French Community College Kids Sing Thriller
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Bathroom Redo
Back in July, when we moved into our house, we started redoing the guest bathroom. As you can see below, this bathroom was decorated with hideous wallpaper, gold fixtures everywhere, and a maroon toilet and sink. !! With the help of our wonderful friends, we started taking down the wallpaper, one shred of paper at a time. We only got maybe 25% of the paper taken down that first day, even with 6 people or so working on it! Unfortunately, there was not one, but four layers of wallpaper to remove. Mike and I continued to work on it for an hour at a time over the next few weeks. We got so frustrated with it that we caved and spent $50 on a wallpaper steamer. Thank goodness we did! I do not recommend trying to remove wallpaper without one!
My dad to visit in mid-August to help us do lots of house projects. We finished removing the wallpaper, installed a new sink, a new toilet, mirror, and new sconces. Dad and I also added texture to the walls and painted at the same time. I am so happy with the final result! Almost two months later, I still go in there and breathe a sigh of joy when I look at it!
Back in July, when we moved into our house, we started redoing the guest bathroom. As you can see below, this bathroom was decorated with hideous wallpaper, gold fixtures everywhere, and a maroon toilet and sink. !! With the help of our wonderful friends, we started taking down the wallpaper, one shred of paper at a time. We only got maybe 25% of the paper taken down that first day, even with 6 people or so working on it! Unfortunately, there was not one, but four layers of wallpaper to remove. Mike and I continued to work on it for an hour at a time over the next few weeks. We got so frustrated with it that we caved and spent $50 on a wallpaper steamer. Thank goodness we did! I do not recommend trying to remove wallpaper without one!
My dad to visit in mid-August to help us do lots of house projects. We finished removing the wallpaper, installed a new sink, a new toilet, mirror, and new sconces. Dad and I also added texture to the walls and painted at the same time. I am so happy with the final result! Almost two months later, I still go in there and breathe a sigh of joy when I look at it!
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Brown Clutch 
Finished: September 1, 2008
Pattern: Adapted from My Favorite Sweater Clutch by Julie Holetz
I made this clutch larger than in the pattern, and did not decrease at the top as much. I eliminated the ribbed top from the pattern, and added a small flap. I used a magnetic closure on the flap to hold it together, and I sewed in the lining by hand. I used the crochet stitches as a guide to evenly space the hand sew stitches.
Yarn: 1 skein Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe
This yarn is very easy to work with and sturdy enough for a purse. I used almost exactly one skein--no leftovers!
I think it
turned out very cute!
Finished: September 1, 2008
Pattern: Adapted from My Favorite Sweater Clutch by Julie Holetz
I made this clutch larger than in the pattern, and did not decrease at the top as much. I eliminated the ribbed top from the pattern, and added a small flap. I used a magnetic closure on the flap to hold it together, and I sewed in the lining by hand. I used the crochet stitches as a guide to evenly space the hand sew stitches.
Yarn: 1 skein Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe
This yarn is very easy to work with and sturdy enough for a purse. I used almost exactly one skein--no leftovers!
I think it
turned out very cute!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Reason I Haven't Been Very Good About Posting Lately....
Mike and I bought a house!! We close tomorrow and we start moving in this weekend. We are so excited!! It has been an all-consuming endeavor, so I haven't been keeping up here like I want to. I hope to be back to normal in the next couple of weeks though. So long for now!
Mike and I bought a house!! We close tomorrow and we start moving in this weekend. We are so excited!! It has been an all-consuming endeavor, so I haven't been keeping up here like I want to. I hope to be back to normal in the next couple of weeks though. So long for now!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Half-Shell Blanket
I finished this blanket last August 2007 while I was on a blogging hiatus. I love this pattern so much--it is so easy and creates a beautiful texture. I also love the border, which you create by crocheting from left to right instead of right to left. It was awkward at first, but makes such a pretty frame for the blanket.
Pattern: Easy Patterned Throw by Vera Hannaford (from the website Crochet Me)
Yarn Used: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid, 10 skeins in Natural Heather
Here is a picture of Sadie running in the fields around my Dad's house. We went to Arkansas to visit some family there a couple of weekends ago. I think this city dog looks so cute against this back drop of yellow flowers, running wild and free!
I finished this blanket last August 2007 while I was on a blogging hiatus. I love this pattern so much--it is so easy and creates a beautiful texture. I also love the border, which you create by crocheting from left to right instead of right to left. It was awkward at first, but makes such a pretty frame for the blanket.
Pattern: Easy Patterned Throw by Vera Hannaford (from the website Crochet Me)
Yarn Used: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid, 10 skeins in Natural Heather
Bonus Picture!
Here is a picture of Sadie running in the fields around my Dad's house. We went to Arkansas to visit some family there a couple of weekends ago. I think this city dog looks so cute against this back drop of yellow flowers, running wild and free!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Book Review: The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Jennifer chose The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff for our last book club, and everyone who read it loved it! The book centers around a fictional town named Templeton, based on real-life Cooperstown, NY (of James Fenimore Cooper and baseball fame). The main character is Willie Upton, living in present-day, and her research into the lives of her ancestors, back to the town's founder, Marmaduke Temple. The book goes back and forth between the past and present in each chapter, and all of the ancestors get their turn to tell their story. The author puts handy family tree charts at the end of each of Willie's chapters so you can keep track of who's who.
The book is an interesting mix of magic and reality, as one of the main characters of the book is a monster who lives in the town lake. There are also ghosts, visions, and other mysterious happenings, but the author treats them almost as everyday and accepted occurrences. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book--the cross between the mundane and the fantastic. I also immensely enjoyed all of the characters in Monsters of Templeton. Each character had major flaws, but that made them more true and real. No one is perfect in this book.
Lauren Groff is a great story-teller, and this is one of those books that you don't want to end. My favorite section of the book is the Charlotte and Cinnamon letters--you'll have to read it to find out what these are! I hope Lauren Groff is working on another book--I would like to read it!
Jennifer chose The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff for our last book club, and everyone who read it loved it! The book centers around a fictional town named Templeton, based on real-life Cooperstown, NY (of James Fenimore Cooper and baseball fame). The main character is Willie Upton, living in present-day, and her research into the lives of her ancestors, back to the town's founder, Marmaduke Temple. The book goes back and forth between the past and present in each chapter, and all of the ancestors get their turn to tell their story. The author puts handy family tree charts at the end of each of Willie's chapters so you can keep track of who's who.
The book is an interesting mix of magic and reality, as one of the main characters of the book is a monster who lives in the town lake. There are also ghosts, visions, and other mysterious happenings, but the author treats them almost as everyday and accepted occurrences. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book--the cross between the mundane and the fantastic. I also immensely enjoyed all of the characters in Monsters of Templeton. Each character had major flaws, but that made them more true and real. No one is perfect in this book.
Lauren Groff is a great story-teller, and this is one of those books that you don't want to end. My favorite section of the book is the Charlotte and Cinnamon letters--you'll have to read it to find out what these are! I hope Lauren Groff is working on another book--I would like to read it!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Short and SweetI finished this cute bolero at the end of April, and it is the first garment I have crocheted! (Other than a scarf.) I got the pattern from the aptly-named Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. The pattern seems very confusing at first, but once you get the stitch pattern memorized, it is quite easy. I was very satisfied with the results! It fits very well, and the yarn I chose is great. The only problem with the pattern is that you have to weave at least 20 ends in!! I would still highly recommend the pattern, however. It is pretty easy to adapt--I added an additional pattern repeat on the back, left front, and right front so the bolero wouldn't be tight under the arms. I also added some length to bottom of the entire thing because I didn't want it too short.
If you decide to make this, check out the pattern designer's website here for some further instructions. This bolero really gave me some confidence to try to make more garments!Yarn Used: King Tut cotton yarn in Color #431, 4 skeins
From Shabby Sheep
Friday, April 11, 2008
YardsToSew
My Mom and my Aunt Debbie recently started their own business together, and I am so proud of them! They are selling some of their great handmade items: on Etsy.
Check it out!
My Mom and my Aunt Debbie recently started their own business together, and I am so proud of them! They are selling some of their great handmade items: on Etsy.
Check it out!
Source of Inspiration
I know it has been a long time since I did anything with this blog (10 months)! To be honest, I just haven't felt inspired to write anything. I've been crocheting, knitting, cooking, and reading still, but I didn't have the energy and wherewithal to write something witty, upload pictures about it, etc.
But I have recently been inspired by Ravelry!
This is such an amazing site! It is still in beta/testing phase, so you can't automatically sign up as a user. You put in your email address to request membership, and then they let you know when you have been added. (I was added less than 2 weeks after my request.)
The site is for all things knit and crochet. You have your own homepage (here is mine) where you can show all of the projects you are currently working on or have completed. You can link the pattern you used, the yarn, and hook size, so others know how to make it too. In your queue, you can keep track of the projects you want to make, but haven't started yet, including the materials you need. You can even print out a shopping list for your queue too! You can also keep track of all of the yarn in your stash. I started adding my yarns to this, but it will take me forever to add all of them! I love the library feature, where you can see all of the crochet/knit books, magazines, and patterns that you own. In addition to your own homepage, you can have friends and groups similar to Myspace or other networking sites. You can search all of the patterns and yarns used by others in Ravelry too.
In short, Ravelry is the coolest website out there for crochet/knit nerds like me! I squealed with delight when I first got my login and started playing with the features. I'm hoping the excitement I feel will keep inspiring me to write here!
I know it has been a long time since I did anything with this blog (10 months)! To be honest, I just haven't felt inspired to write anything. I've been crocheting, knitting, cooking, and reading still, but I didn't have the energy and wherewithal to write something witty, upload pictures about it, etc.
But I have recently been inspired by Ravelry!
This is such an amazing site! It is still in beta/testing phase, so you can't automatically sign up as a user. You put in your email address to request membership, and then they let you know when you have been added. (I was added less than 2 weeks after my request.)The site is for all things knit and crochet. You have your own homepage (here is mine) where you can show all of the projects you are currently working on or have completed. You can link the pattern you used, the yarn, and hook size, so others know how to make it too. In your queue, you can keep track of the projects you want to make, but haven't started yet, including the materials you need. You can even print out a shopping list for your queue too! You can also keep track of all of the yarn in your stash. I started adding my yarns to this, but it will take me forever to add all of them! I love the library feature, where you can see all of the crochet/knit books, magazines, and patterns that you own. In addition to your own homepage, you can have friends and groups similar to Myspace or other networking sites. You can search all of the patterns and yarns used by others in Ravelry too.
In short, Ravelry is the coolest website out there for crochet/knit nerds like me! I squealed with delight when I first got my login and started playing with the features. I'm hoping the excitement I feel will keep inspiring me to write here!
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