I’ve kept up with something for 4 days, guys! It’s a miracle!
For these two days, I decided to go digital, which is a change for me. Usually I like making a mess and getting covered in ink and gluestick. But tonight I wanted something fast, something I could manage after a day back at work (after a glorious 4 day weekend, no less!), and have minimal clean up.
Friends and Family Describe Me As…Creative. Crafty. Smart. Sarcastic. Moody. Stubborn. Funny. Some good, some bad. I layered some heart shapes & words over a photo of myself from a few years ago. I have an almond latte in my face, so it sums me up pretty well.
When I need a time out, I…Curl up with a good book. Knit. Go to Starbucks. Sleep. Watch old movies. Snuggle with Kellen. And I need a time out a lot! These are all things I love to do. I simply added text to a photo of my feet in a pool, wearing a handmade skirt.
I got a little more practice with my SMASH date stamp, too. I’m having a lot of fun with this project! More soon!
Wednesday again?! Yay! I feel like all I ever post is what I’m loving, but hey, who doesn’t love more love?
1) This song. I triple dog dare you to listen to it and not feel totally awesome. It was stuck in my head all morning and kept me cheerful while I was getting through boring work business. It’s the best!
2) Last night in ceramics, I made something! A huge improvement over last week where nothing worked out! I also got a tiny bit more confident! Seven more classes left!
3) Oh, hey I’m on Instagram now! I’ve been waiting impatiently forever, and now the cool kids with Androids have joined the party! (Joking, sorta!) Anyway, my username is QuirkyViolet. Let’s be best friends!
4) Also, that boy up there. He is the best.
5) Wedding magazines. Well, some of them anyway. Some are awful, but Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Weddings, Weddingstar, and The Knot have been super inspiring. So many ideas!
6) Taking time to nurture myself. I’ve done four days of Morning Pages so far and I can’t believe I’ve woken up early enough all four days! I also did yoga last night after ceramics class instead of just crashing. Huge deal for me!
7) Trying new things with my hair! I get in the habit of messy ponytail or two braids and it gets so boring. Plus doing something with my hair gives me a bit more confidence which is always a good thing.
8) Planning our birthdays! (Kellen & I are a week a part. I think I know what I’m baking him this year.) My birthday is unfortunately on Mother’s Day this year, but I think we’re going to take my mom to crepes so I’m happy. Maybe I can convince my brother to pay since it’s my special day too…
Yay! What I’m loving Wednesday! It’s been a gray and rainy spring here so far, so I could use a little positivity!
1) This guy! I feel so ridiculously lucky to be with someone I love so hard.
2) Dreamy Chai- chai with a shot of white chocolate. I don’t know if this is a common thing or what (I mean, obviously you can order one anywhere that serves chai and white mochas, but I haven’t seen them on any menus), but Kellen and I tried a new coffee shop and I ordered one and OH MY GOD. So ridiculously sweet and, well, dreamy. I was completely sugar high afterwards but it was awesome.
3) This song. It’s been on heavy rotation lately and I can’t get enough.
4) Ceramics Class! I’m taking a wheel throwing class, which was one of my new year’s resolutions. We had our first class last week, and I was really, really not very good. At all. But I did have fun and I was always too shy to throw on the wheel in high school, so I feel like I’ve conquered a bit of fear which is definitely something I’m working on! Which brings me to…
5) Being gentle with myself. I’ve talked about struggling with perfectionism and my unreal expectations of myself (work 40 hours a week, volunteer every week, cook all the food from scratch, keep the apartment clean and cute, make a zillion things, update my blog regularly, go out with friends, send gifts to far away friends, etc etc etc.) I just can’t do it all. No one can. And being okay with it is a constant struggle but I’m getting there!
6) Crafting! I haven’t been anywhere near as productive as I’d like to be (see #5) but I’ve been knitting a little bit here and there, cross stitching, and planning quilts.
7) Wedding Planning! We have 396 days (if you’re annoyed by countdowns, we probably shouldn’t be friends, because I love countdowns!) so right now we’re in the fun, scheming and dreaming stage, reined in by working on the budget. Seriously, guys, we very rarely do anything just for us and when we do, it’s usually small or a compromise, so I’m really enjoying planning something for us, to celebrate us. And I’m trying not to feel guilty for being frivolous. And of course, I’m having fun pinning ideas.
8) New blogs! I’ll make a list soon (you’ve probably heard of most of them), but I’m really enjoying the inspiration!
Inspired by, well, just about everyone, but especially BonzaiAphrodite‘s Le Love List, and The Knit Girllls‘ “Favorite Things,” I’ve decided that I’d like to join the bandwagon with a weekly What I’m Loving list. Just some good things to get me through the week, inspire me, and remind me to keep looking on the bright side. Without further ado…
What I’m Loving:
1) Bright, Stripey Knee Socks, bought on sale for $1.50.
2) Chana Masala. I could eat it every meal right now. We use this recipe, but triple the curry (we’re not spicy-lovin’ people, the recipe is just seriously way too mild.)
3) Paper Crafting. Not sure what rekindled my love of all things papery, but I’m obsessed. I’ve been busting out the rubber stamps and gluesticks, and having a lot of fun. Michael’s just released a new no-rules-art journaling/scrapbooking line that is awesome. I bought the glue/pen combo, some labels, and the date stamp, and they were all really reasonably priced and awesome! Even though I prefer to do this kind of assemblage in a blank book or on regular scrapbooking paper, rather than spending $12.99 on their books, I still find this video super inspiring (and I can’t get enough of that song)!
4) This book. I got it out from the library, and found it so inspiring! Lots of good stuff on not worrying about “being an artist” and instead just living Artfully. Plus lots of artsy eye candy!
5) Quick knits. I’m all about the instant gratification lately (maybe that’s why I’m digging the paper crafting!), and so far this month I’ve knit a ring pillow for my brother’s wedding, and a hat for Christmas. That’s right, I’ve started early this year! For once! Photos soon.
6) Long phone calls with my mom, and planning a trip halfway across the country with her! Eeep!
7) The sweet love of my life, napping on the couch while I blog, knit, and eat all the leftover chana masala. 😉
For the past three years, my mom, her best friend, and I have had the awesome experience of doing a Creative Escape with some ladies from our LYS. We drive about 2 hours inland to get out of the fog, and spend 3 days in the conference room of a hotel- crafting, sewing, knitting, shopping, swimming, and generally having an awesome time. I have a very cluttered little sewing corner in our bedroom, so to have a six foot table and uninterrupted sewing time? I get SO MUCH DONE! We also shop till we drop (there’s a quilt shop and a yarn shop nearby, and we usually drive another hour or so into Redding to hit up the mall & stores there). It’s quite the adventure. Here are some scenes from this year:
I am still working on Kellen’s niece’s quilt, which I worked on at the retreat last year. My piecing is terrible, but I’ve learned a lot while working on this quilt, and overall, I like it. More on that when it’s closer to being done!
My mom made a dress, among other things. She taught me to sew, but she had never made darts before, so I taught her how to do that.
My mom & I at lunch. Did I mention that all of the food is provided? Including a ton of snacks and beverages in the conference room! We are so spoiled for the whole weekend!
Finally, there is a small but nice pool! I rarely swim there, because I want to cram in as much crafting as possible, but I always stick my feet in!
I know, I know- I tell you all about how I’m knitting more in 2011 and then I don’t show you anything new after January. And now it’s April. I have been knitting, and I will show you soon, but that’s not what this is about today. Today, I have a list of 24 things I want to do before I’m 24 (on May 13th, 38 days from now)- and I’m sharing it with you to make it a little more real. So here we go!
1) Go to the creperie with Kellen.
2) Dye my hair. 3) Go to a concert.We saw Bright Eyes, 4/10. Conor is as dreamy as he was when I was 16.
4) Order Tuscan pasta and cheesecake at the Brewery. (best meal ever…couldn’t save room for the cheesecake this time, though!)
5) Get rid of 10 items in my closet.
6) Put our Christmas stuff in storage
7) [work/professional goal- doesn’t need to be shared]
8 ) Thread my serger.
9) Make 3 ATCs
10) Start working on a new zine.
11) Do the 30 day shred- at least 15 times. (?/15)
12) Spend a day in the garden.
13) Watch 3 new movies.
14) Read 4 books.
15) Buy & use Sally Hansen’s nail polish strips.
16) Sew a messenger bag, for myself.
17) Decorate my desk at work.
18) Finish my Rusted Root pullover.
19) Go to Trinidad with Kellen and eat burritos by the lighthouse.
20) Recycle 10 magazines.
21) Commit a random act of kindness.
22) Cook a really nice dinner.
23) Send some long overdue mail.
24) Make myself a new necklace.
That’s it! Just a few teeny, tiny, doable things that I want to do. For myself, before I start another trip around the sun.
Knit it, Violet! 