Texas (where I was raised from age 2- 11)

I don't have any completed crafts for you this week. My summer job is in full swing, and 20 hours of my week are now taken up with part-time employment. My photography class starts on Tuesday, which will take up about 25 more hours of every week in July, and unfortunately craft time is getting cut down dramatically in order to cope.

Now, having said that:

1. I cut the pieces for a swishy, fun bohemian skirt. All I need to do is sew them together!

2. All of the fabric is purchased for my next quilt, so once I finalize my design I can get started on that.

3. More jewelry! I purchased a bunch of Scrabble tiles at a junk store and more Dimensional Magic at Joann's awhile back, as well as some beads recently. Added bonus: I now have one of those jewelry display boards so that future photos of the finished craft won't be so bad.

3D Collage Frame

I have some 5" x 7" prints that I purchased on sale that have just sat around in the corner of my room for years. I've never hung them up despite how much I love Audrey Hepburn because generally I find frames boring and don't like shopping for them. The idea of a fabric backing around and behind the photo and adding 3-D elements to a photo was appealing, and that is what I am attempting today.

I picked up a suitably deep photo frame (I keep referring to it mentally as a 'deep-dish pizza' frame) at Joann's and a pretty fabric in the remnants bin. I cut the fabric to fit the back cardboard side of the frame and then left a few inches along all sides.

Lay the fabric out and glue the back of the frame to it so that the side that faces the frame glass is against the back side of the fabric. Make sure the fabric isn't bunched up or bubbled anywhere and let it dry for awhile.Next, cut the edges off the fabric so that there are four panels of fabric that go past the edge, then turn and glue those down. Again, let it dry.

Above: Helpful hint- use spray glue. I used Tacky Glue, which, though very effective, showed through the fabric. If you do this it isn't really an issue since the fabric will be covered with stuff later.

Below: If the frame has a little hanger on it already, just cut the fabric around it.

Now for the super fun part- decorate! I found ribbon and lace and random little things in my craft drawer to make my print photos interesting, and glued them all to the fabric. Let it dry as well, and then hang up the frame and enjoy a completely unique piece of homemade art!