WIPWednesday: New year, new phone, new project!

Happy New Years, everyone! Hope all of you had a very merry holiday season.

2014 is going to be a pretty kick-ass year. I can feel it in my bones. My 2013 was... well, it wasn't all bad, but it's definitely a book I am happy to close. I'm looking forward to the blank canvass of 2014 that I can see stretching out ahead of me.

The biggest change so far: I have finally joined the twenty-first century and got an iPhone. Yay! So far I'm enjoying it thoroughly. It's a pretty far cry from the thirty-dollar texting phone I was on before.

I'm also FINALLY using my sewing machine. It was a Christmas gift three years ago- sheesh! I kind of figured out the basics a while ago, but I haven't really used it. As a Christmas gift this year my mom got me sewing classes at the local quilting store.  YAY!

I'm making an Amy Butler bag and I'm SO excited. I love the prints I found for this project.

 I haven't actually done any sewing but I've gotten all my cutting done. Of course Groucho had to see what was up...

Happy Wednesday everyone!

WIPWednesday: Christmas + Books

Between Thanksgiving, my birthday on the 2nd, and a crazy busy week at work I haven't had much time for crafting, but I made time yesterday. I found some reindeer at the local craft store for fifty-nine cents a pop. So of course I grabbed a bunch.

I didn't finish this guy because I had to clean up and get ready for work- boo. So far so good though, yeah? I used pages from Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. I also plan on some sheet music reindeer, too. I should have a whole mess of these little guys soon!

Finally finished: Friends bookshelf project!

I actually finished this a while ago... and never got around to blogging it. Go figure.

I'm really quite pleased with how it came out!

It feels so nice to have it done.

Have a great weekend!

WIPWednesday: Vintage Ribbon projects.

I have a ton of really awesome vintage ribbon. A couple years ago an old neighbor gave it to us; she was a secretary in a ribbon factory in the '60s and she'd hung on to it all this time.

Isn't it so awesome?? The problem I've got is that I'm kind of terrified to use it. It's so special and unique and so I end up hoarding it. I've used it in cardmaking once or twice, but never ever to wrap a gift! I'm trying to find projects that use it in ways where it won't be thrown away.

My first idea? Clear glass bulbs.

I'm not entirely happy with the result. To be honest, I'm kind of tired of the glass-ornament-filled-with-stuff look. And it was a pain trying to force the ribbon through the small opening at the top of the ornament.

Ideas? I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you would do with ribbon like this!

A late Halloween post

I've been slacking a bit.

I have been busy... but not that busy. Halloween party with my little brother, work, visits from family friends, and another trip to San Luis Obispo.

Kyle and I spent a lot of time and probably too much money on decorations and stuff. I made a ton of chocolate skulls for the occasion.

I used candy melts because they make it so easy-peasy; no tempering the chocolate, plus they came in bright orange! The molds are from Wilton. I picked up the super-tarnished platter at a local thrift store. Isn't it neat? I carefully covered the bottom with cellophane and double-sided tape because it was kind of gross.

Making them all was kind of a pain the ass. The big skull mold was not designed to be hollow and it took more than a whole bag of candy melts. All the skulls, big and small, are poured in two parts and had to be chocolated together. Like I said, big messy pain in the ass. Chocolate everywhere.

But they look so cool. At the risk of sounding like a seventeen-year-old with "YOLO" plastered across her t-shirt I'm gonna say it was worth it.

WIPWednesday: Scarf

Whew! It's been like a week or something since I blogged. Last week I was getting ready for a garage sale, mostly, and sorting through stuff in the garage. (I made seventy bucks, but I still have so much crap that didn't sell!)

Yesterday on my day off I went to Jo-Ann's for some glue. The one in town just moved to a giant new location and I wound up in the yarn aisle- oops. Don't need any yarn. Bought some anyways.

I figured I need a new scarf anyways though, right? I got some beautiful Besnat roving, and popped in a DVD a coworker had loaned me (Crazy Stupid Love). I poked around Pinterest for some ideas but kind of came up with my own pattern.

It's going quickly with the bulky yarn. I could finish it today if I didn't have to go to work. I haven't crocheted anything in something like eight months, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

WIPWednesday: sidetracked

Not much crafting this week. I'm trying to clean out my closet and read some of the books I've got laying around. I've got a big stack that I want to read but probably aren't keepers, so by reading, I'm also cleaning and decluttering! My logic is sound, right??

I did work on this WIP for about five minutes before I got distracted. Ok, maybe ten minutes.

I traced out the letters using an old drafting pencil- light lines, and a long, sturdy lead to get into the tight corners of those letters! Once I glue them down I'll have to do some trimming with a razor, but they turned out pretty well!

I started looking for my mod podge and instead I found... some tiny toys.

I got totally sidetracked taking pictures of them and never found my glue. 

So now I still haven't finished this damn project (that really should have taken, like, a day) and my desk is littered with PVC figurines and micromachines.

I suppose it could be worse.