SWAP info!

I was thinking it would be nice to do more swaps this year.... & i love it when my partners have a huge master idea list. so i'll throw one out there as well!! I am not a picky person either! :p

most of all i like unique, local things from different areas. i don't get to travel much anymore myself, so this is nice! anything from local recipes, honey, syrups, treats, trinkets or post cards.

food treats: pretty open really. of chocolate things, i prefer dark chocolate. even mixed with nuts or toffee. i aim to try for organic or non-GMO as much as possible, but i do enjoy 'regular' food quite frequently. i dislike most white chocolate & black licorice. there are no known allergies in my household.

beverages: i drink both coffee & tea on a regular basis!! i have a keurig coffee maker (k-cups) & have the option for using my own coffee & have a grinder, so i can use anything. i also drink both bagged & loose leaf tea!

smells: i enjoy "clean linen" type, ocean & citrus scents the most that i can think of right now. i'm not usually partial to vanilla scents unless it is the vanilla extract i am dumping into a cookie dough ;)

yarns: i shop Knit Picks frequently, but am open to all brands/types. i love all of it & haven't met a Stroll i didn't like. or any brand tonal type or tweed! i love bare yarn, not only because i do like the neutral colour, but also the possibilities!! i can use from lace weight to bulky weight, not a problem! i only have a problem trying to figure out what to do with some novelty yarns. I have a KP wishlist on Rav profile also.

colours: big fan of GREY!! silver in all things, dark grey/charcoal. i am also a fan of all neutrals/naturals & blues, including teals. but i do love a nice pink, especially paired with a grey. only colours i'm not always thrilled about on their own is orange & yellow or neon.

yarn crafting: i have a drop spindle i still haven't used but really want to. i still want to get into dying.. (looking for re-purposing a pan or crock pot?). i hope to put sweaters & mitts behind me this year & try socks yet again (the heel thing). want to do my swedish weaving (huck weaving) towels & maybe a blanket this year. i make stitch markers, trying to get 'cleaner' with it. oh & i 'knook', which is knitting with a crochet hook... haven't ever mastered knitting with needles. patterns in ravelry under queue "wishlist" or fav "wishlist". i also like to sew.

recipes: always interested in yummy new recipes. secondary would be that they also be frugal, low-carb or healthy inspired... but emphasis on the yummy priority. :)

other: i love Scandinavian-inspired things, nautical themed, flowers-carnations, lilies & roses, books-Fire & Ice series by George R.R. Martin & The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, TV-Doctor Who, Family Guy, The Good Wife, Call the Midwife, Merlin, Downtown Abbey & i have Sherlock queued, World of Warcraft, Hello Kitty themed, Charlie Brown, Calvin & Hobbes, country & classical music. i should add i like "seasonal" things... i'm all about making food, wearing themed socks, window clings, decorations, etc.. for all holidays! my fav are valentine's day, st. patrick's day, easter, earth day, 4th of july & halloween!!

household: no smoking, 2 indoor cats, outdoor chickens. yarn stored in plastic bins. husband is a home brewer, 1 boy toddler into transformers, trains, angry birds, etc., 1 girl toddler into dolls, my little pony, barbie & hello kitty (where does she get that?!).

KP Wishlist!

Here I am sharing my wishlist to Knit Picks for their Wishlist giveaway!!! Wish me luck!

My Knit Picks Wishlist!!!!

Soaked Grab n' Go Tote

I started a quilt from Connecting Threads Soaked collection... (still wip-waiting for CLEAR open toe for quilting....) & bought some of their cordinating laminate & a layer cake pack to cut into charms. I had a bit extra fabric from the quilt kit, so i cut some 4.5" squares from that & cut some from the 10" pack. i could of just bought a charm pack, i guess, but i planned on about 2-3 of each. i overcut some, so i ended up with 3-4 of some & just 1 of a couple. Anyways, i had recently bought 'Fast & Furious: Family' by G.E. Designs (didn't realize she is from Iceland until i saw the cover!) & LOVED the Grab N' Go Carrying Tote (pg. 22) & had to make it!! It's a quilt as you go book, which i had never done. As i started cutting the material i realized how BIG this bag was!! yikes! But, that's okay, because i plan on leaving the quilt & bag in the trunk for day trips, etc.

At first, it was SO frustrating to work with!!!! it was so bulky & i have a cheapy lightweight Brother..... (i want to buy a new one... but have no idea how to shop the current selection!). i immediately tried all the suggestions for working with laminate....painters tape on the feed? (worthless!), tissue paper (how do you follow your line?? & it popped some of my stitches up too)... when in the end it was best to just increase the stitch length & sew normally & i had no problems. well, the biggest problem was marking my sewing line.... chalk didn't stick, marker wiped off.... desperate for a 'i-want-to-work-on-this-now' approach, i just used a ball-point pen.... i know... it's probably permanent, but it only shows a little if you inspect the bottom. i probably should have felt the edges from the lining side & flipped it over, huh? oh well. Once i was able to cut the extra fabric around, it was so much easier to work with. i'm a newbie in bag making, but i'm quickly going through some patterns. :) every pucker & whatnot was making me crazy. i'm not a perfectionist, but i think i am in my head, so every little thing was eating me!! it finished quickly enough & i love the side seam trick (i think i knew this once before, but forgot...?), but i love how it easily hides the edges!! once i had it together the imperfections aren't a big deal... they are lost on the inside & i'll use a little fray check on part of a side seam that didn't get caught in. I am SO happy with this project, i felt so accomplished all day after finishing it!!! can't wait to make another!! i threw it out in the living room & my toddlers climbed in!! ... it's THAT big! a bonus 'travel bed' for my littlest one!! :)

the modifications i made:
1. the handles, instead of using regular fabric as called for, i used laminate for that too... i figure all those dirty hands or scuffing the floor. now the handles can wipe clean too!!
2. i couldn't find the recommended interface/batting Bosal, so i substituted with Pellon 70. the package (multiple unopened at the store, verified by store clerk) all said width 22"... it was not. more like 19"... so i cut short the dimensions by 2".

(of course, this fabric ALL went on sale 40% off

about a week and a half after i bought it... as usual.)

2013 Resolution Wishes

It's far from the 1st of the year, but not yet February..!! So I've been thinking of what kind of crafty goals I could have for this new year.... as i overestimate myself usually, then i can see what i do not accomplish in December! ;) in no particular order...

1. make a cardi for me.. or anything for MYSELF.... i tend to gift it all away.
2. sell something... anything... a dishcloth, a stitch marker...  whatever, it would feel *nice*.
3. first handspun.. i have roving... i have a drop spindle... ;)
4. first hand dye... i have been wanting to try this for years, easy really, i just need to remember to carve out time for it.
5. stash bust as much as possible... don't make it seem i am buying so much yarn for NO reason... USE IT! (because by then i will find more i HAVE to have).
6. sew more.. i love it, but my craft space is limited that it has hibernated to the basement & i have so many projects in line for it & some wips, particularly decor & pillows for my son's room to be done this year & new curtains & decor for my room, also slated to be done this year!!

i would like to say this will all be a snap & i will accomplish even more than this!! now THAT is positive wishful thinking!

Five Regrets of the Dying

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have not honored even half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they’d made, or not made. It’s important to try to honor at least some of your dreams along the way. It’s too late once you lose your health. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard. This came from every male patient I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks, ... There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called “comfort” of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.
Life is a choice. It is your life. Choose consciously, choose wisely and choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Five Regrets of the Dying

Back to sketching-Old Art

Trying to find time in the cracks... not working so well! :) Seems everybody & everything demands your time like it's no big deal anymore. Doctors, dentists giving "do this everyday" instructions.. it'll only take twenty minutes... to making sure you spend quality family time, clean house, exercise & the long lines at the stores (seems the corporations are crunching those payroll figures!).. oh, but don't forget to spend a little time to yourself so you stay sane! hah!

So, in question, the time to myself is practically extinct... hard choices how to spend it & get the most of it in those ten minute intervals. I haven't crocheted/knit in a long while mostly because it takes too long & I don't get the kind of gratification of finishing something that I have always gotten from drawing/sketching/painting. So although I have tried to get back into drawing before unsuccessfully... I am REALLY REALLY trying it now. It is something I lived for & did at any free moment when I was younger, a car ride, side of my notes in class, actual classes on the subject... then one day my life took a ... 540 degree turn? That my life was so different & haphazard that I just stopped drawing that day. I didn't have the time, supplies, lived in a completely new place & have been playing "catch up" ever since (14 years). Factor in a dozen jobs, about two dozen new places to live including the ocean tied up at the end with marriage & three children.

So in my quest to get back to what makes me happy & 'stress-less'.. I am going to try harder & so far, have been more successful than my previous attempt. I just hope to be able to practice to improve my skills & relax! So, here I have posted a few work I found from 14 or MORE years ago to (hopefully!) see some improvement! It's been a long time in various storage of extremely high temperatures... so smearing & damage was at a high rate.. of those I actually still own! :)

Happy V. Day!!

Happy Happy Valentine's Day!!!! :)

Yumm.... always heart-shaped brownies!!! Heart everything-cookies, lollipops/suckers, sandwiches!!

My date, my love of my life (one of them) picked out dinner..... PIZZA!!!! He picks pizza for every special dinner!! :) It always makes me happy because he is smiling and dancing in his chair. Got to love being two-and-a-half!

xoxo