Maternity Leave prompts online shopping addiction...

Time to myself is in short supply now that Eliza has arrived and I find the few things I actually have the energy to do are online. One thing I can successfully complete in between breast feeding, burping, rocking, swaying and diaper changing seems to be the online purchase. Usually I have much more self control than I have had this past month, but when it is the one thing I can feel successful at separate from newborn care, it really can't be helped, can it? A small luxury for the new mama...certainly there are much worse things...

So let me show you some of my new loot:

I purchased this lovely nursing cover from gingersnappz:

I didn't think I would need one of these, but I have already had a few moments where emergency nursing was called for and it was a pain in the butt to use a receiving blanket. This has been much easier and it is made from cute Amy Butler fabric, so when I am done having kiddos I still have a fun fabric to make something with ;) Plus, I love that one of the bottom corners has a bit of terry cloth stitched on the backside so you can wipe baby's mouth or whatever else.

I also bought one of these posters from By Order of the Crown. I've seen these on the internets for the last couple years:

I never saw the point of these posters really, until Eliza. I have felt very not-calm many times since her birth so I am temporarily hanging it in the nursery for David and I when we are at our whits end, unable to decipher or calm our daughter's cries. We need the reminder sometimes.

I've also purchased a bonnet pattern, as well as, fabric, an issue of Ottobre (a children's clothing pattern magazine), two patterns from Sew Liberated (there was a sale!!) and a Balboa baby sling. We already have a few baby carriers (a Mei Tai I made and a Baby Bjorn), but Eliza really likes being cradled so I thought she would like a sling and she does...it works almost like magic for me. I don't think you can have too many baby carriers...we use them all!

Now that I've typed out all my purchases, it really seems absurd that I have bought so much. Seriously, now is NOT the time to buy patterns! Oh well, what's done is done. I'll try and be better next time...

7 Random Things

I've been tagged by Cheryl and thought that seemed like a perfect post for a little morning blogging on the last day of the year, so here are 7 random things about me. I have no idea if you will find them interesting, crazy, annoying or what, so here it is...

1. I'm a slob. I don't pick up after myself and I don't like to throw things away. I am usually the reason my house is messy. Strangely I do not show this side of myself at work, I keep a pretty tidy office and throw away as much as I can. When I tell my husband this he gets rather annoyed because it does show I am capable of being non-slobby, but choose otherwise at home. I guess I just know what can get away with ;)

2. I hate losing. I don't like to admit this, but I think I am in fact a sore loser. Even in stupid things like the other night when David was kicking my butt at Wii Tennis...and Golf...and Bowling...

3. Losing my dad has been (and still is) the hardest thing I've had to accept in my life. It breaks my heart my kids won't ever know him or hear his voice.

4. I love airports. I don't so much like going through security, but I love the assortment of travelers and the ridiculous overpriced shops. I love walking the long stretch to my gate and all of the windows looking out to planes taking off. My favorite airport is Sea-Tac.

5. I also love Sky Mall catalogs! I love the collection of ridiculous, unnecessary inventions. There is always something to make me laugh each time --like this, seriously, a Coolaroo Dog bed? Who buys this stuff!

6. I love to write. I used to write stories all the time as a kid. Pretty much as soon as I knew how to write, I made up stories. I still have a lot of them. Then in college I took a creative writing class and that really opened my eyes. I wrote a story I am still really proud of. I wish I took more time for story writing...but I have so many other interests, it is hard to focus sometimes. One of the things I love about keeping this blog, is the exercise of sitting down to write and reflect, usually at least once a week.

7. I am overly smell sensitive -it isn't just being pregnant, but yes it has gotten even worse! Certain smells literally make me gag and I cannot control it! I avoid public restrooms unless it is a true emergency --and one of the drawbacks of pregnancy has been having to make many more trips to public restrooms, this has been torture for me and my smell-gagging problem.

One last random detail: the picture...I started a baby quilt this fall, but it still sits in my craft room as only a quilt top. Since I hadn't shared it yet, I thought it worked for a random post. Hopefully, I will follow it up with a completed quilt picture sometime before the May due date!

I hope that is enough random and weird random facts about me! Hopefully it isn't TMI. I am going to tag a mix of ladies I know in real life and others I know only through reading their blogs:

Angie at the Creative Perhaps
Diane at Playing Joyce
Erica at Craftyblossom
Betty at BettyNinja

The Tagging Game "Official" Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name and a link to their blog.
**Whoops! I broke this rule...feel free to break it too :)
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Books and Babies

I am happy to report there has indeed been craftiness going on here, but since the natural light is quite horrible at 10pm, I am going to talk about books instead and if you stay with me long enough, I have a thing or two to say about babies. Cheryl posted her five most influential books on her blog last week and challenged her readers to do the same...so I have been thinking a lot about the books which have influenced me and how. I looked through my personal library and sadly realized I only own four of the books I consider most influential. I've also been thinking about the difference between a book I love and a book which has influenced me -a subtle distinction! So here, I think, is my final decision, for now anyway, at age 31! I also decided to separate my adult from my children's, so I will leave you with ten.

5 Most Influential -Adult
1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren
5. Flannery O'Connor stories

*It is interesting to me that none of these are books I have read recently. Also, with the exception of Pride & Prejudice, their influence on me has a lot to do with language. These were books which motivated me to write.

5 Most Influential -Children's
**Apologies on this one because it gets a little rambly, but each of these has its own story! Plus, I thought of about 10 books not 5 so I may be posting a Part 2 later on sometime.

1. George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl -Oh how I loved Dahl! This was the first Dahl book I read. During the summers I read Dahl books in bed till 1am with very little light and cracked up under my covers.

2. Nancy Drew books -yes, I admit it, I loved Nancy. It was the Nancy Drew Files that were all the rage in my day, but I read the old school ones too. I remember getting the first 3 original Nancy Drew books for Christmas in the 5th grade and trying to read them in the car at night!! These also led me to Trixie Belden books. Did anyone else read these???

3. Little House on the Prairie (whole series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder -I took the pioneer thing to an extreme! I even had my mom make me a bonnet and wrote my own Laura stories in a teeny tiny notebook which I still have...somewhere! I'm kinda surprised I didn't start calling my parents Ma and Pa!!!

4. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

5. Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi

I could also create a list of Children's and Teen books which have influenced me as an adult, but I'll have to save that for another post...maybe to go along with my Part 2 of books which influenced me as a child since I've already thought of at least 5 more! I honestly forgot what a crazy reader I was back then. And I would love to see what your Top 5 or 10 or 15 are...so if you have a blog do this too, it's fun!

And now for the baby part of this post...yeah, well, we're having one! In about 6 months actually. I am finally going public with the news since I will officially be in the 2nd trimester on Wednesday! I have to be honest, it has been a strange and difficult thing to be grieving and expecting at the same time and I don't know quite how to put it into words except to say that it is bittersweet.

Expect to see some baby crafts coming soon. I sewed for the first time in a couple of months on Friday. Many ideas are swirling in this scatter-brained head of mine.

Oh, and the Belly Balm in the picture above is from here. I hope it does marvelous things to prevent stretch marks! I am prepared to fight them!

Thanks for staying with me on this one...Goodnight!

Updates

I spent most of last week in Minneapolis exercising my librarian side at the PLA conference and although I knitted here and there, most of my creative ideas had to do with the library. The picture above is the children's area at Minneapolis Central Library. I love the 'trees' sprinkled throughout...it gives the area and enchanted forest feel. And yesterday we officially went 'in contract' on a house!!!! So, the blog and my craftiness will officially be on hiatus until we are moved...just after I officially made this blog a habit! Hopefully it will all come back to me after the move since in our new home I will have an entire room dedicated solely to my craft addictions!

Houses, Houses, More Houses and a couple of crafts

Somehow I did not take photos of my latest 2 projects. Perhaps it was because they both had deadlines. So if I can convince you to read craftiness without photos, here are the details...

I made curtains for my friend Jamie...this was my first time making curtains. They were fairly straight forward. I didn't use a pattern. The hardest part was cutting the fabric because it was canvas-like and the curtains were 84 inches long! So I kinda wrestled with the fabric a little. And I have to say it was a little nerve-wracking making something for a friend because I was obsessed with them being absolutely perfect. I had this fear of Jamie thinking they completely sucked...but of course that didn't happen!

I also finished up my contribution to my very first attempt at promoting my little side business. I contributed to the Sampler.It comes out in April and will feature Columbus Crafters and Artists. I contributed zombie lip balm of course.

Other than that we have been house hunting like MAD. We put an offer in on a house yesterday so we'll see how it goes...Our offer was kinda low, but we figure if we don't get it, it just wasn't meant to be.

Oh and I seem to be getting a run of spam comments. Does anyone now how to stop these?

Valentine

This is my new pal Valentine, or Val for short...David managed to make giving me an electronic device romantic. He hid it in the Chinese food last night, wrapped in an old comic book page. I was completely SHOCKED. And my valentine card seems pretty lame in comparison now...We've been talking about getting me one, but not for a while still. I never thought I needed an I-pod, until the podcasts...After discovering craft sanity I found more and then I realized I could download This American Life to my itunes and I was hooked...I am still figuring it out though. My tech knowledge hasn't transmitted that well to sound devices...

I've been busy this week with a custom lip balm order and it has pretty much taken up all of my free time. It's funny because it takes much more time to label lip balm than to just make it. I think I only spend about 1/4 of the time actually making the product. But the good thing about labeling is it is a great cuddle up on the couch and watch Netflix craft :) I have all these ideas in my head though that just want to get out, but there just isn't enough time! I am looking forward to not having an agenda again.

Oh and check out this swap I received! I participated in a dish cloth swap and my partner even sent me one with my name knitted in it. How cool! She even included the pattern so I can make one too! This truly made my day. Thanks DeeBee

Yesterday

So I didn't post yesterday...some things came up and my blog just wasn't the priority yesterday. Does that mean I'm out? Who knows! I'm going to keep posting as planned until December 3rd. Heck, I'll even post 2 times today to make up for it. I think I am finally making posting on my blog a habit though. It isn't nearly as hard to post lately. I'm not as self conscious about what to say. I haven't worried about being too petty or boring, I'm just writing, which is the point. It feels good to be writing everyday. The only thing I don't like about it, is sometimes I do just want to lay low and be quiet. Like yesterday.

I'll be back with details about tiny canary

Oh and even though you may not know him, please keep my brother in your thoughts. He is having a tough time these last few days and I like to believe good thoughts help people through the tough times...the more good thoughts the better, right?

MI-5

So I'm totally leaving my husband after a mere 4 weeks of marriage for the hot British spy from the BBC show mI-5.

This is what happens when my husband steals the laptop from me while I am posting on my blog :) No husband leaving happening of course, but we are hooked on spies over here so watch out! I'll be going by an alias soon...

Here's what lazy Friday nights look like at our house:

Oh and this weekend is tiny canary! I'm glad Columbus has more than one indie craft fair this year! And this one is 2 days even, Saturday and Sunday! If you live in Columbus, Go!

Tonight I am fending off some sort of cold...I can taste it. So I do not forsee craftiness in my future tonight, but rather sleep. No deepness tonight that's for sure.

Exciting non-crafty news: We got our wedding pictures in the mail! My project this month is to create a Blurb book with them. I've been wanting to create a blurb book since I discovered it months ago. I'm very happy with the pictures. We had an amazing photographer. I can't wait to share them...

Today I have had "I Feel it All" by Feist in my head. I've been playing it over and over in my car. It seems like a good song to sew to and I would do just that if I weren't feeling so blah.

Ok that's all I got. I guess now I know what a post for the sake of posting looks like...Goodnight...

A few more things I love

About a month or so ago I posted about some of my favorite things around the house. I remember saying in that post that I was going to post about more things I love around my home...and here it is a couple months later. I never did post anymore favorite things. Well here they are!

The first one is boring, at least to photograph. So I livened up with another favorite...my Wizard of Oz fabric from Japan!

I love my scale. I used to weigh my lip balm ingredients on a little dollar store scale. Who knows how accurate it really was, but it got the job done. I wanted to buy a real scale, like bakers use, but figured I could keep holding out. And so I kept on making my lip balm with my dollar store scale. Eventually I put a scale on my amazon wish list and there it sat for probably another year. Well this year, my dad proudly gave this scale to me for my birthday, straight off my amazon wish list. For 2 months before my birthday Dad kept telling me how he had my birthday present already (but didn't mention my wish list of course). I had strongly encouraged my parents to buy me gifts off it before, but it never worked, they're more store shoppers. I'd given up hope. My dad was so proud for figuring out how to order something off my wish list! I never in a million years thought I would get something from him off there. I love how it is the scale he picked and not a book. The one practical thing. And my lip balm is actually a million times better because of it (Thanks dad).

There's also a new favorite...David and I got this hand-crafted wooden cutting board from my cousin as a wedding gift. Something to inspire me in the kitchen:

I decided this morning to try participating in National Blog Posting Month. I'm hoping to train myself to be a better blogger. And since this blog is supposed to be crafty, I'm hoping it will in turn make a more crafty lady out of me! I'm not quite sure how I'll make up for my late start (the 4th) though.

Crafty Jamaica and the married crafter...

This evening I find myself struggling to adjust to life where a cocktail is not always waiting for me. Such was my life just a week ago, on the beaches of Negril, Jamaica! And naps, unfortunately, are not really part of my Ohio day or lifestyle, but oh how I got used to them! I'm officially back to normal I suppose...no wedding to plan, no worrying. The honeymoon is over. Here is what I took with me:

For not really leaving the resort I did pretty well collecting handmade souvenirs. I didn't make it to any arts and crafts markets while we were there, but vendors set up shop one day at the resort (where I picked up the beach basket) and I walked next door for the wooden animals and bracelet. Only the photo album came from the gift shop...and I have always been a sucker for gift shops anyway.

Now for my life as a married crafter...I took some extra days off after the honeymoon with the best intentions of being crafty and restocking my shop, but I found myself taking naps (gasp!) and just in general, moving slow to get the chores done. Before I knew it, it was time to head back to work. Tonight though, I skipped the chores and made charms with shrink plastic. I have a few photographs I have manipulated which I always thought would make great necklace charms. When Karrie was here for the wedding, she gave me the idea of using shrink plastic to accomplish this. The results were okay, but need tweaking.

Hopefully next week there will be less naps and more productivity...but I still wouldn't mind some strawberry daiquiris and dirty bananas (my 2 new favorite frozen cocktails) to really get me going...

Life doesn't stop for weddings

So it feels as if I have been planning this wedding forever, and here it is...close enough to get a semi-accurate weather forecast. Just last weekend it hit me: We really ARE getting married.

Crafting lately has been soley for some purpose...placemats for another couple getting married, more peppermint lip balm for the shop, something for a swap etc. My poor wool sweaters are stuffed in a trashbag for now...I miss them...but I have been crafting a few fun surprises for the wedding. Just eleven more days to go. I so want to post a picture of what I have made for the wedding, but I know there are a few readers who will actually BE at the wedding and I don't want to ruin the surprise!

And then I also have to gear up for the week before my wedding, which in addition to the actual wedding somehow also includes three HUGE events at work. I now see the benefits of getting married at 22 when you do not have a career. At least there will be no time for last minute wedding jitters...

A little house love

I'm waiting for some thrifted sweaters to felt tonight, so I went on a hunt for some of my favorite things around my house. Like this, my buddha cookie jar:

You lift up buddha's head to get the cookies. It was a wedding gift to my parents some 35 years ago. I found it a while back in my parents basement and luckily it wasn't cool to them anymore, so I inherited it. When I was a kid I used to rub Buddha's belly sometimes...I'm not really sure why...maybe I should end my story there...

I also love this corner of my house:

...even when it's messy (like it is right now...) and blurry (I always seem to miss the natural light), as it is in this photo . This is my cramped little corner of the living room where I sew. I'll post a few more of my favorite things over the next month.

Today, I had an appointment at Wholly Craft so I can start consigning my zombie lip balm there! I've been thinking of doing this for the last couple months and am so excited that my lip balm will be available at a real live store! So if you live in Columbus, go there and check it out! See it in the flesh!!!

Since I've been creating zombie lip balm I've not posted my initial inspiration...so here it is. It was born partly out of a general obsession on the part of my fiance, which I have to say has rubbed off on me. In April he made a music video, after which I felt inspired to create my now infamous (ha) zombie lip balm. Here is the video, enjoy:

No I really haven't abandoned this blog...

It has been more than 2 months since I last posted any crafty details!!! I haven't been completely un-crafty, but it's been slow. Having a job that pulls upon my creativity sometimes makes me want to take it easy at home...play with the cats. But there is nothing like a visit to grandma's house to make ya miss crafting. I thought I would post to get back in the habit. And I miss the writing! I don't have any crafty photos, but I have been busy with my shop! I am hoping to add some new lip balm flavors soon. Opening my etsy shop was one of the best things I've done so far this year. It is much more rewarding than I had imagined. I am excited to start my first custom lip balm order this weekend! And the shop is doing pretty good for not even advertising it...Oh and if anyone is reading this...what to you think of zombie baby wear...Is there a market for that? Zombies and babies seem to be everywhere in my life right now! Lastly, since I think blogs with photos are just more interesting, meet my new kitty Pudge, another library walk-in:

Another softie

Despite a bustling of activity these last few weeks I have been able to stitch together a few new friends. The one above is from the book Plush-o-rama. I love this book...and my nieces and nephews do to, which cracks me up. I love being an aunt. Hopefully I'll be making one more tomorrow for a swap (on schedule this time).

One thing I seem to consistently have trouble with is the whole inside out thing...I think every bag or stuffed critter I've made I seem to have to rip the stitches out because the handle gets lost when I turn it right side out. This time it was the arms. I hope to someday get this mastered because I sure feel bad cussing out my sewing machine...and it sure cancels out the relaxation gained from creating things.

Unrelated to crafting, it is officially summer in my library world. Summer Reading Club has begun and I am both excited and stressed. I feel lucky to have David (he is so much calmer than me!) at these times, especially last night when crafting was definitely not relaxing my racing thoughts...thank goodness for hugs and a night under the "stars."

It's Yard Sale Time

David and I are getting ready for the Victorian Village Yard Sale. This is perhaps one of my favorite yard sales in Columbus. About every other year my friend Kelli and I have enough stuff to sell and we take a truck load of our castaways over to my mom and dad's and set up shop. We always seem to sell our old clothes like crazy. But then, we have had a pretty serious case of clothes-buying addiction for at least the last twelve years...Here are this years goods:


Not the most appealing picture, but since I don't have any "works in progress" to show...Also, this year, I'll be selling my lip balm and scrubs too! So if you are in Columbus this weekend....

Once I clear myself a spot, (since the yard sale goods are packed tightly around my crafting table) I hope to finish up my first felted project, which is extremely late for my swap partner. This is my first time being late for a swap-bot swap and I am feeling extremely guilty....but I guess I'll make up for it by putting a little extra heart and soul into this project. I did finally find a great burnt orange sweater to felt at the vintage shop. When I was procrastinating I didn't count on how hard it would be to find a wool sweater in late May! And sadly I didn't even have an old wool sweater in my own closet! But I can finally get started.

Another thing I am realizing, once again (because I know this --I just always seem to forget), I am only as busy as I think I am. In reality, all of the "stuff" on my to-do list is quite doable! Yes my schedule is tight, but really, it is almost all stuff I like to do...so with that, I'll get back to drinking my AM coffee! I do still run on lots of caffeine to get all this stuff done!!!!

Where has crafty Amanda gone?

I feel like a Nationwide commercial : "Life comes at you fast."

I've been a workaholic lately. I've realized sometimes I like to make stuff so much I think about it at work...and I really don't have the luxury to be able to get distracted at work. Also, I really like my day job and I hate the thought that I might not be giving it 100%...so for the month of May and possibly June I am on kind of a craft break...I have been making granny squares here and there, but the big stuff is on hold. Pretty much anything requiring a fully functioning brain...I am going to try and update my shop though in the next couple weeks. I opened it and then got too busy to continue updating it, which I think seems key to getting customers. But today I am excited to have an entire weekend off, with nothing more required of me than to hit some garage sales and look for funky pirate-like clothes at the thrift store. Doesn't sound too bad...except I keep thinking "Monday is only 2 days away!!!" Someone needs to remind me to enjoy the moment:)

Time Flies

I thought it was about time for an update on my committment to not buy craft supplies...believe it or not it's been almost 2 weeks already. And since I announced it here, this blog is what will keep me from buying (it would be like breaking a promise, right?) So you should know I did buy some containers, just in case I get a bulk order from my new shop. That is one thing I have been struggling with since I opened my shop Saturday. Since some things would best be made on demand how many supplies should I keep on hand? I wish there were some sort of alternative craft supply shop in Columbus (perhaps I should open one!). And in more buying news, since my mom and I went to Cincinnati last weekend to look at wedding dresses we stopped at a Hancocks, which they don't have in Columbus, so I had to pick up some Robert Kaufman solid quilting fabric and some cotton knit fabric for summer gauchos (I couldn't find a good quality knit to save my life last summer). Other than that, I've been a good girl...although I did buy a new wallet. But that is not a craft supply :)

Thoughts

Is it bad that my last post was titled "Looking Forward to February"? I just realized the month was not even half over at that point! Now it's half over...Now I can say that...I've just been worrying non-stop since the year began, the kind of worrying that keeps me up at night. It's been a while since I've been this worried...So much is going on again, I have to keep a pen and pad next to my bed for when I wake up in the middle of the night and remember some random thing I have to do the next day! I've been coordinating my library system's involvement in this Reading Festival at the Fairgrounds on Saturday and I've been speding all of this time on these minute little details and emails and checklists and phone calls repeating the same details...and then I've been at meetings and all day management trainings...It feels as if I've squeezed in the whole month into its first 17 days! And that's just my work time! I've been trying not to work overtime right now. Anyway, the point of this blog is not to ramble on about my job...

This weekend David put together the sewing table my mom got me for Christmas...it's heavenly. I got a nice red stool for it too and sewed my friend Jamie a cute little tote bag already. I feel creatively rejuvinated! Today I went thrifting on my break and bought some old sweaters. I've been really digging how people have turned thrifted sweaters into bags and hats and scarves...so I'm going to try something next week...we'll see how it goes!

I also knit some sushi. I think it looks good enough to eat...I got the pattern from a link on the Craft Magazine blog. There is so much fun stuff to make on those pages...

A road block

So I am intending to go to the gym before work today, but just as I was about to get up, Lola came and took a nap on me! She's so cute snuggled up on me so I'll put the gym off a while longer. I'll update the blog with a random post instead..

I'm a bit stumped on my quilt because it's crooked at the bottom and I can't figure out why. Perhaps when I sew it all together it will work itself out, but it's bugging me and my attempt to fix it last night did not really work. No new pics to post...

I think I need to find some sewing inspiration today, because I just don't feel like working on things...I'll start with this photobooth picture of David and I.

TO BE CONTINUED...