Yarn & Kleenex - a weekend project

This is weekend #2 I have felt like crap. I'm going on two full weeks of battling a cold that insists on lingering, thanks in part to the fact that I admittedly don't take good care of myself. I stay up too late. I eat badly. Frozen blueberries and V8 is literally the bulk of my fruit and vegetable intake. I've never made time to take care of me. Until recently (which isn't all that recent anymore) Roger was the one that forced the issue of going to bed, nursed a sickness with fluids and all that stuff they tell you is good for you, even reminding me I should probably take time to eat lunch at work.

Let me save you the trouble by telling you the results of my recent experiment: purposely dehydrating yourself does not stop snot production.

When you actually put that into the written word, it sounds a lot dumber than it did in theory... I finally broke down and bought some sign-your-life-away-give-them-your-drivers-licence Sudafed today which says a lot because I can almost guarantee I won't sleep tonight because of it. I'm one of the lucky 5-10% of the population that Sudafed causes insomnia. woo hoo.

Instead of sleeping my cold and weekend away, I chose to start a project that ended up taking most of the weekend due to trial and error. My project of choice - a sleeve for my MacBook Pro. I already have a fancy case/bag for it, but sometimes I don't want to carry that and just want a semi-protective sleeve that will fit in my school bag or my fancy new giraffe print purse (thanks Joan!). I was inspired by this sleeve, but my stitch pattern and actual construction is unique.

I think I may hate the colors. I like the red, but I've been going back and forth on the edging... It was between a variegated taupe and this sparkly black. It's current state is a bit too Texas Tech for me, but the taupe looked very... "homey"?.... to me originally. If I change my mind I can easily replace the edging, but I am kinda fond of the crocheted "d" on the back. :)

Thoughts?

3 Day Weekend = Pinterest Projects

cowl pattern

right cowl pattern

wreath tutorial

A Pinterest Inspiration

So over Christmas break I succumbed to the vice known as Pinterest. I had seen some Facebook friends comment on things they saw on the site before and decided I needed to check it out... Oh my goodness have I spent too much time on that site since that fateful moment.

My first attempt at recreating a Pinterest find was a project using paint chips. Allison at the 3 Rs blog sliced up 3 tone paint chips and then arranged them creating framed art. Below is her red version and my teal version that now resides in my un-tealed toilet room.

 I mod-podged the strips to a piece of paper that fit the frame, and wa-la! I think it would look better in a matted frame, so that'll be the next step.

Working on completing a forever-ago started project, this weekend I decided to actually finish up the bathroom. Kind of. I still need to go back and repaint the back wall the lighter color brown that I decided looked best, but that's another today. Today was all about caulking.

I became a professional caulker when we installed the crown molding in our bedroom. Unfortunately, it took a lot of trial and error before I learned the secrets of fantastic caulking. :)

The key to caulk is painters tape. They certainly don't tell you that on the tube or on a lot of the websites out there. First you have to decide how much caulk you actually want to be visible. If you look at a lot of the newly built houses, the contractors actually leave a decent amount of caulk visible, becoming almost an extension of the molding. As nerdy as it sounds, I spent a lot of time looking at the caulk in my in-laws' recently built house, even taking pictures of it with my phone, so that as I did it in my house it matched what current builders were doing. I like leaving a few millimeters visible.

After it's taped, I run a healthy line of caulk along the molding. I operate under the philosophy of "more is more". If you thinly apply caulk, sometimes your paint peeks through, especially if the wall is darker like in my chocolate brown bedroom.

With my finger I force the caulk into the gaps, simply running it over the line. I use the excesses my finger picks up to start caulking the next section. The caulk spreads onto the tape and the molding itself. A damp paper towel easily takes off any excess that ends up on the molding.

DON'T WAIT FOR THE CAULK TO DRY TO REMOVE THE TAPE... One of the many mistakes I made learning how to do this. Tear it off at an angle away from the molding, and ta-da! :) I discovered in documenting my fabulous caulking skills that caulk is not that easy to photograph... But if you visited my toilet room (which would be odd visit in and of itself), you would be dazzled. :)

Since a little molding in my toilet room obviously doesn't use the entirety of a caulk tube, I simply put an appropriately sized nail or screw into the tip to keep it from drying out for my next project - which is to caulk the molding we put in the office in 2009...

A Year in Cell Phone Pictures

This is totally not an original idea as I stole it from another blog I frequent, but I love the idea of the story my random pictures tell. Here is a sampling from 2011, the year that should have ended a hell of a lot sooner.

I started learning to crochet (this was my SECOND project ever).

I researched ideas for what my next tattoo might be. Never got this one.

Roger and I started hardscaping our entry way. That Texas stone has never looked good in the way we envisioned it. My nephew Liam was born this same day, and 3 days later Roger died.

Shanna sent me this picture of Liam in the hat I made him (my first crochet project) the day we made the funeral arrangements. He was 5 days old. 

Not knowing what to do with all of Roger's white t-shirts, I found this awesome way to up-cycle them into t-shirt yarn.

I found that keeping myself busy with projects, like this scarf, kept me sane.

I visited the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art on Spring Break.

I learned how to turn that t-shirt yarn into a necklace.

My car was "dolphined" by a couple of ninja pranksters.

I researched more tattoo ideas...

...and decided on a more "calming" and "centered" design.

 We recorded for the Seattle Convention, were selected, and started thinking of t-shirt designs.

I did my first Painting with a Twist piece and was instantly hooked.

The golf balls... If you know, this needs no explanation...

I learned to make light catchers with mirrors and beads. 

 

And I crocheted some more.

I found a raincoat for the upcoming Seattle and Ireland trips.

We made it to Dublin, Ireland to spread the ashes.

I found out I secretly brewed my own beer...

...and visited dilapidated castles in Northern Ireland.

The view from one of our B&Bs...

...and we visited Gallaghers Boxty House, not the Alamo.

I came back to Texas and completed my second PwaT painting.

On a painting high, I painted the bathroom... and then repainted it because I hated it.

I learned to do some canvas paintings of my own with frog tape and the wall paint that sucked.

No idea why Scarlet was sitting with me on the bathroom floor.

I crocheted some more, sometimes with the assistance of the doglets.

I worked in the yard.

I went with friends to see Paul Simon.

I did my third painting.

We gave our Send Off Concert, and I actually wore a dress...

... and then we finally made it to Seattle with the band!

We accidentally left the travel agent at our hotel so we had to find another one. 

As a "treat" for the band kids, I straightened my hair. It never fails to be more disruptive than it is worth.

I decided that I would decorate for Christmas this year (since we didn't last year), 

and found these lights at Ikea.

I made the girls some bling to wear on Christmas and then forgot about it.

My sister and I made Christmas cookies.

Then we went ice skating at the Galleria in Dallas. No one fell. But if someone had fallen, it totally would have been her. :) 

Scarlet wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

Santa brought me super nerdy insult cards. 

And Liam pretended to be a seal with my gloves on his feet.

As much as I thought 2010 sucked, 2011 managed to start absolutely horrifically and end surprisingly okay. Here's hoping next year's pictures tell a story of hope, completed projects, and a bright future.