artsy-crafty babe

I'm back!

Ah, I'm back from the beach.  It was good.  My hair is a little lighter, my skin is a little darker, I'm more rested, and no where near ready to re-enter the world. As tempted as I am to just dump all my photos in a flickr set, I plan to do a whole vacation post, but for now I just wanted to say "hi".  I'm trying to catch up on all I've missed over these last few days (I'm a little afraid to check my bloglines).  I did manage to read my email while I was away, but that was about it. I have so many emails I need to respond to, it's pitiful!  I wanted to thank you all again,  I'm still blown away over your respose to my post, thank YOU!  I have so much I want to talk about, I can't wait to get back to this space!!

on a whim

First off, thank you! thank you! thank you! for all your comments on my last post.  I read through every single one of them, shed tears on some, and took all of them to heart - they were all like great big hugs.  Y'all are awesome!  That is why I love blogging.  If I could have you all over for a potluck craft night, I would!!  Wouldn't that be fun?

Okay, back to today's topic - hair.  When I woke up this morning, I didn't plan to cut my hair, shoot, I just had it cut and colored 2 weeks ago.  I had been growing my hair out, but it was starting to look kind of mullet like, ya know, longer in the back than the front - certainly not a look I was going for.  So, I called up my guy and made an appointment.  I wanted to try something new before my hair grew out too much.

I only told him to take a little off the back, but we all know how scissor happy he can be (BTDT!).  It's a little (okay, a lot) shorter in the back than I envisioned, but I like it.  It feels good to not have any hair on my neck, perfect for my upcoming sandy destination :)

It may be quiet around here for a few days, but don't worry.  I just may be having too much fun to blog!!  Have a great weekend, friends, I'll drink a margarita for ya!!

coming clean

In yesterday's post I linked to a post I wrote back in Jan. 2006.  You know, this blog will be 4 years old in a few days.  Reading that post got me to thinking.  Back then, I was a lot more open in my blog writing.  There was also a lot less crafting.  Once I realized that people actually read my blog, I started to edit myself and gear my content more towards what I thought people wanted to read.  I'm kind of ashamed to admit that.  I don't think it was anything that I intentionally set out to do, it just happened.

Do you want more honesty?  My life at times overwhelms me.  A lot.  Every time someone makes a comment about how "I do it all", it makes me wince because I so do NOT.  Juggling the kids, my marriage, my job, my business, the house, the blog - it's hard!  I escape by focusing on my sewing or knitting, or pattern writing, or just about anything other than dealing with what really needs my attention.  That quilt I just finished in record time?  That was on a day that my kids were driving me insane.  No, I'm not too proud of that.  They were probably driving me crazy because they needed my attention, but instead I chose to retreat into my own world. 

In case you were wondering, yes, I battle depression, yes, I see a counselor on a regular basis, and yes, I take medication.  The medication helps - when I remember to take it.  Gosh, that was hard to admit.  Sometimes I still have a hard time admitting this to myself.  But this is me.  I want to be more "me" here in this space.

So, from here on out I am going to be more honest, with both myself and you.  I'm going to be more engaged in my life.  I know that I have a pretty great life, really I do.  I want to use my new camera to capture more moments of everyday.  This means that there will probably be more family content (you'll get sick of seeing my kids & ruby) and a little less crafting will take place, but hopefully a whole lot more living will happen.  I'm going to be more "me" with less editing, which means that I'll let a few curse words slip every now and then (hey,I'm being honest here).  That girl who wrote this blog back in 2006 - she seems like a lot more fun than the one who's been writing in recent years.  I want to be that girl again!

lazy days

Hi there.  Not much has going over here except for loving on our new puppy.  Lazy days, for sure.  Well, I have been knitting, but I already told you about that.  I just wanted to pop on and let you know that I got the Phoebe Bag pattern uploaded.  You can find it under "free patterns" on the right sidebar. 

I had plans of making another bag with the announcement of the pattern being ready - had the fabric picked out and everything, but I've been too lazy :)  About the name, thank you for the suggestions, but I decided to go with my old standby, naming the bag after someone I know.  Phoebe was my old dog, who has been on my mind a lot lately with the addition of Ruby (yes, we settled on a name).  So there you go, download away. 

OMG, reading that post I wrote about Phoebe 3.5 years ago cracked me up!  And now I'm doing it all over again. What have I gotten myself into???

crazy knitting binge

For the past couple of months, I've been on a crazy knitting streak.  I can't have idle hands.  Just can't!  When I get a free moment my fingers are flying over the needles.  Most things I knit are pretty simple and involve mostly stockinette stitch, but that's how I like it.  I don't like having to think too much.

First up, I finished my Deep Breath sweater.  I have yet to weave in the ends and block it, but I like it.  With this extreme heat, I don't think I'll be wearing it anytime soon, so no hurry on that.

I decided that I wanted something to wear now, so next I cast on the Ribby Shellusing the yarn from my frogged Somewhat Cowl (it was enormous).  So far so good, but I got distracted (some new yarn arrived).

While knitting the Deep Breath, I knew that I wanted to try something similar in a v-neck, so that's what I cast on.  I don't plan to wear this until the fall, so again, no hurry on that.

Then, after seeing Shannon's version of Shetland Shorty, I had to try that too.  I don't know how I haven't seen this pattern before.  I think it'll be perfect over my sleeveless sundresses.  If all goes well, I may try Shannon's version in the future (if I have questions, I'll be calling you, Shannon!).

Okay, no more casting on for a while, at least not until I finish some of these!! (I think I have pattern/yarn info on my Ravelry page, if you're interested)

our newest addition

Our family has grown.  Meet our new puppy!  We haven't named her yet, but the top contenders are Ruby, Sadie, and Lulu.  She's a 7 week old dachshund/beagle mix and is as sweet as can be.  We are all in love!  Well, Ava is a bit scared of her, but I have a feeling that she'll come around.

It's been almost 2 years since we've had a dog, so it was time. Phoebe was 13 when she passed, so losing her left a big hole in our family, at least for me.  My kids didn't really know Phoebe because in her last few years she was pretty ill.  She was more my dog, really - I had her before a husband and kids. 

Having had a dog most of my life, growing up without a dog is not something I wanted for my kids.  I know that puppies are a lot of work, but  look forward to this new phase in our lives. Can you see her in the photo above?  Lily has her wrapped up like a baby.  Yes, she is fitting in nicely :)

in record time

My quilt is finished.  Yes, this is a record for me.  PLEASE don't think I'm super woman.  Really, I'm not.  This was a small quilt, and I had a good bit of kid-free time to myself - those two elements make a world of difference in productivity.

So here it is, the girly zig-zag quilt.  The print fabrics are all from my stash.  When I picked them out, I thought that I'd use a pale yellow or pink to fill in the diagonals.  While I was at the store picking them up, I spied the stripe across the room.  I just KNEW that it would work.  Once I got it all home I decided that a colored solid would be a bit much, so I went with white, which I think, looks perfect. (a little full of myself, maybe?)

Oh boy, do I ever love this quilt!  I love how it all came together.  My solids were not bought in vain - I used them all up on the back, along with a patchwork strip made of scraps from the front.

Honestly, I'm most impressed that I actually finished it!  You all know about the quilt tops (unfinished) that I have lined up, ready to go.  Now that I did a little quilting on Richelle, I'm ready for more.

Quilts, so addicting!!