Archive for May 14, 2009

in THIS cornah… *ding*ding*!

In case you didn’t know this about me, I’m a Virgo.  This means that my entire life is compartmentalized, color coded, and written down on a list somewhere.  If it isn’t labeled, I have no idea where it is.   Virgos tend to get a bad rap because we are sort of, well…anal.  I suppose the reputation is well deserved–we get very cranky and fussy when things are not just so.  And by “just so” I mean when it’s not done in our little Virgo way.   

I also have an Aquarius Moon, which means that I feel stifled by routine, the mundane, and reality in general.  Toss me out into the middle of the cosmos with a lightening bolt and a hula hoop and watch some crazy miracles erupt.  The twirlings of an Aquarian mind put the speed of light to shame and we’re already buzzed up into something new before we can even remember what we…what?  Oh!  Hello there!  What was that again? 

Stick a Capricorn Rising smack dab in the middle of it all (that good old impending sense of duty and determination sprinkled with a bit of quick wit and sentimentalism) and somehow it all seems to work.  Most of the time.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I like order but I hate feeling trapped by it, I like to learn and perfect all of the rules so that I can blast them to bits, and I am hopelessly devoted to my little beans and to my partner but I was here first so we compromise.

What’s the point of all of this?  I’m getting to that part.  Jeez–hold your horses.

In order to make each element of my personality happy (the organized part, the hyper-creative part, and the dutiful part), I’m going to attempt to follow a schedule with the blog for awhile.  It’s rough doing, well, anything with two tiny tots but I really, really, really go crazy if I don’t get to do some grown-up lady things too.  Beyond hiding out in the shower for thirty minutes every couple of days while Papa mans the children, that is.

I have made attempts at this before with little success, so I’m taking shotgun and passing the creative wheel over to some other fine folks who head up some pretty rockin’ little weekly assignments.  First up:  it begins with a colour and Foodie Friday.  And I’m sure I’ll be bragging about my yard sale scores in there somewhere too.

Ok, enough grown-up lady time for today.  I’m sure somebody needs something by now.

things I think about in the middle of the night while nursing

  • Will the Internet ever run out of room?
  • I wonder how I could make party hats out of old yogurt containers…
  • Which side were we on?
  • I should probably update my blog soon.

it's all making sense…

Do you know why things like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese are such comfort foods?

Because your mother used to stuff you full of them in order to make you go to sleeeeeeeeeeep.

and the beat goes on…and on…and on

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Oh yeah, like I’ve had time to do that since the baby arrived.  This little number is a project that I finished before Annabelle made her early debut.  It’s a perfect-size-and-perfect-shape purse (can also easily double as a diaper bag without looking too diaper-baggy) that was made for the April Gypsy Road team challenge.  It is also hanging on the wall at the Community Food Co-op as part of their Earth Day art show.  I whipped it up out of two old pairs of maternity jeans (ha! out you go!) and a pile of vintage scraps that I inherited somewhere along the line.

The bag is finished, but have I actually gotten it together enough to get down to the co-op to take a picture of the finished project?  Nope.  But you can go visit it upstairs in the coffee shop where it has a stunning view of the Bridger Mountain Range.  It will be there until the end of May and after that it might go into the shop, it might hold Annabelle’s diapers.  We’ll see.

It’s pretty slim pickin’s for crafty time around here with the two little beans, but I have managed to scrape out a couple of things.

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While my mama was visiting, she requested a roll for her oil brushes so she can easily stash them away for plein aire adventures.  Inspired by the pencil rolls of Soulemama fame and the crochet hook rolls from Coyote Craft, we paired up these two sweet vintage twills for a painting accessory that is just a bit off the beaten path.  It has inspired a flurry of fabric matching and you locals will definitely be seeing these at the summer market this year.  But first one for my double pointed knitting needles, one for my straight needles, and one for my colored pencils.  I already have this one for my crochet hooks.

And given the weather around here (yep, still flurries of snow) my obsession with wool has not yet taken respite for the summer.

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The newest in the line up?  Dyeing old wool sweaters that have been felted.  Wool behaves a bit differently than the other natural fibers , so working with these recycled sweaters gives me the freedom to experiment and hone my technique before I begin working with my roving and handspun yarns.

Did I say handspun yarns?  Oh, yes.  It seems the fiber gods have smiled upon me and a spinning wheel will be arriving within the next couple of weeks.  More on that adventure as it unfolds.

For now?  I will attempt to continue my work on a small inventory for our first market at the end of June!  But mostly I will be loving and kissing and shooshing and holding and rocking and changing and wearing and feeding and encouraging and amusing these two beautiful, beautiful beings that I am fortunate enough to spend my days with.

And I’ll be trying not to totally lose my mind while I’m at it.