Whoops!

and we're back! Sorry about the mini hiatus - It's been busy busy busy around here! 

Along with my full time job I've started coaching high school track for the season 

(I threw javelin and discus in high school/college so I'm in charge of the rowdiest of the team)

I don't know if I'm doing a good job or not but I was just informed that I owe one of the kids a cake since I gave them the challenge of "if they threw over such and such distance they'd get a cake for javelin, cupcakes for shot put or cinnamon buns for discus"  And of course last Saturday, one of the boys threw a 134 in javelin so I'm going to have to own up to that 7 layer cake in the school colors that I bragged about

(and I'll be sure to take pictures all along the way - maybe even throw in a shot or two of a gang of high schoolers devouring it!)

Okay let's move on cause I tend to get to lengthy and I have actual things of a craft nature to show!

I managed to carve out some sewing time but I'm not sure you'd want to see the majority of it - fixing buttons, mending rips etc etc... I did however finally finish something thats been sitting under my bed for at least a couple of years now (I'm getting better honestly- this is major progress for me)

Once upon a time, one of my old roommates was sweet enough to send me a scarf from California because she had been with me when I bought a quilt for my bed and had heard all about my dream designs for my room.  I decided to turn it into a pillow but was stopped about half way through when I was stumped by the problem of not wanting to cut the scarf. I gave it up for lost and moved on with my life while it sat next to my bed unfinished and dejected until this week!  
I ended up cropping two of the sides but it was worth it now that I've got a perfectly matching pillow for my room <3 

 (and just for good measure here are some shots of my room since I got a little snap happy with my camera!)

Embroidery WIP

Slowly but surely I've been chipping away at this (mostly during my lunch break while I watch Mad Men)

It's been fun trying to figure out where to put things and trying out new stiches but I really want to just finish it!

I thought I'd throw in this close up on the first time I worked with high-texture embroidery

I didn't finish the whole thing but I'm still in love with this tiny piece

Feeling Blue

I've been down in the dumps lately and one part of it is that I'm in a real art block.  

To try and cheer myself up I messed around with a blue pencil, I've just got to get back into the swing of things!

The Table part 2

(Click here for Part 1!)
Finished my table! I'm so happy with it.  I didn't expect to love it so much but it's really become a part of my room.  Soooo! heres the fun part!

Before....

                                                    

and After!

I bought raisers because the table is surprisingly low to sit at at it's regular height.  

(I must be a giant compared to people from the 1950s or those termites ate more than I thought they did...)

All the hardware was bought at Anthropologie, I think they add a nice simple touch to the table! 

(and it helps that I get an employee discount on them!) 

The only problem is that top handle is a little bigger than I would have wanted it to be but since I won't be using that little sliding table top very much everything works out!  

So there you have it! My new little-

okay well old huge would be a better way of describing it I guess...

-worktable is all ready to go!

Post Holiday Mishmash

Whoops! Things have been super crazy around here and of course I wasn't joking when I said that I procrastinate (but I'm working on it!), soooo better late than never..... 

Happy (really really belated) holidays!

My friend Dottie (who just set up her own fantastic blog) was sweet enough to include some hand spun yarn in my christmas gift this year which also included a drop spindle for me so I can start too!

I also started to knit a terrible scarf with it... hopefully I'll finish it before spring...

Among my Christmas presents this year was a case of new Windsor Newtown Inks.... 

(The Blue and the Red are my favorites, the Orange and Brown are horrible)

.... a Sunprint Kit from my Pollyanna at work, which I was over the moon to get.  I don't think she realized that I used to love doing Sunprints as a kid!

....and the biggest one of all (which isn't at all big now that I think of it)

A new Cricket Loom!

(which I have to set up to start weaving soon! Only problem is that I kind of hate warping....)

To wrap up this belated post here's part of the Pollyanna gift I gave - A mini wreath!

First off, no one had the nice actual wreath shapes so I finagled it with some hot glue and cotton balls...

Next came the fun part of wrapping it up evenly in yarn... 

and then finally knitting the bow, which I have to say, is not my strong suit but I have a simple way of making bows.  I knit a long thin piece, long enough to wrap around the wreath, and stitch that piece up.  Then I knit a shorter yet wider piece...

...and then wrapping yarn around the middle of the rectangle to form a bow!

All that's left is to stitch the newly formed bow to the wreath....Tadaa!

 and another shot for good measure! 

and here's one last bonus holiday craft....Christmas rainbow cupcakes!