Thursday, December 30, 2010

Tie Turban- Project Restyle

I decided to start small for my first Project Restyle uh, project? A couple of ties from my stash

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a little cut and twist and one line of sewing and..

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I made a pretty yellow tie turban headband.

Tie Turban

I have super evil scrap projects in the works, and by the works I mean in my brain because I'm still feeling lazy from Christmas. I will begin wrestling them from the clutches of my thinker soon!! Expect much patchwork in my future. I'm thinking scrappy wallets and pouches in new, exciting shapes! I did get the Christmas tree taken down today, which is a start. I need room to breathe in here, people.

1:33pm- must be time to get dressed. Have a lovely, warm afternoon. Peace Outside.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Old family photos

Not sure if you remember, but my dad's dad Grandpa LeRoy passed away due to (the) cancer this year. We went through some of his drawers to look for treasures on Christmas Day, and these are some of my favorites.

Grandpa LeRoy

When we were little we'd go stay with Grandma and Grandpa on the weekends, and he'd almost always have some kind of creature locked in the bathroom for us to play with. Crawdads caught in the ditch were the most popular specimen, but one time he had a little toad he referred to as "The Great Horned Toad!" He'd keep them wet in the tub for a day or so and then return them to the capture site. I see he's been creature catching long before I knew him.

Raft!

Pigs

There are more on my flickr page, and I have a few vintage Ashley pictures I swiped from his large collection that still need to be scanned.

In other news, I'm going to participate in Elsie and Rachel's Project Restyle. I made a tie turban yesterday, but mama needs to take a shower before official photographic evidence can be acquired.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

True Excitement

Apparently receiving True Blood DVDs sends my sisters into fits of excitement. Andrea actually did several vogue model poses with hers, but I think she'd put me in a headlock if I put them on the internet.

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My mom's mom Grandma Pam and her husband Kenny have been staying with my mom while they recuperate from illnesses. I love how bewildered they look about Alyssa's excitement.

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My 17 year old sister just got herself a new case of brace face at her own request. I think she's a fool. Braces suck, FOOL!

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Felix is happy to have become, at long last, the proud owner of a dog pillow pet.

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Felix and my mom had the biggest piles of presents (we gave him all of ours that night, too). It was bananas!

That's approximately all of the pictures I took that trip. Felix got the flusies and puked all Christmas day. Then Josh got a turn on Sunday, postponing our trip home by one day. I luckily have today off, so I'm going to be lazy for a while and dread the grocery store trip looming in my future.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

My new tattoo

Sorry about leaving a bloody eye picture up on my blog to skeeve you out (specifically Melissa, but could apply to anyone).

Here is a little something many times more painful than the eye thing, but way more glorious to behold:

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I got this pretty tattoo yesterday in Boulder at Claw and Talon Tattoo! That artist, Jason Gone, is moving very soon, so I had to do the whole thing at once. He is brilliant and did a glorious job. I super dooper love it big time.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Consider me unsettled

Chainsaw just gave me a weird look and asked what happened to my eye. My eye? Why nothing! It's a nice eye that sees and blinks and looks good with mascara. Until I look up.

My eye

Aaaaaaah!!! This eye is a bad seed. It was possibly involved in a knife fight last night when I thought it was sleeping.

Actually, my eye was bugging me the other day, and I might have given it a ferocious rub or two. Maybe something was in there and I am the guilty, eye scratching party? Of course, now that I know it's there, I can't stop feeling the fact that my eye is hurt and bleedy.

Chainsaw says I'll survive and that this has happened to him before. However, there is just something unsettling about having a part of my body that I have spent years protecting having a bloody cut on it.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Starring Felix with special guest- the worst thing that has ever happened to me

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Do you know what kids love? Giant whiteboards + markers!

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This is obviously a Butter fambly portrait starring Felix on the left, Chainsaw on the right, and the lovely round character in the middle is most obviously me.

Later that night I was minding my own business when Felix walks up to the sushi bar to ask a glorious man questions regarding the samurai costume behind the bar. Next thing I know the man comes out with the helmet and my little handsome was transformed into my little samurai.

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I think sudden samurai syndrome must run in the family?

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Also, that Chainsaw has one fine mustache these days. After these pictures were taken I made the worst two mistakes of my life: 1. Trying sushi and 2. Trying saki.

Seriously about the sushi you guys, I kept hearing how good it was, and then my mouth was full of it and I thought I'd be chewing forever. I gagged every time I managed to force myself to swallow. I totally trucked through and choked it down without puking, but I probably would have looked much more ladylike if I had just spit it in my napkin. Oh well. I think I'll go back to not being a sushi eater starting immediately.

Felix and I quickly threw together some pouches for his teachers this morning. He drew a picture with fabric crayons, I made the pouches.

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This one is a mouse because his teachers like animals. I had to talk him out of using the drawing with a "pillow with a star" and the "I love school trophy," both of which didn't so much look like their descriptions.

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And this is a bear who has goggles on his back in case he needs them, ok? I started them a couple hours before school started and finished (wrapped with bow!) a few minutes before my man folk left for school. Then I took a hot bath and pretended I didn't have a zillion other things to do.

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Green Dress

I found this pretty green dress at a thrift store for $1, but it had some problems. Problem one- Shoulder pads. Problem two- Pleated tulle or something to make sure those shoulders really stand the hell up, like close to my ears. I felt like a Disney princess. I didn't get any before photos because I felt a little pants on the ground (looking like a fool!) wearing it.

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Sleeves, shoulder pads, tulle, and approximately 8 inches of the bottom of this dress magically disappeared this morning.

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I elfed it up a bit per the Chainsaw's suggestion with some stripy sweater tights he bought me once upon a many moons ago in Delft at the World's Best Tight Store or something like that. My only beef is that the weight of those shoulders/sleeves must have been what kept the pretty neckline from gaping, but oh well. I like it anyway.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Challenge: Heligoat

When my friend Will challenged me to create something with a heligoat on it, I accepted immediately. I wasn't quite sure what to emblazon with this mythical heligoat (part goat, part helicopter), so I let it simmer in the back of my mind.

One day at the thrift store I found a green army bag and snagged it, planning on double rainbowing it up for personal use. Then it hit me that Will might need a manly diaper bag (due to impending fatherhood), and nothing says man like a heligoat.

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I decided that showing the heligoat mid-takeoff was the only right way to capture the true magic that is the heligoat.

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This story is so old, but I'm kind of proud of myself for not sharing it before the present arrived. I was very proud of it and showed it to many people who stopped by my house and also over skype video chat to at least three separate parties, but I managed to not spill its glory here or on facebook so well that I'm only now remembering that it's cool to share!

Thanks to Will for the inspiring challenge. Maybe someday he'll pass it on to his son in some kind of manly, heligoat ritual.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Things are furry around here.

This week, Felix and I (and by Felix and I, I mean mostly me) have been working on creating for funsies for our friendsies.

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You may recognize Ferdinand, who now has friends! The newer creations are all backed with faux fur, which makes them extra snuggly. It also makes my couch and body be covered with fur. Oh well!

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Felix still needs his own owl, of course. I need to get that finished and put the fur away before it takes over my house.

In other news, the Holiday Handmade was amazing, as usual. I really can't thank everybody enough- Fancy Tiger friends, awesome vendors, my friend/helper Melissa, and of course- everyone who came out to support handmade.

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I did so well that I took my fambly out for celebrational breakfast at The Buff Sunday morning so that we could stuff our gullets and drink alcohol for breakfast. That's right, I said drink alcohol for breakfast. The Buff has delicious (and fabulously priced) Bloody Mary's, which is the usual. They had holiday drinks this time, so I was totally getting Schnapps-ed at breakfast. That is how you celebrate at breakfast, ya'll (unless your mom won't let you have anything stronger than chocolate milk).

Back to present making!