It’s been sooooo long!

I miss you blog land! I really do! I’m finally back to a place in my life where I can post more regularly, and I intend to! Okay, I’m done using exclamation points, I promise… I’m just so excited (!!). Now I’m really done.

So what have I been doing with all this time that I haven’t been blogging? Working. Lots and lots and lots of working. And sadly, not any sort of fun work. I had a two year retail management stint that eventually wore me down to the point that I quit. Who knew working at a craft store could be so stressful? It was a good life experience but boy am I glad it’s over, and I now have a job that I’m much happier with. In my time at the craft store I did acquire a sewing machine and have spent the last year teaching myself how to sew. When I was in the 7th grade I took home economics, as most children do (although now they’re calling it “Life Skills” which I think is stupid but my opinion on that is neither here nor there), and I HATED the sewing portion. Like, I sewed my finger to my project. Hated. It. So the fact that not only am I sewing now but I’m actually enjoying it is pretty monumental. It’s all still a little rough around the edges but I hope that soon I can be to a point where I can start listing some things on Etsy. I have been an awful Etsy seller… I’m starting to see a trend here. I knew it would be difficult, I knew it would be time consuming. What shocked me is how quickly my crafting goals took a back burner to life. I never wanted to trade doing what I love for a minimum wage job, and yet I did.

All of that said, I never stopped crafting.  While knitting will be my original craft of choice for a looooong time, I did become enamored with the ability to sew project bags for all my UFO’s, and I gained a quick fondness for quilts and quilting. Most recently I’ve been working on Christmas crafts, because I know if I don’t start them now they won’t get done in time for the actual season (See every other Christmas where I set unreasonably high expectations of myself and the amount of time I had and didn’t end up getting anything done because I overwhelmed myself and instead ran around like a chicken with my head cut off *deep breath*). I hope to post pictures soon, but my flickr account… I don’t know what happened to my flickr account, truth be told. I forgot my username and I e-mailed them to retrieve it but instead they sent me this 25 character long alphanumeric… thing that doesn’t work. So I’m browsing the world wide web looking for a new and free photo hosting site. All suggestions are welcome on that front. I’ve used photobucket in the past, but I’d really like something that doesn’t have an upload limit.

What’s up with my stitch markers, you ask? Well, I have a large stock of them made up. I need to get them posted on Etsy, and I hope to do so by this weekend. So stop by the shop and check out a ton of brand new inventory!

 

 

That’s it for now. Until next time… Stay crafty, folks!

I did not fall off the face of the earth

I promise. It’s just been craaaaaaaaazy since my move to North Carolina. I had no idea that settling into a new state would take so long and be so strenuous, which I guess I wouldn’t have because the first and only other time I did it, I was two years old.

 

But I am alive, and I do remember that I have a blog. Stay tuned, you never know when I’ll pop in and share something crafty and fantastic (fingers crossed, hopefully it’ll be soon. I miss blogging)

Inviting Inspiration

Today I’ve decided that I’m going to decorate my little space. Allow me to define what I’m dubbing as “my little space”. I live with my boyfriend in a tiny apartment. I mean, it’s tiny. We went from a 1400 square foot condo into a 700 square foot apartment. We got rid of a lot of things so it’s not super crammed, but sometimes it still feels like these beige walls are closing in, And my boyfriend isn’t exactly the frilly type. Nor is he a manly man, just a minimalist. Given our lack of space, decorating has been difficult. So I have my little space in the apartment where I craft, and it’s so… beige. The walls are beige, the carpet is beige… it’s not the most inspiring space to work in. I’ve really been trying to work on holiday stuff, but when you barely know what the date is and October pretty much escaped you completely, it’s been more difficult than I could have expected to get into the spirit. So today I’ve busted out my paper crafting stuff once again, along with inks and stamps, to make some inspirational pages to tack up on my beige walls in front of my desk. I’m hoping that will get me more in the spirit. I’ve had wonderful ideas of techniques, all of which I’ve been writing down or else I’ll lose them forever, and I’m hoping to incorporate a number of them in my inspiration page so that I can recreate them later. I’ve charged up my camera batteries already, and am hoping to get a boatload of pictures uploaded later today. I’d say expect edits, but I make no guarantees lol

 

Wish me luck on my crafting endeavors, I feel like I need it!

Sick Daze

I have been in bed all day long.

Except for when I took the dog out for a walk, and the occasional arising to refill my water glass.

I’ve missed four days of work and I’m not too fond of it because it means my next paycheck is gonna be garbage. But I am very, very ill. I’ve been watching Criminal Minds, eating granola bars and snuggling with my furries. I have done a bit of knitting, working on my Potato Chip scarf. I’m on my second ball, probably about a third of the way into it. It really is addicting. One of those “Just one more repeat and I’ll put it down” projects. It’s also the type of project, for me, that if I don’t finish the entire repeat, I have no idea where I am.  It’s been chilly here, getting into the 40’s at night. I told my man that it’s a good thing I knit and have a closet full of yarn (it’s a small closet, and it has a few other things in there too…) because wardrobe-wise, we are ill prepared for the colder months. He has already requested a hat and another pair of socks, and I am happy to oblige, I need to keep my baby warm ❤ It’s his birthday tomorrow and I wish I could say that I would have either the  hat or the socks ready for him, but truthfully I haven’t even cast them on yet. I have so many other things I’m doing right now that the idea of having several projects on the needles is just unappealing. That’s a strange feeling, I tell you what. Ever since I started knitting I’ve been one of those multiple projects types, where if I didn’t have at least four or five projects going I was BORED. Now I think with all the other crafts I’ve been indulging in, if I don’t feel like working on what I’m currently knitting I have a dozen other things I could be doing and with my limited time to work on any of them, it’s whatever speaks to me at the time that wins out.

 

I’m exhausted and my cold meds are kicking in, so I think it’s time for a good afternoon nap. What do you do on your sick days? Any crafts in particular that make you feel better? Please tell me in the comments, I’m gonna be stuck in bed the rest of the day

 

 

Stay crafty, folks!

Random question

When you’re both tired AND hungry late at night, which one usually wins out for you? For me, it’s usually hunger. I cannot seem to relax enough to fall asleep with a rumbly tummy, even if I feel like I might fall asleep while eating. Tonight was one of those nights. I was laying in bed trying desperately to fall asleep, but I couldn’t… I had to get up and munch some crackers. Figured I’d write this quick blog post while I stuffed my face.

I’ve been working on some Christmas cards. By most crafters standards I’m actually really late, but for my laggy self I’m actually ahead of the game. I’ve decided to make a huge batch of cards centered around one particular embellishment, a Christmas tree. I made twenty of these lil suckers over the past two days. My strategy is to get a set of embellishments done all at once, like the trees or stamping/embossing sentiments, that way when I have a day off I can bang out several cards at once. I’m really hoping this system works for me, otherwise I’m in big trouble!

I’m still interested in hearing about your Christmas crafts! Please, if you’ve blogged about them, feel free to leave a link to your entry in the comments.

Until next time, stay crafty!

Christmas is coming!

Holy crap! I need to start working on Christmas gifts! This is the first year in a long time that I have to worry about getting gifts for coworkers, and given that I work in a craft store they pretty much have to be handmade. I think I’m going to take a family members idea and have a Christmas box. Just craft whatever I want when I feel like it and throw it in the box. I’ll divvy it out when the time comes. I’m excited thinking about all the little bits and bobbles I can come up with until then. With Pinterest being so UTTERLY AMAZING I feel certain I’ll have enough gifts in no time, provided that I actually have the time to do it. I’m on day ten of an eleven day working stint and truthfully, I thought I was going to fall over and die on one of the shelves this morning. I am going to spoil myself on  Friday when I get my paycheck though and get myself a few supplies that I can get for dirt cheap. My job’s not ALL bad. I’ve also been working on Christmas cards. I have a whopping two finished. Yipee /sarcasm. I have two paper books of Christmas paper that I bought on clearance last year, so I’m working really hard to use that up.

 

Are you guys doing your holiday prep already? Started months ago? Totally waiting until the last minute when you’re pulling your hair out and cursing yourself on December 23rd at 2am when you finally realize perhaps you’ve over-committed?

 

Stay crafty, everyone! I need some rest o.O

Work is just draining

Going from being a student to being a retail employee has been a drastic change. I thought I had no time to myself before, but damn if my job is not all consuming. I’m either there, in the shower, or in bed. From time to time I am in front of the computer, but I’m finding that most of my internet browsing has been happening from my iPhone. As a matter of fact, I have to go back into work in 45 minutes. But I did want to take the few  minutes I had to spare to write a blog post. I miss blogging. It’s something I truly enjoy doing, and I wish I had more time to do it. Perhaps I’ll start off small… I always want to be able to sit down and write big posts about all the things I’ve been up to (which is mostly… well, you know, work) and post pictures and be exciting. But from now on I’ll try to at least do check-ins. For myself and for the few readers I’ve got.

What have you guys been up to? Any interesting crafts? I’m going to start a Halloween wreath eventually. I got a wreath form and I’ve been stalking pinterest for all the tutorials I can find. I’ve been envisioning it in my head, I just need a few more pieces of fabric to use. And nothing within my price range has been speaking to me. Minimum wage sucks (but at least it’s better than nothing, I know, I know). I also started my first Potato Chip Scarf from some Full o Sheep that I got for ridiculously cheap (from work.. there are a few benefits to my job, I suppose. Man, this post is full of parentheses, no?).

 

Time to munch and whine before I have to go back. Talk to you guys soon, I promise!

Writing Rut

So many exciting things have taken place in my life recently. I moved to a different (and might I say much BETTER) state, I got myself a job, I got my stitch markers in a store… And yet I can’t seem to find anything to write about. I’ve sat down here several times in the past couple of weeks and I’ll start to write a post and stare blankly at the screen. Which sends me to other blogs, and I get caught up in them, and then I forget what I was doing (ADD FOR THE WIN!).
I haven’t been able to do much crafting lately, as I’m living in someone else’s house until I can find my own place, and my space consists of a tiny bedroom that I share with my four cats, dog and boyfriend. I have been able to get some more stitch markers done, and I have been able to knit a tiny bit. I’ve been in a knitting rut as well. I know what I want to knit and what I want to knit it out of, but I can’t seem to find a pattern that speaks to me. I did finally find one last night, I think I will cast it on as soon as I’m done with my Mickey hat. I made a basic beanie and I made some little scrubbies in stockinette instead of the garter as the pattern is written. It’s turning out pretty adorable so far, and I’m almost done with it. I’m also working on a new hat for myself. I will post pictures soon.

Stay crafty, everyone!

I’m still here

But I did move! Hence the inactivity. Here’s a quick pic of where I now call home.

I love the south.

Yesterday I learned that..

Shrinky Dinks should be heated in a well ventilated area.

I remember being a three year old Krissy and my mom had bought me a Shrinky Dink Christmas ornament kit. That was the year we baked gingerbread men and I used Red Hots for their little hearts; It was also the last year my sister was with us. I remember it fondly and I’ve kept those ornaments, they’ve been on my Christmas tree ever since. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I saw packs of Shrinky Dink plastic at my local Michaels and yesterday I stopped in there on my way home from school equipped with a 40% off coupon to snag some.
I have to say, I didn’t have the best luck there ever was. I know they’re supposed to curl and then magically flatten out… but they did not magically flatten out. I tried melting them longer, and they melted right onto the cardboard I was heating them on! They would curl and stick onto themselves, and try as I might I just could not get them to stop. I used my heat gun and the interwebz has given me a mixed review as to whether or not that’s the best way, so I’ll be trying them out in the oven and praying to the craft gods for better results.
I’ll be putting in a couple of prayers to the craft gods actually, another being to make this hat I’m knitting cooperate. I have never had such crappy luck with a hat in my life, especially not a simple stockinette beret. First, I measured wrong and bound off too soon, making it big enough for… no one, ever. It might’ve worked for a toddler with an unnaturally fat and short head. So it went in time out for a few days before I had the nerve to pick out the bind off and rip out the decreases to add more length. That was a pretty stressful process, picking up all those teeny stitches, but I got through it and knit on. This weekend I finally got it to the length it needed to be and started my decreases again. I switched to DPNs when I thought it was getting too small for my circ. As it turned out… not too small for my circ, so some of my stitches fell off the ends of my double points. I might’ve fixed it right then, but it was late and dark so that hat is back in time out for now.
California was beautiful, and I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to write more about the experience. I will tell you that the weather was gorgeous, every single meal I ate was INCREDIBLE, and I even found some crafting supplies when I went thrifting. I ate fish tacos two days in a row, basked out in the sun, and got to hang out with a very dear friend of mine and her cats. She’s been kind enough to help me with my social media for Charming Lil Trinkets so long as I provide her with handmade items, which I am more than happy to do. Her and I are both all about the hippie barter system, and she knows exactly what its like to start a business from nothing. I’ve watched her grow herself and her business, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Alright, that’s enough mush. I’m coming up to my stop anyway (it seems I only have time to write while I’m in transit). Until next time, stay crafty!