My BFF Amy Stumbled me a post from the blog Making it Lovely, and now I am obsessed with it. The author, Nicole, is so talented that I cannot think of an appropriate adjective to describe her mad skills. Okay, I guess I just did. Girl’s got MAD design skills. With fashion, graphic design, stationary, interior design, landscape design… Her blog is a real pleasure to read. I have been going back and reading her archives. It’s mega eye-candy and mega inspiring. Click the link above when you have a few hours to get sucked into the intarwebs.
PS: If you like her blog, vote for her here; for Apartment Therapy’s blog award, The Homies.
I have very sad news, and I have to acknowledge that before I can feel like I can post anything fun and happy again. I think it will be good for me to get it off of my chest. It feels so strange when something major happens. Everything else seems so trivial, but the little things are the spice of life and I think it’s important that I allow myself to continue to participate in things that bring me joy, like Stitchify.
On Christmas Eve one of the people who is closest to me in the whole world was diagnosed with leukemia. Regular readers know her well by now. Aunt Susan. Her diagnosis has shocked us all. She eats very well, exercises daily, and is an exceptionally positive, loving, and caring person. I would have never imagined that she would become sick.
She had to check in to the hospital less than two hours after her doctor gave her the news on Wednesday morning. She will be there for the next three weeks, receiving the best care possible. Please pray/hope/vibe/meditate/what-have-you for her to have the strength to maintain her fantastic positive attitude, to be in the maximum comfort possible, and to be cured. These things really are possible and I have faith that they will come true.
(PS: your well wishes were very effective on my grandpa. I think he is well enough now to even fly out here to visit his Susan, his daughter. Thank you guys for your efforts.)
If you are a loved one/friend of Susan’s or mine and are interested in up-to-date information on her status, you can contact me for the URL of a blog that my uncle is setting up through a cancer support group. We’ll be doing at least every-other-day updates and posting pictures (she’s a photographer and so is my mom; they’re doing a bit of photo journaling).
I am on my third of nine days in a row of no work/classes/homework/anything! It is freaking fantastic and I am so happy! I was supposed to visit with family in DC, but Andy couldn’t get off of work. So here I am at home. I wish I could have seen my family, but trust me - I am making the most of it and having a superb time just being at home in my craft room!
I made a set of the crocheted snowflakes that I posted about a few days ago. I used Royale Metallic Crochet Thread that I bought at Michael’s. It’s bright white with a strand of sparkles. It calls for a size 7 hook, but I didn’t have one, so I used a 6. For the fabric stiffener I used Api’s Crafter’s Pick, also from Michael’s. It worked really well. Martha Stewart’s crochet patterns were well written, and I’d say the skill necessary is Intermediate.
Here are my flakes after being dipped in the stiffener and pinned to dry:
#1
#2
#3
#4
As you can see, #3 was way more complicated than the others. The pattern wasn’t; but the pinning sure was. The glue started drying before I was finished. I won’t make another #3, but the others were great. I believe that Martha came to the same conclusion on #3 as I did. I noticed that her Ice Crystal Garland only uses #1, #2, and #4. Hehe. Busted. I figured you out, girlfriend. And I can sympathize! Here’s her garland. Isn’t it pretty!?
This was a really fun project and didn’t take long at all. I’m going to keep making these so I can have my own pretty garland. Here are my flakes after drying overnight.
I stumbled across a tutorial of Martha’s for making snowflakes out of plastic six-pack rings. So cute and easy! I just emailed the responsible party at my office and I’ll have a load of these rings in no time, for more flake making! Yippee!
My favorite pattern from this edition is Fern Glade:
Speaking of super cute and super free patterns, my crafty foodie friend La Fuji Mama passed on this link to her tutorial for using furoshiki (also see below post) to make a fabulous bag! Thank you for sharing LFM!
La Fuji Mama has a fantastic blog that will keep you entertained for hours on end. She posts about all kinds great stuff: delicious recipes (like the toffee I made last weekend), crafty cuteness, her adorable family, and her experiences from living abroad. I highly recommend browsing around on her site.
And for any Bay Area readers, Feria Urbana is tomorrow in Oakland. They always have a variety of really talented vendors. It’s a great craft show, and lots of fun.
And here is a Martha Stewart tutorial with crocheted snowflake patterns, and instructions for using fabric stiffener to make them keep their shape when hung. I love these and am looking forward to next year when I have the time to make some!
And finally, although it’s unrelated, if you are interested in getting a laugh check out this highlarious link to a gallery of photoshopped celebrities. LOL!
Indie Sacramento was awesome! Big ups to Tamie and the gang for putting on an amazing event.
Here’s me at the event. Wearing my scarf I knit out of baby alpaca. So warm, snuggly, soft, and not at all scratchy.
I was doing pretty good on the Christmas shopping front, so I only got two things. Something for a person who reads this, so it shall go unmentioned but check out the seller’s site! And - the cutest damn ornament on the face of the planet. I am trying to be somewhat frugal right now, $ince tuition is due next week… but I had to make this mine. Isn’t it lovely!? I’m going to display it year-round. It’s made by Zuliblu.
A few weeks ago we made gingerbread houses with Amy and Justin. It was really fun. Notice the Underwear Ninja plush that I made, in the background. Ha!
Andy and I went to San Francisco on Thanksgiving. It was super fun. Here’s a few pics from our trip.
I have to say, after creating this post and seeing all the fun I’ve had lately, it’s hard to feel sorry for myself while working my ass off for finals. My loved ones help me balance the work with fun. I love you guys.
