Knitting Projects:

I've got a long list of things that I want to knit. While I knit all year long, around this time of year, I sort of go into overdrive. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's the being cooped up indoors more than any other time of year. Regardless, now that my blanket is done (or almost, the piecing together is killing me!), I've turned my attention to other projects. I've got another blanket in the works, leg warmers for A and I to wear over our running tights to and from early morning winter runs to keep our muscles loose, and leg warmers for Tillie so she can stay nice and toasty while playing outside in the snow with us. And then there are cowls. I'm sort of obsessed with cowls:

Easy to make and oh so comfortable and warm. I love them. Seriously, love. I want to make all these. And I plan to. So, don't be surprised if you get one from me during the holidays. I couldn't possibly wear them all, no matter how much I want to.

I made this:

It's done. My last t-shirt quilt. This one is of my college t-shirts. And it's massive. Apparently, I was more involved in extracurriculars than I thought. Anyway, I'm glad to be done. Now I can cuddle up and enjoy all my hard work. 

Still working on my knitted one though...

DIY: Containers

We've been trying to reuse things as much as possible. You know, reduce our footprint, keep things out of landfills, be responsible citizens of the world, all that. So we've been recycling aluminum and plastic. We re-purpose glass jars (seen here). And we've come up with a way to reuse the metal containers that some of our food comes in. We buy Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes. I like to eat them with my tea at night. And they come in these little metal canisters that seem too useful to just throw away or send off for recycling. So we decided to see if we could put them to use.

What we did was actually really simple -- sprayed it with a primer (so the paint would coat evenly without cracking), sprayed it with a few coats of paint, and taped off and painted the top with blackboard paint.

So now we've got this totally cool little canister taking up space on a shelf. Right now it's holding our tea bags but it won't be hard to change that up later on down the road. And we've got a few more waiting in the wings.

Not ground breaking or anything, we know. But any way to take something old and make it new again gets a thumbs up in our book.

We need:

Okay, maybe not we but I most definitely need this:

We are looking to buy a house by this summer (fingers crossed). We're kind of in love with this one.
And with three bedrooms, there is plenty of room for a craft room. One bedroom for us, one for guests, and one for doing fun things. I'm thinking this craft room can probably double as a computer room. Like this:

[all images from here]

Oh Martha Stewart, I think that we are sisters from another mother.

Snow day crafts

It started snowing this morning so I had a half day at work. I spent the afternoon under an electric blanket, eating good food, and watching Andrew play video games.

And of course I had time to work on my latest project:

The t shirt quilt. Somehow over the years, I have accumulated an amazing number of t shirts. And I haven't worn about 95% of them in years. I didn't want to get rid of them so they just sat in boxes and took up space. So I got out all my high school t shirts (there were so many that I have to make separate quilts for high school and college) and cut them up. I started by cutting them down the sides so I just saved the fronts (or whatever part was most important).

And then I made a template to create each square, trimmed them down, and ironed them onto stabilizer so they wouldn't stretch.

I ran out of stabilizer and I'm not going to brave the weather today to go get any. It'll just have to wait until this weekend. Until then I'm cutting up strips of fabric to place randomly between the squares to break it up a little.

Oh and don't forget, an all new episode of 30 Rock tonight @ 8p on NBC!

A mini office makeover

Got crafty last night (after a day of shopping with Kat and dinner with the fam). I finally got around to doing some things to transform the barren wasteland that is my office into something that is warm and personal. My first (and super easy) step was to put up something functional and pretty on the back of the hutch sitting on my desk that would brighten up the dark cherry wood and allow me to utilize that space. I looked around but couldn't find anything that met that criteria and made me happy at the same time. So I made my own.

I just picked up four cork tiles and some pretty fabric. Since the tiles were pretty thin (and I envisioned something a little more substantial) I just glued two tiles together, measured and cut the fabric, stretched it tight around the tiles, and glued it into place (and burned my thumb in the process).

I had a few Command strips lying around in a drawer that I used to hang the tiles. And I now have a monthly calendar courtesy of Katherine that looks cute and helps me stay on top of things (I decided to ditch the stand it originally sat on to free up desk space, but don't worry, I have plans to repurpose it at a later date).

This is so easy to do, literally took 10 minutes, and cost way less than any other option I considered. And it can be used anywhere -- kitchens, mudrooms, offices, laundry roofs, craft rooms, etc. -- that needs a little organization and a pop of color.

I have a lot of fabric leftover. And the more I stare at it, the more in love with it I am. I'm thinking I will incorporate it into quilt sewn on the new sewing machine I got for my birthday!

P.S. I think I'm getting sick. Again. What a way to start a new year. I have been taking Airborne and Zicam every 3 hours. And I think we're going shopping for a new humidifier this week. If my plan works, I might have found a way to successfully combat the common cold.

P.P.S. Today is my nephew's 9th birthday! Happy Birthday Tyler! I hope you get all the Mega Block Halo men you can carry.

Happy First Day of Fall!

[image here]

Reasons why I'm glad it's autumn:

• boots
• leggings and tights
• crunching leaves on the sidewalk
• thick comfy socks
• bonfires
• pumpkin everything
• chunky oversized sweaters
• all the good tv shows are back on
• county fairs
• football games
• halloween candy
• snuggling under blankets without getting hot
• harry potter and the deathly hallows pt. 1
• 2010 is almost over (good riddance)
• red, yellow, orange
• approaching holiday season
• coats, scarves, hats

P.S. Head over to design*sponge for this clever market bag makeover that you can totally do yourself.

Sunday Night Football

Tillie geared up for the first Cowboys' game of the new season and was really excited by all the food present during the pregame show but by the time the game actually rolled around, she didn't find it very interesting. And I can't even talk about how upset I am about how it all went down. Freaking Redskins.

So I started working on this new quilt a few days ago but really messed up on the seam allowances and had to rip it apart and start over. I finally started putting it back together this afternoon and I'm glad I took the time to do all that because it looks so much better. And yes, Maggie, those are the same fabrics that I used for your quilt. I just really love the look of them together.

I am reading Beginner's Greek by James Collins. Its good so far but I'm only a few pages into it so I can't form much of an opinion. Here's a brief summary:

"When 27-year-old Peter Russell boards a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, he fully expects to sit next to the love of his life. As luck would have it, he sits next to Holly Edwards, with whom he falls in love instantly. A lost phone number leads to years of wondering "what if," until Peter's best friend Jonathan introduces him to his new girlfriend, who is of course the same Holly of Peter's dreams. After Jonathan and Holly marry, Peter settles down with Charlotte, a Francophile who Peter tries to tolerate, but mostly just evokes feelings of pity and hatred. Of course, as with any fairy tale, the possibility for a happy ending is never truly out of reach, and Beginner's Greek is chock full of twists and turns to keep the action going."

I'll let you know how it goes.

Mason Jar DIY

Today I bring you a great way to reuse mason jars or any jars, really. Spaghetti sauce, jam, pickles, etc.
It's good for the environment and it helps keep you organized. We used ours to hold A's lunch utensils but you can use them for anything -- kitchen storage, craft storage, closet storage, garage storage, sewing storage (I use old spice bottles to hold buttons, needles, pins, etc).

What you'll need:

• glass jar with lid, cleaned and label removed
• sandpaper
• chalkboard spray paint
• newspaper
• chalk

This is really easy to do. Just sand the lid down so its a little rough (this will help prevent the paint from chipping) and wash and dry it. Then spread out the newspaper in an open area with plenty of air circulation (we like to do this part outside).

Lay the lid on the newspaper and spray on one to two light coats, overlapping slightly. You should wait a minute or two between each coat. After an hour or so it will be dry enough to handle but wait a full 24 hours before attempting any writing. Then just rub the whole surface with the side of a piece of chalk, erase, and you're ready to go.

I've been saving up some huge pickle jars to use this project on. I'm thinking they'll make great containers for pasta, flour, sugar, etc.

Project finished!

FINALLY finished the bag I've been working on for the past week (mentioned earlier here). It was a beast. But its cute. What do you think?

New bag

Yesterday I started making a bag for my flat iron. Didn't have a pattern so I just made one up. And added heat resistant fabric and padding inside so I would be able to stick my flat iron in there before it was completely cool.

Anyway, It turned out really well. I am pleased.

New project

My current project is still hush hush for the moment but while I'm wrapping that up, I've started a new one. I am making this bag for an upcoming trip.

Using this fabric for the exterior:

And this fabric for the lining:

And I'm thinking about piping the whole thing in this color:

What do you think? I really like this Amy Butler pattern and have been wanting to make it for a while. Now I have an excuse.

I'll post pictures when its completed.

new projects, new videos

I am in the middle of a creative project that will blow your minds but I can't say much about it here because the end result is/are for someone(s) who read(s) this. But look for pictures coming next month. And until then, here are some fabulous new sassy gay friend videos:







Oh and also, we're learning Italian! Parlo italiano benissimo! No, that's not Google Translator, that's me flashing my mad italian skills. My favorite word so far: abbastanza.

Yoga bag

Andrew spent the day playing video games and relaxing.
I spent the day making this:

This is the yoga mat bag that I made from the Amy Butler fabrics and using the Nigella Yoga Mat pattern from her website. Can't wait to go to class this week with it.

Trying to make something new every week or so. Thinking about what to line up next. Any ideas?

Amy Butler fabrics!

I am making this yoga mat bag (pattern from the Amy Butler website) tomorrow with these fabrics:

Because, really, I am obsessed with Amy Butler.

Stay tuned for photos of the finished product.