Creative Corner

Remember that empty space that I talked about filling a little while ago? Well, it's filled. Done. Check. We were DIY rock stars this weekend and got started early on the spring cleaning/projects. We knocked out so many items that have been sitting on our To-Do list for months now. Including taking this once bare dormer space from this:

To this:

Pretty, right? Not that much of a transformation, I know, but we didn't want to change a space that wasn't really ours (paint, etc). So this is perfect for our needs: doing homework, reading, and scrapbooking. It even transitions nicely into a sewing table:

We are still in search of a cool chair. Preferably something old(ish). And cheap. We found one this afternoon that we loved but still haven't made up our minds. And I know exactly what kind of lamp/lighting I want but can't seem to find it anywhere. Well, anywhere in my price range. I refuse to pay over $300 for a lamp (yes, I'm talking to you, Anthropologie). Here is what I'm after:

But we're in no real rush for any of that so we will take our time hunting it all down.

Stay tuned this week -- we've got a few more fun projects to share with you.

My high school self in quilt form

We're digging out today. I was supposed to leave this afternoon for a conference in Hot Springs but I couldn't even get up our street so I am staying here. I'm sort of glad -- I can sleep in my own bed and watch 30 Rock with Andrew.

Plus, if I were on my way to Hot Springs today, I wouldn't have had the chance to finish my quilt, finally.

Two sides of t shirt goodness -- concerts, musicals, yearbook, television, mission trips, speech tournaments, trips, lifeguarding, volunteering -- and a few special scraps of fabric (those patches of red and blue polka dots are for you, K & L).

If my high school self were trapped in a quilt, this is what it would look like.

Looks like someone likes it already.

Snow: My Winter Friend

Working for the government is like being back in school: when the weather gets bad, there's no work. And you find yourself watching the closings scrolling along the bottom of your TV screen, growing more and more anxious as it gets further along in the alphabet that you will see what you have been waiting for. And when you finally confirm what you have been not so secretly hoping for all this time, you run around the house screaming, singing, and celebrating the fact that you can sleep in tomorrow and spend the entire next day doing nothing. And you stay up late that night and probably eat junk food and it sort of feels like Christmas. Snow does that to people. It's magic.

We've had around 6 inches here and it's still coming down. Andrew and I spent our free day hanging out, sleeping in, eating too much, and trying to stay warm. I got a chance to work on my quilt and I am so close to finishing. Tomorrow maybe. Because yes, we're out tomorrow too.

Super Bowl weekend

I had a half day Friday because of snow (technically less than a half day because I left @ 9:00a) so I spent the afternoon in warm pajamas, watching musicals, and working on my tshirt quilt. It's taken so long because I can only really work on it on the weekends. But I'm almost done -- pictures coming soon.

Saturday Andrew and I finally took down our Christmas tree (don't judge) and after clearing it all away, we realized we had absolutely nothing to fill the now bare space. So we decided to make a built in desk and after a trip to Lowe's, we were rolling. Just a few cuts, some sanding, and painting was all it took. It was still technically "drying" all day yesterday (it took more than one coat of paint) so we haven't had a chance to install it yet. But maybe when I get home, Andrew will have surprised me by setting it up. I have major plans for this space so stay tuned.

Yesterday we hung out at our friend Schuck's house for some Super Bowl partying and general fun. We played Kinect, ate way too much, enjoyed a good game of football, and watched the new episode of Glee. I love to watch the winning team's victory but for some reason, I always get really sad for the losing team.

Which ads were your favorites? This was one of mine:



P.S. I found some cookies at the grocery store that taste exactly like Girl Scout Samoas. And I am in trouble because I cannot stop eating them.

Ground hogs are my fave today.

Confession: Sometimes when I get bored, I like to Goggle myself. And I find information about all the flag football championships I've been in, things I've done at ASU, work with the AR Supreme Court, and conventions I've presented my ideas at and suddenly I don't feel as small and insignificant.

I found this video of myself on youtube from this summer for Repower America:



P.S. Bill Nye also supports clean energy.

Also, Happy Groundhog Day! Good ol' Phil didn't see his shadow. So spring is on its way! And thank God. I don't think I can stand this bleakness any longer.

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.

New read: The Mercy of Thin Air

Started a new book yesterday, The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue, one of my thriftbooks pruchases. Pretty good so far.

Brief summary:

"In 1920s New Orleans, smart and fearless Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she suddenly dies in a tragic accident. Immediately after her death, she chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it. From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the story of her lost love, as well as the relationship between Amy and Scott, a young couple whose house she haunts seventy years later. Their trials finally compel Razi to slowly unravel the mystery of what happened to her first and only love, Andrew, and to confront a long-hidden secret.

The Mercy of Thin Air entwines two tragic and redemptive love stories that echo across three generations and culminates in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless. From plucky, forward-thinking Razi, who illegally slips birth control guides into library books, to hip Web designer Amy, who begins to fall off the edge of grief, to Eugenia, caught between since the Civil War, the characters in this ambitious and original debut sing with life, as well as Southern flair.

"With lucid supple prose, Ronlyn Domingue weaves a gossamer tale suspended between two worlds", lauds acclaimed author James Wilcox. The Mercy of Thin Air is a wondrous, incredibly wrought novel that evokes the transformative power of love, memory, and time."


It's a little hard to read sometimes -- the way the narrator travels back and forth between memories and real life. But I am enjoying the interesting perspective. And it definitely has some unexpected twists that keep it fresh.