GOOD THINGS.....

....b/c i need it.

*walking around my office barefoot.

*seriously, seriously, seriously thinking that we are going to milwaukee for christmas (the cat is now outta the bag).

*greta showing me how to sew up some dresses and shirts for bella and making for of them.

*making cute lil fabric circle thingies that may make an appearance in my etsy shop.

*having my old friend amy and her hubby over for dinner in a couple of weeks.

*two good friends that listen to my belly aching.

*feeling creative and inspired despite my recent mood.

*knowing that last night after consuming three big ol glasses of wine i ate three cheeseburgers, fries, and an apple pie from mickey d's and not giving a shit! (yeah, you read that right, three cheeseburgers)

*the recent mini's i've made (stay tuned for pics)

*feeling hopeful.

*being all consumed in this book.

*wanting to redo my bedroom

what good things do you guys have to share?

THE "B" THAT BIT MY ASS!

****NOTE: IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY NAUGHTY LANGUAGE, THEN JUST GO AHEAD AND CLICK THAT RED "X" UP THERE IN THE RIGHT HAND CORNER NOW.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

****'nother note: this is an email that i sent to my three favorite girls yesterday.

Girls I got to tell y’all a funny story. Okay, so I’m cruising around on the net yesterday on one of my favorite blogs that I’ve recently rediscovered and I see a pic of these initial pillows. I decide it’s a brilliant idea and I’m going to go home and make one for my bella*boo. So I use this great vintage pink houndstooth (greta, the fabric that I used to wrap your “g” canvas board).



So anyway, I draw this big ol “B” on the back of wrapping paper for a template which is a big fuckin’ mistake b/c the thing keeps wanting to curl. So while I’m tracing it on the fabric (with a regular pencil mind you b/c I don’t have a disappearing fabric pencil) I’m in a twister game pose keeping my foot on one end to keep it from curling while my elbow is on the other, tracing with a pencil that is barely working. So I get both sides traced and cut, and proceed to sew around the edges and the cut out middle parts of the “B”.



I almost seal the whole thing shut before I realize what I’m doing and leave about four inches at the bottom open for stuffing and think that I’m a sewing genius b/c I didn’t fuck it up.



Well that is until I go to turn it right side out.



What the fuck?



Why isn’t it coming out right. Why isn’t it in the perfect “B” shape that I worked so hard to obtain. Its just like a deformed dolls arm.

What did I do.



BOING!!!!



I sewed those damn center parts of the “B” and now it won’t be a “B”.

I get to thinking if I should use my seam ripper and rip those damn stitches out or if I should just put it aside and make bella a handicapped doll.



At this point it’s already been about an hour or so. I have another project that I wanted to complete as well and bella is going thru every lil thing in my scrap room asking if she can have this and that. not to mention, she’s asking me when I’m going to be done so she can lay on it.



I decide to throw it aside and cut out another pattern.



Insert hurt back and twister position again and the wondering if this is worth it. oh it better be fucking worth it.



So with all the wisdom I’ve learned about the 1st “B” I figure I’m a wise woman now and will have this one licked.



I’m good.



Oh shit, I’ve run outta thread.

Find a new spool.

Okay I’m good again.

Oh shit, the bobbin ran outta thread.

Let me rethread it.

Oh wait. How do you do that again.

Okay I think I’m good.

Nope.

I put the thread in the bobbin thing wrong and now it’s wanting to wind underneath it.

Try again.

Same thing as above.

Try again.

Again, same thing as above.

No bella you can’t have that. stop asking me for stuff.

Bella why are you crying?

I’m not yelling at you.

Try again.

Same thing again.

Oh finally!

I got it figured it out now.

I’ve now been working on this for three episodes of the office (20+ mins each) and 3 episodes of hunter (about 45 mins each).



Okay, I’m good now. I get to sewing. Just the edges this time.

Now I turn it right side out. Perfect.

Now I decide that I made the middle openings too big. She can’t use this as a pillow. Her head will sink in the middle. Why didn’t I just use another fabric to make the middle things (what the fuck are those called?)

Screw it. it can just sit on her bed.

But the “B” is also skinner than I planned.

Again, screw it. I want this thing done.



Bella again is asking me if I’m done yet. Ya know with that tone that implies what the fuck is your problem. You can’t figure out how to sew a simple letter. Geeez!



So now I’m stuffing it. thinking that this is taking too long and I want the damn thing done.



I’ve got those damn middle things sewn up however I prolly did it wrong b/c I did it right side out so you can see the unfinished edges. Who cares?



So I’m stuffing away.

And stuffing.

Damn this “B” is bigger than I thought.



Oh shit, some of the edges around the middle things aren’t closed all the way.

Now I’m cramming this half stuffed “B” threw my sewing machine desperately trying to get it sealed shut.

Why did I take on this fuckin’ project in the first place. Why didn't i just sew a damn "I"? her name is Isabella after all.



Finally it’s all stuffed.

Now I tackle sewing shut the bottom.

See above about cramming it thru the sewing machine b/c I think there is no way in hell I’m going to do it by hand.



It’s done.



The pink “B” is done.



Bella happily decided it was time for bed and carried her “B” with her. I believe I was declared the best mommy ever and she fell asleep in minutes claiming it was so comfy. She also has been carrying it around with her for two days straight.

so i guess it was worth it.


(note: her head can fit thru the bottom opening...bwahahhahahahaa!)

Tonight I’m making mikey an “M”.

HIYA! :)

okay, okay uncle sam!
i will :)

that's right. i quit smoking again for the 493,908,283 time. this time i hope it sticks. i acutally think i'm in the right frame of mind now. especially since i found out i had some dental problems so i guess that made it easier to drop. so keep y'alls fingers crossed for me.

i feel as if i should do a lil catching up post, however, since it has been almost six months (thanks kristy for pointing that out...bwahahahahaha!) since i last posted, that would make for an awfully long post and who the hell wants to read all that.

i will tell ya as of late, it's been all about my house. i sit at work and surf around for inspiration and dream of all the things i am going to add to my walls, shelves, etc. it's important to me that my home is very cozy and i feel like handmade and vintage are just the thing to do that.

one of my favorite walls in my house is in the foyer. however, no one really enters thru my front door but i can still see it from my dining room and living room so it still gets love.



it's hard to see all the lil details, but connie....i got that fab*boo mississippi dish towel, that i love oh so much, framed and hung up. it's one of my favorite pieces.

i did get a close up of the banner and wall plaque.





i have one more lil piece that's not in the picture and i want to make one more lil thing and then that wall is complete.

i've also recently found a good bit of decorating blogs which are great!

do any of you have any places i should check out.
sarah can i come over so we can thrift? lol....i know i'll find something up there.

hugs :)

oh lil blog.
how i miss you so.
do you miss me?
i'm sure you're angry at me for neglecting you.
but life has been busy. that's a good thing right? i'm filling my minutes with
crafting
gardening
baking
cooking
piano playing
cross stitching
and now i'm wanting to sew
along with all the chores.

so you can forgive me right?
how bout i pinky swear that i'll start to come back?
pretty please?
with a cherry?

oh you do?
thank you.

PROOF THAT I STILL HAVE A CREATIVE BONE IN MY BODY!!

despite the fact that i have been busy and blah blah, i have gotten some creating done.

a mini that i made using one of those kids lil chipboard books. you know the ones for like a one or a two year old. that's right, run around and swipe your kiddos' books and make you a mini with it...lol.






















cover of the binder for the ashley wren class that i'm taking that i mentioned below.


free bird lo


charlie and lucy



my space


okay, so earlier i had to go so i was unable to finish this post. here we go.

so for christmas the ever fab*boo got me the itouch for christmas and i have been listening to it to my heart's content. well one of my favorite times to listen to it is when it's sitting on its new dock (another christmas present) and i'm in the craft room listening to the likes of jan a.p. kaczmarek, rachmaninoff, pablo casals, and zbigniew preisner while i paint.

now i'm not painting masterpieces by any means, but there is still nothing more relaxing than listening to the above with a paintbrush in my hand.

so here is what i have been painting the past couple of weeks.


this was a painting that i did for ms. greta for christmas. i did the drawing of the octopus last year for the design of my valentine's day cards that some of you got. this was done on some paint boards that you can get at hobby lobby, michael's, etc. that i absolutely love working on.



and this is a lil mini me that i did on some water color paper with acrylic paints. i worried about the paints buckling the paper, but it turned out fine. yes, i know that she doesn't have hands or feet, but maybe that's my signature ya know....lol.

but i think she looks JUST like me...bwahahahhahaa!!!

i have some more that i will share tomorrow.

what have y'all been up to creative wise???

THE YEAR OF ELIZABETH!!!

happy 2009 everyone!!
anyone?

(don't know if i have any readers left out there or not....lol.
needless to say, the last few months of 2008 have been purely exhausting for me. i've had so much going on, there hasn't even been time to blog.)

i am sooooo glad that 2008 is over.
like seriously glad.

about three or so weeks ago, while sitting on the back porch with michael, i declared 2009 the year of elizabeth.

i have so many hopes and dreams for this year. despite the fact that i hate, and i mean hate odd numbers. however, on the way home from an errand today, i heard that odd number years were supposed to be lucky. so lets just hope that is true.

this is the year that i work on me.
the year that i focus on me.
the year that i do what i want to do.
the year to be truly happy.
the year that i try new things and become the woman that i want to be.
shit, can i even say i'm a woman yet?
i still feel like a child at times.
next month i turn 31.
when did that happen?
now its time to act and feel like it.
not to be in my head so much.
analyzing and dwelling on the past or problems that i shouldn't even waste my time on.

make every day count and be the absolute best that i can make it.

i decided to sign up for ashley wren's 2009 class over at sis and am excited to start.

i took her "evidence" class (see below) and it was amazing. i still have some prompts to finish but it was eye opening for me and occasionally i like to flip thru it and read what i wrote just a month and a half ago.

oh, i'm getting off track.

i do hope that everyone has a happy beginning of 2009 and that they have goals and dreams that they hope to accomplish this year and actually accomplish them. i wish that for you and i wish that for me as well.

i hope that 2009 is absolutely the best year ever. it has to be right? and i'm the only one that can make it that way. and that is how i plan on starting my new year.

the year of elizabeth!


edited to add: while surfing blogs today, i checked out jennifer pebbles' blog and found a link for here to get my personal number for the year. here's what it had to say

Personal Year 3. . . .Social expansion & creative successes
This is a number 3 personal year. This is a social, happy year, and it generally tends to exude bright and cheerful vibrations. This is a year when you will want to check up on old friends and broaden your social circle to include some new ones. Romance and love affairs may bloom. You are inclined to live life to its fullest now, even if you have to pay the consequences later on. You are likely to be more sociable and the bridle of responsibility will seem to be loosened a bit. You are inclined to scatter your energies and undertake too many things at the same time. You can safely take some time off to enjoy yourself, but resist the temptation to completely give in to having a good time; keep your goals in mind. A 3 personal year is a good time to expand personal creative talents, particularly those related to the arts and verbal skills. Recognition in this regard is likely this year.

While this can be a happy year as far as personal expression and activities are concerned, it may be a disastrous year on the business scene. A generally frivolous attitude in that environment can cause rash decisions and impractical, unfinished schemes. This is not likely to be a very good year for your finances, and it is fortunate that the next year is designed to compensate these effects.

i love how it mentions that its a good time to expand personal creative talents. there are some classes that i plan on taking after the first of that year that i will get into more detail at a later time.

so what's your number?