Just Couldn't Resist

The weather for the past week has been in the low 70's. You must believe me when I say that 70 degrees in Alaska is like 90 degrees elsewhere. The reason, well could be a combination of a few things...being in the Northern Hemisphere means we are closer to the sun...our sky is very clear...who knows the exact reason but the sun is defiantly hotter!

So the other night I am sitting with my husband watching TV, talking and trying to cool down when I hear the most beautiful music, the ice cream lady. "Do you have any cash? Where is she? I hear her!" We paused the TV, sat very quiet, and tried to figure out what street she was on. I step out on the porch to look for her. Unfortunately the sound disappeared. She went down a different street. I grabbed $10 and sat it on the coffee table just in case she came back.

About 5 minutes later I hear her, in the time it takes me to grab my money and open my front door there she is. I ran out and flagged her down! She stops, gets out, looks at me and giggles to herself (and continues to giggle at me). She laughs at me for wanting ice cream!

I get inside the house with my two $4.50 (each) ice cream cookie sandwiches. Look at my husband and start laughing uncontrollably. "She was laughing at me....I feel so ashamed." Is it wrong for a 29 year old to run after the ice cream lady on a hot day??

Don't Judge Me

So the June art show is over, summer solstice has come and gone and we are losing a little daylight each and every day. A friend of mine picked up my art and delivered ALL of my art pieces to me...you guessed it I sold nothing! I shouldn't care, art is subjective, not everyone will like what you make, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I worked very hard on my pieces and thought they were unique, interesting and cool. I even kept the price reasonable. Some of the other art pieces were priced up to $75 or more. I feel a little set back and this will surely not help with my crafting self esteem.

The goal is to start making money selling crafts, but at this rate I will never get up off the ground.

What the....?

It is sad times for the crafters on my island of paradise. WalMart is taking away the fabric department! Most of the fabric is already gone and just an empty space remains. I was told that they are expanding the electronics department.

The craft department is already fairly scarce. They are only carrying two brands of yarn, the fake flower section is made up of a few leaves and two or three different flowers, and everything else seems to only give you a few selections. The fabric section wasn't' the greatest, but was a nice alternative when you didn't want to spend $10.00 a yard for fabric at the locally owned fabric store. (yes I typed that price correctly) When I think about sewing, I think of making my own clothes, curtains, bags, blankets, and doing all of this for less money than I could buy these things. If I am going to spend $30 (or more) and my time to make one shirt, is it worth it when I can buy something already made for less? I still believe it may be for the uniqueness, but other than that I am not sure.

WalMart what have you done to me!!

Maddness

It only took four days, but we are moved in!!!


I took off Friday and Monday to finish up and get settled, so I had a full four day weekend. (too bad it wasn't lounging drinking margaritas in the sun). All day Friday was spend packing and moving out every last bit of our stuff we could. We left our mattress, TV, kennel, clean clothes, vacuum, cleaning supplies and bathroom stuff in the master bedroom, since they are remodeling it they told us we didn't need to shampoo that carpet. This would be our place to sleep and unwind till we moved. Saturday was spent cleaning every last inch of the place....window and window sills, carpet, fridge, freezer, washer, dryer, oven (we even pulled it out to clean around it)...the place looked as it did the first day we moved in. We did such a good job that we treated ourselves to a couple "liquor" drinks and Taco Bell that night.

The plan for the big move-in day......my husband would meet "the landlord" at 10:00am at the house, to help haul things in his pickup truck. I would stay at the trailer consolidate our stuff and finish cleaning the bedroom and bathroom since we've been using it. Swap houses!

20 minutes till 10:00am Saturday morning there is a knock on our front door, I am in my pj's, my husband is getting in the shower. It's "the landlords" wife.

"You need to move your vehicles! I have people here with pickup trucks full of stuff and your in the way!" *picture mega witch voice*

So we move the vehicles, explain that her husband told us to meet at the house at 10am so we were unprepared for her to be there so early. She didn't care! While I drive to McDonald's to get breakfast, my husband hops into the shower. In the time I am gone, "the landlords" wife yells at my husband for being there....

"Why is there stuff in the fridge and freezer, you guys were suppose to be gone, why are you here? You still have stuff here, why aren't you gone!!! I have stuff to move in and my cat is in the car, and you guys just need to get your stuff out!"

My husband takes everything out of the fridge and freezer and puts it in a box (which sits in the bedroom for an hour and a half). We load up what we can which include our animals. He takes off to the house while I stay and clean. When he gets to the house, there is no place to put the food in the refrigerator, and my poor animals get stuck in a bedroom by themselves. It will take us only one more truckload to move the last little bit of stuff out of the trailer, time 12:30pm. "The landlord" tells us he need till 6pm to finish moving out and cleaning, so we go to the parents house and hang out......

6:30pm we show up at our house...everything is out! It is our house!

Unfortunately cleaning was not a priority, the fridge was so gross I had to scrape things off of the shelve to clean it, the toilet hadn't been wiped down after he used it last, the tub was dirty, the stove top was dirty, the pantry had crumbs on the shelves, there was cat hair embedded in the curtains...and I could go on, but I won't bore you with that, it was just gross. Why did I spend 14 hours cleaning the trailer if this is what I was left with here?

The positive...it is just dirt and I know how to clean.

Monday we settled in, unpacked the kitchen, master bedroom and living room. Still lots to do but for now we are happy home owners. Next project....CRAFT ROOM!!!

Almost at the Finish Line

The big news came in on Friday....the loan went through and we can close on the house this Thursday and Friday. I spent much of my time this weekend packing and cleaning and feeling very very overwhelmed. I can't seem to finish a room, because there is always something I have to keep unpacked. I find it very bothersome that most of my craft supplies are in boxes, yet I don't have time to craft anyway, so it shouldn't matter. After 2 months of waiting this last week seems to not be enough time to get everything accomplished. Somehow I know it will get done.

Taking Out Frustrations

I love finding craft ideas that can help take out frustrations. On Wednesdays episode of Creative Juice they showed a technique of "hammering flowers". The project was Pounded Pansy Napkins. With a little research on the internet I found some other Pounded Flower tutorials and instructions, which gave me some good technique ideas. Now to find the flowers. A lady at work received flowers from a friend of hers and they were at their last little bit of life. They still looked good but in a day or two they would be in the trash. I told her about the project and without asking she offered the flowers to me. They were beautiful orange/red Lillie's. Much bigger than a Pansy, but hey its a flower why not try it.

When I got home I immediately started digging through my fabric looking for anything that was white and a cotton blend. I found soft jersey cotton and went to work...placing ever so carefully, taping the pedals down and hammering the juices out of the flowers. It was a little tedious of a project, and my arm started getting very tired from the pounding, but it was well worth it!

I pounded five flowers into the fabric, and also used some of the leaves. I didn't try to create any kind of pattern, because I wanted the final result to look very organic. I am also not sure what I will do with the fabric, maybe a table runner...maybe a scarf...maybe it will sit in my craft room and collect dust, who cares it was fun to do and I will definitely do this craft again.

Art Show News!

The art show is up! Last Friday was the Artist Reception and I went with two of my lady friends, whom also entered art into the show. With it being summer there wasn't as many entries as I would of hoped. For some reason the people in my town, shut down their hobbies for fishing season and outdoor activities. I disagree with this practice because I find the outdoors as well as the indoors a great place to knit and crochet....and the outdoors is a great place to gather shells, driftwood, and other stuff to use in my crafts. Also the outdoor activities rejuvenate me and spark my creativity. Why should one only craft or create art 9 months of the year?


So, what you have been waiting for....my art hung up proudly on the walls!

Mine is the the fourth one from the left, circular sun, with a black border...

Mine is the second one from the left, circular sun made out of a crushed cd...Mine is the second one from the left, needle felted sun....

Procrastination

"Procrastination; the art of waiting till the last minute, making yourself stressed out of your mind and sleep deprived because you couldn't get your behind in gear 3 weeks prior to your deadline."

I have know about the Solstice Art show for a month now and today is the deadline, although she said Saturday would be ok as well. I finally finished up the needle felted sun last night and started (almost finished) a sun Mosaic. The sun Mosaic just needs a clear coat over the entire piece, then I will call it finished.

I believe I intentionally procrastinated, so I wouldn't have to go forward with entering my art into the show. I hate the judging eyes on my work and know that is something I have to get over if I want to be successful in the crafting/art business.

And now here is the Needle Felted Sun....

I am going back and forth as to whether or not I like the Needle Felted Sun. It certainly did not turn out the way I thought it would, but I still kind of like it.

And here is the Mosaic......

I am really happy with the way this one turned out. I was going to use the silver side of the Cd's but when I saw how the colors looked I just had to use them this way. The picture doesn't show the light glitter background on the yellow as well.

And by the way it is a cat nip plant in case you were wondering!

Did I Not Speak Clearly?

*WARNING.....THIS POST CONTAINS WHINING AND RANTING*

Last Sunday I decided I was too tired or unmotivated to cook dinner so off to KFC/Taco Bell I went. I pulled into the drive thru and made my order....

"6 piece grilled chicken family meal, with mash potatoes...."
"2 Chalupa supreme's, no meat, sub beans...."
"1 Mexican pizza, no meat, sub beans..."
I look at the screen to confirm he got my order correct and drive forward.

I get home with my quick and easy dinner, put my PJ's on and then hear my husband complain that only 2 of the pieces of chicken is grilled....but will eat the extra crispy anyway. Which was nice because I really did not want to go back out. I sat down with my yummy Taco Bell, opened the Mexican Pizza box and checked to make sure there wasn't any meat on it (habit)...and low and behold, ALL meat no beans. What's wrong with that you may ask...I am a Vegetarian. So I go change my clothes, hop in the van, drive back to KFC/Taco Bell, go inside wait in a long line and re-order my food.....

"I asked for no meat, sub beans on this Mexican Pizza, and all that's on it is meat. I am a Vegetarian, I only want beans.....they leave me standing there in mid thought, because of course my bucket of chicken is wrong as well. They finally come back to me and I explain the next item..."I asked for grilled chicken and this box of chicken only had two grilled pieces of chicken......".

Then I wait.....and wait......and wait.....oh and wait some more. Finally a guy waves me over with a bucket of chicken, all grilled! But my Mexican pizza is no where to be found, and at this point I have two Chalupa Supreme's sitting at home going cold and soggy. I ask about my Mexican Pizza and it is still not made, "No meat, Sub Beans" I tell them again and I wait...and wait some more.

After about 20 minutes I am on my way home, hungry and ready for my "easy" dinner. I sit down again on my couch in my PJ's, open the box to the Mexican Pizza and peek in between the two crunchy tortillas........MEAT!!!! I did not go back, just sat and ate my luke warm, going soggy Chalupa's, way to frustrated to wait again.

This is a small town, with only one taco bell, and I order from there at least once every two weeks, the same thing, the same way every time...and it is wrong 4 out of 5 times.

"Art" Show

For the month of June, Summer Solstice art will grace the walls of a local coffee shop. Usually one artist is featured and displays their work. June is special because it will be a multi artist showing. Anyone can enter up to 3 pieces, they will all be 6" x 6", some for sale, some not and all will be in the theme of Summer Solstice. I decided to enter some artwork about 3 weeks ago and last night, 2 weeks before deadline, started work on my first piece.


The theme of the my first entry is "Summer of Love 1967". You can find a description HERE! And here is the starting of the piece......

Yes there is still a lot to do but the most time consuming part is complete. The background is going to be tie dye, possibly the material it is sitting on now and the lyrics to "Here Comes the Sun" (the beatles), maybe. All I know for sure is this sun is the focal point.

A Crafting Getaway

We have signed the purchase agreement for the house, met with the home mortgage loan officer, and now just waiting for the appraiser to do his work. We only have one appraiser in town and I have heard he is taking up to four weeks to turn the appraisal in. Our closing date is June 30th and if you ask me too far away.

The thing I am the most excited about is my new craft room. Not a craft storage room, closet or shelves...an actual room completely dedicated to me and my crafts. Some things I plan to do with my craft room.....

• The bean bag will definitely occupy one corner.
• I want to create a cork board border on one or two walls.
• There will be a large sturdy work table with the sewing machine and rotary mat always set up.
• To Do board.

That is just a few things I have thought of. I am getting so very excited, yet very scared at the same time. This will be the first time I will live in a place where I can do with it what I please, if I decide to take an ax to the side of the house, well I can because it will be mine. It's so weird growing up, and then again I may be 29, but I still feel 14.

Recycled T-Shirts

My weekend was spent cleaning house, grocery shopping and making yarn. I believe this may be the best use for old T-shirts I have found. Of course there are many ways to recycle old T-shirts, but this is MY favorite.

I would love to tell you that I was the one who came up with this...but I am not. I am not even sure who thought of this but whom ever they are, thank you. And to all of you who think you were the first and no one can duplicate with out your permission, you probably weren't so get over it.

Here are my beauties......

1) Cut the t-shirt into a very long 1/2" strip of material

2) Tug on the strip so that the material curls onto itself creating a tube. I pass the yarn thru this second process twice to make sure I get the maximum length out of the yarn.

DONE!!!!

I did decide that the solid colors don't suit my style so I decide to use bleach and make a tie-dye yarn with all the colors. Now I just need more T-Shirts and to decide what I will knit up with all this fabulous yarn.

Testing My Patience

We have put an offer on the house we like and the sellers have accepted. They are drawing up the contract and will have it ready this coming Tuesday. This may be the most stressful point in the process, because without the contract there is no deal. At this point I am just trying to stay patient and positive, and call out to the universe for good vibes...no snags.

As far as crafting goes, I seem to be stuck. I pulled out the knitting basket last night, grabbed the self striping Supersock yarn, casted on and knit one row...then realized I didn't want to make what I was starting to make...out came the stitches. So I picked up a ball of green variegated cotton yarn and started a leaf dish cloth...which wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to so again I pulled out the stitches....I sat there looking at my basket full of yarn and couldn't think of anything to do with any of it. The basket went back in it's place and I sat twiddling my thumbs.

Bright Skies

Since finding out I have to move from my gorgeous place, my days have been spent packing, cleaning and house hunting. All of my favorite things...ok not really, but someone has to do them.

My husband and I spent a grueling day last Saturday driving around looking at homes, all of which we can't afford. Who can afford a $745,000 home these days?? We saw everything from a run down 3 bedroom that smelled like cat pee to a nice three bed room with an integrated Television system...the TV's came with the home. We then looked at the home our landlord is selling.....it is perfect!! It is just the right size for us, a corner lot so it's a little more private, nice shop with stainless steel sink and peg board throughout, big kitchen, a little yard for the dogs and much more.

We plan to buy this house!!!!!

First Steps

We completed our first step in home ownership...pre-qualifying for a loan. That part was much easier than I thought, and they will loan us way more money than I think we can afford right now. There is other things besides a mortgage that one has to spend money on each month...utilities, food and Jack Daniels Whiskey! I am feeling a little more at ease these days but still getting little sleep at night. We are at the hard part of the process, finding a home we like that is in our price range. I am seeing that some things I want in a home are just too out of reach, one can still dream though.

One good thing that is coming out of this is the push in myself to start making a little extra money selling my crafts. It is what I really want to do and I am just going to have to make the leap.