weekend wips

after last weekend being a super busy one, and this one being extra long, it is safe to say it is time to play some catch up.  not only was this weekend valentines day (which i spent with my main man watching the dark knight for the first time, and he cooked dinner.  yeah, he's pretty great) but it was also president's day which meant an extra day off of work to catch up on craftiness.  basically, this is all a recap of everything that has happened so far since the february "to do" post.
kitten mini quilt swap
alas, i did nothing with this project.  i had high hopes that i would start piecing things together, but so far... nothing.  but i think now that i have a few other things out of the way, this can come together next.
disney swap round 12
these were actually busted out the day that post went live, and then sent on their way that following saturday.  i really hope they arrive to their destination soon, because i'm quite pleased with how it all turned out.  but since they have to go all the way from here to england, i just have to sit here and wait patiently.
ruffle apron
another "nothing yet" project, but i think once i get everything converted from centimeters to inches and cut out, it will go together quite quickly.  cutting is so not fun though.  at least we're looking at rectangles for the most part.
pudge catvent
progress!
yesterday i finally pulled this back out and took a look at it to get things going again.  i took the yardage i had for the back and sewed it together to be the right size.  my mom had an already opened batting from a t-shirt quilt she ended up pulling apart and revising so i got it all laid out and ready for pinning.  safety pinned the kitties in to place, and now they're just waiting to be quilted.  i have all the thread, i just now need to debate the importance of a walking foot.  i'm sure it will happen.  i just need to take the time to get to meissner's and pick one up.  then, it is onward to chalking and quilting!  for now, the pudge kitties just remain on the living room floor, enticing some gray cats to attack them...
"appreciation" gift
this was a little something suggested by our program director for the pre-k to do a little something for us aides to do for our classroom teachers as a token of our appreciation.  since our meeting is this upcoming friday, i decided to craft a little something for my lead teacher.  she's been pretty great helping me get situated in the steps toward being a teacher myself, and i couldn't ask for any more.  i busted this out on sunday from start to finish, and can't wait to gift it to her.

weekend wips

there was sewing
there was painting
there were failed attempts
there was seam ripping
and there was more sewing
yesterday was a fairly busy sewing day.
lots of projects got moved forward
and a few bummed out moments happened.
here is the recap of the last two weeks
sewvivor:
well, today wraps up all of sewvivor over at family ever after, and what a journey it has been
four projects completed, all of which i am quite pleased with.  as a little link back, here are the four projects completed in order:
fun with flags
sweet retreat's little sister
hexing around
coloradifornia cameras
as promised, here are a few "in progress" photos of the camera quilt, since this post didn't happen last week:
quilt block swap:
i've officially finished up 5 partner sets, and i have 3 to knock out in the next 3 weeks.  considering i paper pieced a block, finished off a set of cats, and threw some red, white & blue strips together yesterday, i think i'll be okay.  no more weekend commitments at the moment (minus sarah & ray's wedding on the 11th) so i'll be good to go with time.
my three left to do are:
3 paper pieced blocks of my choosing
3 disappearing 9 patch blocks
3 blocks in person's personal design.
so close, and so far away
birthday present:
so my plan has been to screen print a shirt for my buddy andrew's birthday, but i went to do it yesterday, and the emulsion all washed off my screen :(  this was AFTER trying to get kinkos to print my transparency, but they refused.  i got the transparency printed at home, and still had a fail.  luckily, i've got a pretty awesome present for him still even without the shirt.  you'll be seeing that later this week, as i'll be seeing him tonight :)
other gifts:
knocked out four more today, with two more in progress.
i'm quite pleased with having all these small projects to do at the moment, since the lap quilt was so extensive (and took a lot of my arm strength... oy!)
halloween costume:
this year, i don't think i'm going to be making a new costume, but instead just revisiting the big bird idea i had planned out for two years ago.  the yellow dress is already made, and i purchased the costume headband off of amazon this weekend.  the tights have been floating around my room, waiting to be painted now and then it's just down to shoes.  right now, my plans are another murder mystery dinner at melissa's (given that i am currently scheduled to teach classes until 7pm that night until further notice) so i don't see a need to go all out and make a new costume this year.  party hardy, my friends.

as far as this week in posts goes, i'm hoping to have at least one or two finished project posts, as well as the weekly 365 project.  i cannot believe we are already at week 39 now people... where the heck did 2014 go?  this is madness, i tell you.

weekend wips

woo hoo, progress!
this week was crazy (i'll share more on that at the end) but i was able to bust out some crafting during the week in little bits here and there.  saturday i was at another wedding in tahoe all day, so that day got knocked out of progress.  i spent friday night after work knocking out my homework since i had a meeting with a friend planned for sunday.  woke up yesterday and the poor girl has been sick!  it has been postponed, so once the laundry was started, it was crafting time!  spent a whole bunch of time cutting out projects while watching up! (because i couldn't find wall-e... adult problems, i tell you) but i feel like i got a fair amount of stuff done.  let's recap, shall we?
sewvivor:
challenge 3: complete.  see good ol' hexing around in it's entirety right here.  ususally i link up to simple simon and company (thanks to lisa's sharing of that party) but this week they linked up through instagram.  so i attempted that, but it's done, and i'm moving on to my final project for the sewvivor sewalong.
challenge 4 is moving right along.  the last day i was in colorado, i had to buy more fat quarters to finish off the block pieces, and i got those cut out today as well as the main front area.  i still need to figure out what i'm going to use for the borders and the backing...  coupon commotion is happening at joann's this week, so i'm certain i'll be there at least once or twice.  guranteed.
quilt block swap:
i knocked out a set of 3 blocks today, as well as one of a second set of three.  i ran out of green fabric for that one, so yep.  joann's is already on the plans for tomorrow once i get off work.  i think i have some fabrics figured out for my disappearing 9 patch... i just need to figure out the individual square sizes to see if it will work. after that, it may just be down to the paper piecing, the "where you live" and the person who created their own pattern with a month to go until send outs need to happen by.  oy!
gift collection:
i didn't quite get anything made off of this checklist, but instead found more fabric for these projects.  go figure.  my ebay purchases came, got prewashed, and organized by my mom while i was off at a wedding on saturday.  i've been making quite a few lists lately in regards to all my craft projects, so hopefully i'll be able to check things off my list for people.
except for my sister.  she's clearly getting nothing now.
the news:
so last week i mentioned having a working interview for a preschool on tuesday.  yes, that happened in all it's chaotic glory.  my day started with an observation at the lab school for class, then the working interview (it was picture day for them, so the schedule was off) and then lunch time for me.  THEN i had an interview with a second site that i basically played phone tag with all week, which turned in to a semi working interview with their after school program.  after they went out to recess and back, the program director told me she was given the go ahead to hire me on for their preschool program at a different site.  got my live scan paperwork, and i was on my way.  wednesday, i turned in my two weeks notice for calfit, and have begun the lovely transition period.  my last day at cff will be the 24th, so hopefully i can back up starting at the new school not long after.  live scan has been completed (as obnoxious as having to do it is) and on it's way.
happiness is finally moving on in to a licensed program.  i'm very excited for this new opportunity ahead of me, and that i'm finally moving in the direction of where my degree is going to take me  :)

weekend wips

hello readers, and welcome back to the regularly scheduled program!
after 8 days in colorado, it's time to recap where things have gone since the last weekend wips post before i left.  i feel like a lot happened, but not much at the same time.
well.  here we go!
sewvivor:
challenge one: done!
challenge two: done! come back thursday to see :)
challenge three: my hexagons are a current work in progress, but they're zooming right along.  i'm finding some of my scraps were too short to reach end to end like desired, so a bit of fudging had to occur.  so far i'm 3 colors down, 2 left to go.  moving right along, considering i only started working on this one saturday night.  not too shabby.
challenge four: this project is the "lap quilt" challenge, and the powers between a fantastic free pattern and a trip to an amazing quilt store while i was in colorado has produced a project i'm very excited about.  lisa and i ventured to holly's quilt cabin the day i landed.  and the day after.  and the monday after.  and the friday i left.  yeah, it was a pretty fantastic store.  lorelai helped me pick the fabric for this quilt, and since i finished my challenge 2 bag project while i was in colorado with time to spare, i started cutting and piecing some of this quilt.  which was good, because i learned that i was short some fabric (hence the fourth trip to the store)
super excited.  i just want to zoom through the hexagons just so i can work on this one some more.
baby girl quilt:
done, photographed, and sent on it's way.
not sure when this one is being delivered, so i'll wait a smidge longer to blog it.
baby boy peterson quilt:
while i kept this one hush hush on the blog posts, i'm sure lisa knew something was up.  i made a baby boy quilt using superman-ish colors, and a fantastic sheet for the backing.  well, words can't describe this quilt really, so you'll have to wait for this post in the coming weeks :)
on a side note, baby boy peterson is HOPEFULLY making his debut sometime today.  little bugger wouldn't come out to see me while i was there.  super rude, little man.  super rude.
quilt block swap:
the furthest i have gotten on this is purchasing some halloween fabric and pre-washing it.  now that school has started (today... ugh) i am certain my crafting speeds will slow down a bit.  no more quilt every two weeks, but these blocks will be done in the next month or so, simply to keep on crafting (and to not get negative feedback for not sending on time.  uck!)  i'll probably attempt to bust these halloween blocks out in the next month, and then move forward from there.  a few blocks involve paper piecing, so deciding on those will be an adventure in itself.

weekend wips

insert random photo of tawny scrawny cat that has been showing up in our yard every so often.
why?  because i realized last night i had zero in progress photos ready to share with this post.
onward with the past week of crafting!
baby girl quilt:
this quilt is SO CLOSE to being done... but i've been so focused on churning things out with the sewing machine that i really haven't sat down and "relaxed" to do hand sewing on the couch.  i knocked a good chunk out last week, and could probably churn this out this week.  the goal will be wednesday, since thursday will be the last day i could deliver it before heading outta here.  the sooner, the better though.  i'm sure i have a slew of dvr shows i could watch.
room extravaganza:
failed to really work on.
i rolled a few more fabric pieces on to boards, but still have yet to really dive in to getting the final tub of fabric dealt with... as well as the rest of the room chaos.  chaos is probably an understatement...
sewvivor:
i suppose since i'm trying to knock out two projects before i leave friday morning, i'll break this down in to two parts as well.
challenge one: nautical
this past week i really knocked out this quilt.  and now its just down to the final parts.  i cut and pieced triangles on tuesday, and then got a few rows connected together on thursday.  finished the top on friday and knocked out all the quilting on saturday.  the binding is attatched and is 3/4th of the way done, so i forsee it getting done tomorrow.  which is perfectly perfect.
challenge two: bag
i purchased the fabric for this on monday, made sure i had all the bits and pieces i needed when we did a joann's run again on saturday, and once the binding gets finished, this will be next up.  worst case scenario, this one comes to colorado with me.  oh bummer.  something to sew with my equally crafty cousin.  rumor has it she has dual sewing machines at the moment.  win win for all parties.
quilt block swap:
we just got assigned partners this weekend, and here's an idea of the blocks i'll be making for my groups
group member's own pattern (waiting on pattern for this one)
quilter's choice paper pieced pattern (never paper pieced before, so this should be exciting...)
split 9 patch
double aster
garden fence
home town, state, country theme block (this will be an interesting one to decide)
cat block
ribbon star
and for kicks, here's the choice for what i'll be getting:
broken herringbone
each of these i have to make 3 blocks of, and then will receive 3 of my own blocks from each of them in return.  i haven't done a swap in years, so it should be interesting!  send outs don't have to happen until october, so that's a plus.  once i get through sewvivor, it will all be easy simple crafting from there.  which will come in handy when school is back in action.  ugh.  and that's just two weeks from today.  where did the summer go?  oh well...
happy monday everyone :)

weekend wips

another week of works in progress...  much of it was devoted to the music camp quilt, but it was absolute progress in that market, considering it had to be done by friday at the latest.  and yet, other things were still able to get done!
unfortunately i really don't have any individual photos for each segment, but anyways.  here we goooooo...
music camp donation quilts:
done, sent off and finished for the year.
i thought i would get some hand sewing done earlier on in the week so it could be sent up wednesday, but it just didn't happen.  i finished it late wednesday night (thanks to my dance class being cancelled for the evening) and then thursday sewed on the tag and photographed it.  sent it on it's way friday, and it was on to a new home.
moral of the story:  i will totally try and start these a little sooner next year.  i think i remember crunching to get them done last year, and that just makes for no fun with crafting.
baby girl quilt:
last week i knocked out the strips in one day, and this past week i continued forward and got the squares cut, chopped to triangled, resewed together, and then trimmed down.  originally i had a different pattern in mind, but it just wasn't working for me.  as of last night, the quilting was finished, and awaits binding.  that seems to be a common theme.  waiting on binding.  sounds like the title for my autobiography or something.  once the binding is a done deal, it's off to my aunt to deliver it to the recipient.  whoot!
room extravaganza:
i rolled 3 tubs worth of fabric on to comic book boards on monday, and that's pretty much as far as i got.  on the plus side, i only have one more tub of fabric to roll!  well... i know there is hidden fabric out in the living room to deal with as well.  ugh.  it's been quite a lull in productivity for this, but things are gradually getting back in motion.  i've got just under two weeks now until i leave for a week, and then school starts...  perhaps i should try and get something in motion...  yargh.
the color run:
a coworker of mine got me to sign up for the color run, which we participated in this past saturday.  it was my first 5k (or anything with the word "run" in it that i willingly signed up for) and it was a blast.  sure, i did a lot of walking, but there was a smidge of jogging that i did too.  it was quite a bit of fun.  how this fits in with the weeked wips is that i made a no sew tutu for the event.  knocked that sucker out in a day or so.  i'll have a post on that soon, once i get all my phone photos organized from it :)
sewvivor:
in case you missed the edit to last week's weekend wips, i was not selected to be one of the top 16 for this season of sewvivor.  i'm a little bummed, but will still push onward and keep my happy crafting going.  i still plan to do the challenges, which the first two i need to knock out in the next two weeks before i go to colorado on the 15th (bought my first ever plane ticket for my first ever flight!) to ensure that i have my crafts done and entered for the sew-along portion of the competition.  all crafting will not cease while out of state, but i would like to have the sewvivor projects moving right along.
craftster swaps:
i took the plunge and signed up for my first craftster swap since 2009.  especially so since i've really gotten the quilting bug, but don't always want to have to make a finished product right away.  so i signed up for a quilt block swap, where i get assigned a group and make 3 or 4 of each of their blocks in exchange for them to make 3 or 4 of mine.  this will probably end up being the project that i work on in colorado, so that will be fun and small to do instead of heaving a beastly project with me on a plane.

weekend wips

alas, this time around i don't feel like my week was very wip-fil.
i was at the state fair friday evening after running errands, and saturday i photographed a wedding in plymouth, so two of my typical crafting times got used in other ways.  not complaining about those ways, because they involved my adorable minions on friday & a fabulous couple on saturday... despite the heat.  that's my only complaint.
but perhaps after i see everything all typed out, i'll change my mind.
so let's get going in (mostly) the same order as last week:
music donations quilts:
one down, one to go!
i finished the triangle one on tuesday - binding completed, tag on & attempted to remove the cat fur off the back of it.  i swear cat fur is magnetic.  especially to black fabric.  so after photographing it on wednesday, it made it's way off to camp to be raffled off the following friday at their end of the week concert.
for quilt 2, i attached the binding, and then procrastinated to start the hand sewing until sunday.  since i drove to the wedding saturday, dad said he would drive to donner mine on sunday (week 2 camp photo day) so i took the quilt with me and started sewing the binding on.  in the car ride alone (about 2 hours total) i probably got about 1/3 of the binding finished off.  i've come to appreciate crafts that i can do in the car.  reading used to make me woozy, so i haven't tried it in awhile.  i remember cross-stitching aileen's bazinga wall hanging on the way to vegas, and that kept me occupied & content.  hopefully i can find a craft that will be airplane suitable when i head to colorado in a little under a month... eeps!
baby girl quilt:
so i forced myself to actually get something done on this yesterday.
my original plan was just to cut the strips out so i could be good to go once i finished the next music quilt.  but i had no desires to hand sew anymore today, so i said "okay... i'll just pin these together" and that turned in to "i'll just sew the outside pairs together to be ready for the middle strip."  11:45 rolled around, and i had all five strips connected and ready to chop up in to blocks.  i have a feeling that after i run a few errands after work tomorrow, i'll be back to sewing central to knock this sucker out.  i knew it was going to be an easy pattern, it just took convincing myself to get down to it.  my machine was acting a little wonky, so luckily i'll be able to use my mom's since she is at music camp all this week as well.  i'd like to predict i'll have the top of this quilt done before next monday's weekend wips post, if not more.  positive thinking.
room extravaganza:
i can't remember the last updated photo from this you saw... so there's a closet angle.
the bed is now the least of my worries, considering it isn't going to move anywhere now.
this is still inching along.  i got a lot moved around in one day last week, and managed to eliminate an entire set of plastic drawers from my closet so far.  as desired, i did get the cabinet to fit in my closet, totally emptied out of clothes (they all fit in the drawers!) and ready for some comic book boarding of fabric.  i was hoping that would have begun yesterday, but i slept in pretty long & solid after a day of wedding shooting, and then went off to photograph the campers...  anyways...  all my dvds fit in a drawer and a half, and i squished my box of patterns in to one of the drawers in my closet.  i still have 2 1/2 empty drawers in my bed, plus i think 3 drawers in the closet where my clothes used to be... as well as 4 plastic drawers where things like dance clothes, socks & underoos used to be.  chugging right along for sure.  once i get the time to wrap some fabric, i'll have 4 tubs emptied from my doorway... which will be nice.
sewvivor:
lastly, we come to sewvivor.
i FINALLY have all my projects figured out.  some i have fabric for, some i have the color inspiration for.  and some i have 50% of what i need for.  regardless, i am ready to go with these projects.  since entering, i still planned to sew along whether i got in to the competition or not, so i wanted to ensure that i was doing projects i would actually enjoy and use whether they were contest winners or not.  rachel, the contest host, had been dropping hints all weekend over instagram & facebook, and some of them were quite hard to decipher... or even try to remotely relate them to mine (except the ones that were saying "at least one bag made it" or "an entry between numbers 20-29")
but today was the day things were announced.
and i made sure to check it as soon as i woke up.
the verdict?
i still don't know!
i was almost certain i read somewhere it would be announced at 9am eastern time, which would be 6am pacific and i was in the clear.  but i rolled out of bed at 7, refreshed the family ever after home page, and still nothing.  guess i'll have to check in when i get a break at work today and see if there is any update :)

edit:
so the verdict is that i was not selected to be in the top 16, or as one of the runner ups.
oh well, no harm no foul.
as much fun as it would have been to get back to my middle school sports competitive roots, this could be a blessing in disguise.  this summer is already planned to be fairly eventful before school starts, and adding deadlines would have added more chaos.  plus, i would be nagging people for votes like nobody's business!  ha.  nevertheless, i still plan to craft along with the challenges to the best of my abilities... especially since i already have fabric purchased for some!  in a few weeks, you'll be seeing my "nautical" sew along entry, so i guess i better start getting the ball rolling on that!

weekend wips

another week, more WIPS.  here we go!
music donation quilts:
considering one is due to be raffled off at the end of this week, it was crunch time.
i got the binding sewn on the triangles one for the first week, and spent my weekend in reno powering through the hand sewing.  on saturday night, between winning a game of rummikub, attempting to learn cribbage & sitting outside by the hot tub, i got about a side and a half done.  yesterday i powered through most of another side before heading homeward.  i'm certain it will be done very quickly, no problem.  i've sent the camp photos off to be printed, so currently there is nothing standing in my way.
quilt number 2 is coming along swimmingly.  i powered through the top assembly last week, followed by quilting it as well.  all the quilting is complete, and it is currently waiting for the binding to be attached and then in the hand sewing phase.  once that is all done, it will be time to head forward to the next projects... FINALLY.
baby girl quilt
this will probably be the next thing i power through after getting the music quilts done.  the pattern blocks are fairly simple, which will lead to easy quilting and such.  all these "work" quilts before i get down and dirty to commit to the fun of the next ones...
sewvivor
the auditions close TODAY.... FINALLY.
the first week, it seemed like top 16 would be an easy pick, and that it would be a small crowd entering...  but this second week, the entries have BOOMED daily.  the last time i checked, there were over 50 entries.  it makes me even more anxious to get selected in the top 16.  i currently have the nautical & hexagon projects completely planned out (as well as fabric selected & purchased) and the pattern i intend to use for the bag challenge.  not sure on the fabrics for that, but i feel like the quilt projects will take longer than the bag.  i still have NO CLUE as far as what to do for the lap quilt project... i guess it is a good thing that is the last one on the list, hoping i make it that far in to the competition.  fingers crossed...  i'll be able to rest easy once that auditions are closed and it cannot keep growing for the week before the top 16 is announced.  eeps.
room cleaning o-rama
my replacement part finally arrived on thursday, so i wham-bammed put it together before and after i went to work.  one set of drawers got put in simply to clear the path for my mattress to be put on.  once i got mattress & sheets put on, it was claimed in the name of mushu bean.
last night i busted out the second set of drawers, and managed to fit my shirts in to 3 of them.  i threw some out for the donation/shirt quilt pile, but that is yet to be sorted through completely.  my bookshelf is shoved against what used to be my shirt cabinet, and stacks of books spewed out all over the floor.  my computer currently resides in the den/markham's room since i have a perimeter of stuff that needs to go somewhere around the room.  the plan is to get stuff moved around this week, and think real hard about the idea of putting my fabric on comic book boards to change that storage situation up as well instead of having all my fabric in tubs.  serious thoughts.  to be determined.
happy monday, y'all

weekend wips

here we are back at it, after a week full of crafting eventfulness and construction chaos.  this week has been mighty busy, and it is absolutely just an indicator of the weeks to come.  here's a look at whats been going on since last week, and a hint of what is still yet to come.
music donation raffle quilts
once i got down to it, these quilts zoomed right along.  yep.  progress made on both.
the triangle quilt is nearly done.  after sunday, i got the 12 rows sewn in to one big quilt top and trimmed down to size.  i had everything laid out and pinned to baste and when i picked it up, it was horrendously wrinkled on the backside.  so the next day it was unpinned, ironed, and duct taped down to the floor so no shifting would occur to the back.  i got most of the way through pinning before i ran out of pins.  saturday i bought another box of 300 and ran out (again... ugh) but was able to fudge it and get the basting going.  saturday was also the first time in a long time that i intentionally saw 1:30 in the morning.  i was determined to get this quilt basted, and once i got it basted, i found myself determined to get it quilted.  and it happened.  i spent yesterday pulling out all the basting, and whalaa, it is waiting to have binding made.  which i am waiting to do until i finish the quilt top for week 2 of music camp.
this one was easy to bust out.  i only had to make 3 more pinwheels since it is a repeat of one of last year's quilts, and then connect everything together.  by 11 or so last night, it was an entire top now just waiting on the 2nd border.  i am certain there are a handful of fabric store trips that will happen due to needing to get these quilts finished, but hopefully the pieces that i already have in my stash will help out as well.
my goal is that when i am in reno this weekend with amy & luke & jenny, i will be able to do some (if not all) of the hand sewing for the binding on one of these quilts.  i know, it sounds super classy to hang out at my friend's house and sew, but that's how i roll.  the first week of music camp starts next sunday, and i need to have that triangle quilt completed for when my dad goes up to camp midweek.  it would be even nicer to have it done when i am up there sunday to take their camp photo.  it should be no problem at all, but it is crazy how fast it all came together (once i got my act together of course)
baby girl quilt
some progress was made on this quilt.
as i was pacing joann's last week, i settled on a piece of fabric for the back but had yet to determine the front.  scrolling quickly through my pinterest, i found a block i became intrigued by, and decided to make that the official decision.  the fabric has been pre-washed, but that's about it.  but hey, it's progress, right?
sewvivor round 3
last monday the auditions for sewvivor 3 opened.
i had my entry all written out, but i wanted to wait and see what other people were writing before committing to it.  well, i decided to just go with my gut and keep my entry as it was, with all my back story and good stuff like that.  last night when i looked, there were exactly 16 entries, and still a week to go in the auditions.  my fingers and toes are crossed to get in this competition, so i have been painstakingly planning out what i will do for each of the challenges.  today my goal is to shop for the fabric for the first "nautical" challenge and get the ball rolling for that.  i've realized how chaotic my next two months are before school starts, so i really need to be on my crafting game and not get lazy with working on these projects.  especially if i end up in colorado next month for a week.  i have loved seeing all the different entries so far, and will probably be pinching myself if i get selected for the top 16.  stay tuned for the results on that.  i won't know until the 28th if i get in!
room cleaning-o-rama
oh this project.  things were going so well.
when i ordered my new bed, the company said it would arrive by july 21st.  figuring i had time, we weren't exactly in a hurry to get beds moved around.  i got an e-mail from sears saying my bed had shipped on the 8th, but no tracking number had shown up.  my mattress arrived on wednesday, and i thought i would be waiting forever to get the bed. on a whim, i checked it the morning of the 10th (last thursday) and it said it was out on the truck for delivery.  things got moved around while i was teaching that evening, and the bed had arrived while i was out.  i came home, and started moving along with putting the bed together.
this is where what it started like:
things went smoothly, attaching the drawer parts to the bed frame.  super easy.  ran to wal mart to get a mattress cover, and then came home to start getting the big pieces together.  and then we hit a road block.
this is where we're currently at:
when we were screwing the side parts to the top of the left side, one of the stabilizer nuts rotated and busted up the corner of the particle board, making it unable to get put together.  i filled out an online form for a defective part, and had to leave my bed as is.  so now i've been sleeping in joshua's old room (which i call the craft room now.  still hoping it will catch on) and my computer resides in markham's "when he's home from school" room... i guess it should be called the office then.  basically, i am in 3 rooms of the house.  it sounds bad, but really i only use one room for sleeping, one room for computerizing, & my room still holds all my junk.  my junk that is waiting to be able to be moved around and put in its new place.  perhaps i'll at least assemble some drawers in the next few days to figure out what exactly i can fit in each of them.
stash buster quilts
the most that happened on these quilts is that i cut a few more squares from fabrics my mom found in one more place, and then put the rest in the donation pile.  we had over 3 kitchen sized garbage bags full go off to the humanitarian group.  i hope that they'll be able to do something with even the smallest of scraps in there.
speaking of humanitarian, my mom shared this photo on my facebook page.
do those top quilts look familiar?  they're my winnie the pooh ribbon block quilts from last year!
it was great to see them in the pile of quilts completed, and somewhat inspired me to do some more stash busting quilt tops to donate.  we'll have to see where i stand once sewvivior is complete though ;)

weekend wips

lets try and bring back something that hasn't happened in quite some time, shall we?
the last time i did weekend wips posts was in 2013... but really in 2011/2012 they were more regular.
now that school is currently out and i've got a whole lot of crafting going on, i'll try and revive these types of posts (at least for the summer).  in reality, this is all that happened in the last week, not just over the weekend.  plus i'll properly tag things so they don't end up mixed in with my "weekend" fun posts.  so much confusion!  so here's a quick run down (some photos included) of what's happening:
music donation raffle quilts
another year, another round of donation raffle quilts.  last year's raffle quilts turned out to be pretty successful, so my mom decided we should give it another go this year.  i still have blocks and pinwheels to duplicate the one quilt, and after much cruising of craftster & pinterest, the second quilt this year is going to be all triangles.  starting off with 204 of them to be exact.  so far the only progress has been on the triangles, and by following the triangle quilt along from the sassy quilter, i've completed through "week 3" and have all my triangles sewn in to 12 rows.  basically, that's how i spent my entire sunday...  besides sleeping in & getting my hair cut.
baby girl quilt
this just keeps getting pushed off longer and longer.
i need to stop that.
guess i'll hit up joann's this week and take advantage of the student discount month to get this ball rolling.
sewvivor round 3
lisa auditioned for sewvivor round 2 last year, and when round 3 was announced, she made sure i knew about it.  it is all quilting themed, and right up my alley.  yes, i plan to audition (that post coming tomorrow as i make some final touches on it) and if i don't make it in the top 16, i plan to still do a few of the projects.  yep.  even with my current chaotic sewing plans, i still want to make that happen.  just for kicks.  read more about sewvivor here... and be ready to vote when i demand it ask you nicely.
room cleaning-o-rama
i know, this sounds totally un-crafty, right?  but deal with it for just a sec.
my room went from it's normal messy self, to a little bit better, and now back to chaos.  why?  i ordered a new super awesome bed, and need to make space for it to fit in my room as well as eliminate some of the storage i had under my bed since things will drastically be shifting around.  so far already 3 trash bags have gone away, as well as a few bags of donation stuff.  there is still a long way to go, but it already feels like it's come a long way...  which this introduction leads to this
stash buster quilts
yep.  the quilt i keep talking about working on, but then never get around to doing has now multiplied in to two quilts.  how?  why?  well, this project idea that began nearly 3 years ago (oddly titled "making things happen" because clearly i haven't...) has now become more involved.  when i began pulling boxes out from under my bed, i realized that my flannel box was 95% pj pant scraps... stuff i was really never going to use, or even had much to use to create a complete project.  so in addition to my 3" square quilt, i decide to chop some 5" flannel squares... which turned in to my mom pulling out her giant box from the garage and cutting squares of her own, plus tossing stuff in to my pile... it was all one big chain of events.  i haven't done a final count yet, since i finished chopping things last night.  but there was enough fabric to fill 3 garbage bags to send to the humanitarian efforts at my parent's church.  and i haven't even gone through my cotton prints box again.  yeah.  it's crazy.  but a whole lot of space has been made, and at least the squares are more contained now.
so that's what is up right now... for the time being.
happy monday, and onward to more sewing!

weekend wips

and here we are, at the last "weekend wips" of 2013.  how far we've come since the beginning of the month.  the exciting thing is that most of the first list is complete!  the sad side, is that i am not sure how much stuff i will regularly have going at this point to keep these weekly posts going on in to the new year.  since school starts back up next month, my crafting time will be chopped down all over again.  so i better get a move on what i NEED to finish before then.  oy.  and as mentioned last week, i did in fact take my sewing machine in to get some overdue TLC lovin' for the new year.  one week down, hopefully less than two until i get my machine back.  until then, it's working with my mom's machine... which is basically the same as mine.  just not teal.
project a: almost done-er than it was before.  it's down to the "make or break" moment where i put on my big girl panties and work some magic.  that magic involves a lot of basting, stitch in the ditch-ing, and removing the basting.  and then binding.  binding will be a relief when it gets to that point...  because then end will most definitely be in sight.  i might add, for bragging rights, that this project has gotten pretty rave reviews from those that have been lucky enough to see it.  quite possibly even some of my best yet.  fancy fancy.
project b: finally done, delivered and can be revealed.  i took some of my younger brother's old shirts smuggled out of his closet by my mom and turned them in to a t-shirt quilt.  i am quite thrilled with how well it turned out.  stay tuned to see that puppy show up on the blog in the coming week-ish.
project c: done super ahead of schedule.  which is fantastic, because then i can dedicate myself to project a a little bit better.  it turned out fabulous, just like i had hoped, and will make its debut probably mid february.  can't spoil the gift giving before it happens!
project d: oh catvent, you were so fantastic to me, and so much fun.  i loved seeing everyone's blocks pop up on instagram and see how different everyone's take on the project was, simply by the fabric choices.  as to hold you off a little longer until i finish the mini quilt entirely (quilting it myself... eeeps!) here is a lovely self portrait snap of it... and also a clue as to why i generally enlist my sister to model my projects for me.  haha.
other than that, my mom got two pairs of pj pants from me for christmas, it is officially onward to doing some bridal shower planning for amy, and i got a sneak peek of what the updated "toothpaste & orange cat" design will look like.  yep, drawn by my brother as desired, and i cannot wait to see the final product.  so you'll have to wait just as long as i do.
enjoy your last few days of 2013!  can't wait to see what the new year has in store :)

weekend wips

not quite sure how today is already december 23rd... but that is insane!
this past week has been nice, since' i've only been dealing with work.  and after today, i will be off work from both jobs until next monday.  woo hoo party hardy!  i've found it is quite easy to get a bunch of stuff done with marathon sewing going on.  nearly all my projects are complete at this point (with one exception) but it will be nice to start the new year off with not too much on my plate.  and hopefully a cleaned up sewing machine if i get the chance to take it in today.  it needs a little tlc after all the hard work it has been putting in these past few months... or years, because i have failed to remember to take it in to get serviced.  oops!  but i haven't had any problems with it yet, so that's always a plus! (knock on wood)
project a: almost done!  i had a marathon of block sewing the other night, then border sewing, and then backing & batting panic.  but all those problems have been solved, and i think this one is going to be put away for a bit while i take my machine in.  (if i keep talking about taking my machine in, maybe i'll actually do it)  now that i see it all put together, i am so happy with the outcome, and so glad i had lisa here for a bit to help me out with choosing all the fabrics.  they went together super well... and i'm so antsy to want to post it all over the place, but i can't.  not until march.  boo.  but seriously, it will be worth the wait.  yay yay yay,
project b: the end is in sight.  this will be done soon.  so very soon.  even if i have to keep sewing on christmas eve in my bedroom.  or maybe if i just keep watching friends marathons on nick at night while caffeinated.  that will probably do the trick too.
project c: still waiting.  now that project a is nearly done, and b will be over with soon, and d is generally done on christmas, i can officially get it going.  with a month off from school, i see no problem with that.  especially since i need to have it done before january 31st.
project d: catvent!! oh i am so sad to see the end of this in sight, but it will be so much fun to see finished off.  lisa was asking me what i was planning to do with the final piece, but i am still not sure yet.  if it looks horrid, i'll keep it for myself.  if it looks fantastic, perhaps i'll find someone with a teeny tiny infant to send it to.  it's rather small in size, so it won't be good for much warmth beyond my arm.  and i can't say i'm a wall hanging kind of girl.  but i digress.  i am excited to see these batik cats come together (shown above are cats 21 & 22) and be finished off.  i am so glad i stumbled across this quilt along on pinterest and was able to start it in time.
other projects:  i have a few friends with babies on the way (3 i can think of off the top of my head) that i intend to make a little something for.  i've been scouring ebay for some cute fabric finds, and while i lost out on one that i love love loved (actually two...  sad face) i have found another that i have had my eye on to make something fantastic from.  those will be coming along shortly, as well as figuring out what fabric i have to start making stashbust quilt tops again.  eliminating fabric is so nice for welcoming more fabric in.  like the big bang theory fabric i just bought the other week.  no use for it yet, but i loved it. so it came home with me.  story of my life.
happy monday everyone!

weekend wips

and we are officially on to the weeks without school!  thursday was the final day of finals, and after a dentist appointment that morning, one take home final, and then an in class final, and i was home free.  well, after going to work, that is.  but all that effort has paid off.  it looks like i unofficially have straight a's for the semester... something i haven't done in possibly all my college years.  so i'm pretty pumped.  granted, the topics were easy to take in, and generally overlapped between classes.  but i'll still pat myself on the back.  it was a nice way to ease back in to going to school.  but now that is all said and done, it's onward to a month or so of straight up just working and crafting.  and basically working to fund my crafting.  and car payments.  oh glorious car payments!
project a: didn't do as much as i had hoped on this one.  i did get up through strip 13/19 attached on saturday, so that's a plus.  but once i got home from working a shift yesterday afternoon i started with a few other projects before going on to this one, and then got burnt out.  clearing out my dvr was far more my speed than trying to line up strips.  today though, i plan to knock some stuff out.  i just have 6 more strips to go, and then it's onward to creating the "big picture".  wahoo!
project b: this one i worked on post catvent and sucked the energy out of me.  i tied it instead of quilting, then made the binding.  i should have made it a little wider, because folding it over was a little rough, but i think once i start getting it going, it will look nice.  and then, it will be complete.  i guess i officially have 9 days to knock that sucker out.
project c: this one is more of a back burner now, but i know when i get around to doing it, it will go together super smoothly.  i showed jenny the bits of it when she brought me stamps for the bridal shower, and she thinks it is going to look great.  as do i.  because that's how i roll.
project d: catvent!  as you can see above, i am up to 15 cats complete, and today will be number 16.  i got tired of trying to keep them all in their places (herding cats is totally true... even with quilt blocks) so i lined them up and put them in their place for the final part.  now these 3 rows can't escape and i can see which prints i have already used where.  especially when it comes to those orange cats.  which wasn't even intentional to be the most used color.  it just ended up that way, and coordinates so well with the blog title, and resident fat orange cat.  putting all these blocks together makes them look so much better than being stand alone.  which is totally a case and point for you can never have just one cat.  in this case, you need 25.  or in the lap quilt size... 100.  which may become my next project of sorts.  or at least post march projects.
other projects: pj pants: done.  bridal shower invites: done, in the mail box, and on their way to their recipients.  super pumped with how they turned out.  if i get my act together, perhaps i'll blog them.  meh.  i'll probably blog them regardless.  whether i get my act together or not.
happy monday everyone!

weekend wips

BOY did this week start off nice and easy, and then jet off like nobody's business...
after today, just three more days of the semester, and then there will be much rejoicing.  it was all smooth sailing through the semester, assignments due here and there, but last week... MAN it felt like everything was happening at once.  three finals this week, thank goodness two are take home (and already completed) plus a portfolio project.  one semester down, three to go.  but enough about that.  onward to crafty talk!
project a: this one got pushed to the back burner with all of the chaos of school.  i managed to add two more strips to each block on saturday, but that was that.  currently, the blocks are all residing squished between a giant cat encyclopedia and a sewing book from when i took intro to clothing construction.  topped off by a gargantuan chronicles of narnia book that has blocks from the catvent between it.  hopefully this week there will be more progress on that.  well, maybe...
project b: did nothing.  nothing at all.  it sits in a bag waiting to be finished.
project c: yep.  not touched either.
project d: this one i have been all over this week.  making sure i get my "cat" done for the day has been a constant that gives me a little moment to relax and take a break in between each school project i had to do.  the other day i wrote a paper, took a break to sew my cat for the day, and then came back to homework land feeling refocused a bit.  today will be the 9th cat of the project, and i think i will be sad when the quilt-along is complete.  granted, i haven't really connected with people over it, but it has been a fun task to keep myself doing something.  well, not saying that all those other projects haven't kept me busy though.  they certainly have!  and the other thing this project is doing is making my instagram feed look like i have no like.  which right now, feels pretty accurate.
other things that have been completed are pj pants and bridal shower invites are half done.  i bought the supplies to finish them off, and they are waiting for me at the sewing table.  which isn't where i should leave them, because they will either get lost, or licked by a cat... since they're currently in a plastic ziplock.  and our cats are weird.
so here's to surviving finals week... and coming out alive and ready to work on this, that and the other things...

weekend wips

everything has been bumped back by a day or so, since yesterday i glorified erika with her own birthday post... but that is a-okay to me.  makes the "weekend" of wips just one day longer.  but in reality, i did a whole lot last week anyways, an extra day just makes me look like a super over achiever.  except i don't get a cape for that.
project a: this is the "big one" right now.  but it is actually going a lot smoother than anticipated.  every day or so after getting all my strips chopped up last monday, i began the scary voyage of sewing them together in numerical order.  minus a few size measurements when i cut out the templates, everything has been easy peasy.  sew, iron, squish between books to keep the seams flat, repeat.  all.  week.  long.  i think i got up to piece 9 out of 19 attached.  there is one fabric involved that i wasn't quite sold on, but lisa pushed me to it... and it isn't standing out as sorely as i expected it to... so that's a plus.  black friday i ran out and thought i was going to have a panic attack from not being able to find the ONE fabric i ran out of... but my mom located it behind the cut counter.  i may have shown a little excessive excitement about that, and the rude joann's lady may of had her snobby opinions about it... but it made my life a whole lot easier.
project b: this one was super easy, until it came to the back.  i didn't know what i was going to do with it for awhile, until i pulled some fabric yardage out of my box that worked great.  added a little red flannel edging to it, and it was good to go.  so now that sits in a bag, waiting to be finished off and binding added.  then, it's to be wrapped and put under the non-existent christmas tree.  whoop!
project c: this was another "was waiting for black friday" bust... i waited out, planning to go to beverley's for the fabic to be on sale... but it wasn't.  so i bit the bullet and paid full price - which is something i HATE to do...  i cut my pieces out and started hemming strips the other night.  so now it sits, and waits for me to rotate it in to my "i feel like working on this now" mindset.  this one you'll have to wait until february to see :)
project d: this one i can talk about.  i pinned this quilt the other day, thinking it was just a random quilt pattern... but NO.  it was a quilt-a-long for the month of december!  was i excited?  yes!  each day a different cat block is posted, and the block are small and simple.  awesome right?  my grandma gave me a box of batik fabric scraps from graduation quilts she made for me, my siblings & my cousins, so i thought those would be the perfect start.  plus, i bought 3 yards of gray fabric for a table cloth at my last bridal show that i ended up finding a real table cloth for... so now that is being put to use.  sunday was my first block, and after a million ear issues with the block, i finally got my brain functioning and it turned out super cute.  i can't wait to finish the entire mini quilt, since i intend to actually quilt it myself as well.  no better way to practice than starting small, right?  i am almost tempted to buy the pattern, just so i can also have the 100 block lap quilt size too...  eeps!  for the blog link for the "introduction" post of the catvent quilt along, click here
other things to be done include some pj pants and planing of two baby quilts.  yippee for baby quilts!  i have some great ideas for one... just need to get better at my ebay watching. 

weekend wips

= let's see if i can make a successful comeback with these types of posts.
my last "weekend wips" post was back in april 2012, pre-erika wedding.  and now i'll try and bring it back pre-holiday/weddings/babies to see what comes from it.
clearly this is just all the start of the crafting that is intended to happen between now and march of 2014, so most are just idea formulations.  this photo is the fabric that i purchased back in october with lisa, and has now been pre-washed and started to be chopped.  the pattern is a little confusing, seeing as there are no visuals really, or written direction.  so i guess i get to free for all it and hope that it turns out well.  eeps.  fingers crossed, right?  oh, and i feel like it is okay to post this because 1. i'm not sure if anyone really reads these that they are going to and 2. if my friends don't know what they are getting for their upcoming weddings by this point after seeing 2 other friends get married, they've been living under a rock.
the other project that is actually in process right now is currently on hold until i hit up joann's this upcoming friday a la black friday sale.  i may have nearly enough for the backing, but all that remains is buying some batting & binding.  that one pieced together rather smoothly (amazing how well big blocks happen) and so i'm sure (fingers crossed) the rest of it will sail together easily so i can focus on the wedding beast and other holiday gifts.
along side my crafting i've started to watch 30 rock on netflix to add some interest to the event of sitting on the floor and cutting out fabric.  that has now become my new old show to be power watching (much like i did with friends, as well as big bang theory & how i met your mother to get up to date on those) as i craft through these next few months.  can't wait until the semester is over, simply to not feel like i have competing things i need to do.  oy!  happy monday everyone.

weekend wips

a few things got done this week. here, there and everywhere. bridal shower mode is in full swing this week, since it's now down to 5 days until the shower. craziness! but i think if i lay out my list, check things off one by one, i'll realize that i have more done and ready to go than i actually thought i did. this past week was 95% bridal shower prep, and i'm warning you i took photos through instagram, even though i was planning to use my actual camera... so here goes:
favors: knocked these suckers out earlier on this week. my original plan changed from the fizzies, and at first i was planning to just eliminate them all together, i ended up using them in the base of the favors under the soaps. tied some bows on them, and they were all good to go. no really, i think they're adorable, but you'll have to wait until next week to see them :)
games: i'm down to just having to print out the cards for bingo & advice for the bride. though i may do the advice cards the same way i did the invitations, i haven't decided yet. the memory match game has been done for quite some time now, and i just need to buy TP for the dress game. yesterday while i was at erika's, in between baking & girl talk, i grilled matt with some intense questions (yeah right!) for the trivia game. got home and loaded, edited, and burned the entire thing to a dvd. check that sucker off my list!cakes & frosting: this is what erika and i spent a big chunk of our sunday doing. we did a practice run of the cakes & cupcakes she wanted for the shower this upcoming saturday, and boy was it a good thing we did. we were able to gauge how well the barbie cake cooked (red velvet with cream cheese frosting) and how the cupcakes turned out (chocolate with peanut butter frosting) as well as whether we need to make any alterations to the process. we have decided to go with mini cupcakes instead of full size ones, thinking they'll be easier to eat, as well as potentially prettier to look at. oh, and cake barbie needs a veil. and a hairbrush to tame her wild hair. we also decided that when erika & matt move to roseville, we need to take another cake class together :) and i promise i will be taking most of my photos on friday & saturday with an actual camera, and not my phone.
unrelated: off of the bridal shower topic, i made curlers saturday and test ran them in aileen's hair. they seemed to turn out pretty well (full blog post on that probably sometime this week) but as goes the rest of the projects done this week, will probably need some alterations for the next round.

weekend wips

for being spring break, i would say things were very productive. i had a few drastic changes to make for certain projects, but they turned out 1000 times better than the original plans. reality has set in that the bridal show is less than TWO WEEKS away from today, and so i think my brain has entered psycho planning OCD check list mode.
wedding garter: i know the style and what not that are going to be used, and all that jazz. i need to get her measurements for it though, and then knocking that out should be no problem at all. not stressing about that at all.
bridal shower: 12 days away! AHHHH! okay, calming down now. i redid all of the favors, because the bath fizzies looked like crap, and the more i looked at them, the more i didn't like them. i was originally going to do half fizzies half soaps anyways, but i've now decided to do all soaps, and they look a million times better. they turned out fantastic, and i was able to alternate the colors of pink & orange between all of them. once i get the final rsvp list, i can start putting them in to jars and figure out if i need to make any more. other than that, i have to buy the TP for the dress game, print out the bingo & advice cards (those rely on rsvp as well) and make the trivia video. we're doing a cake/cupcake trial this weekend so i'm sure at some point i will be able to interview & record matt so i can edit it next week easy peasy. then at this point next week, i'll be down to the final count down... YIKES
baby shower: totally done. well, almost. just down to the hand sewing part, which is just about halfway done at this point. i ran out of big bang theory dvds to watch since we finished up season 4 last week, so i'll have to find something else to mindlessly watch as i am stuck hand sewing... my least favorite thing.
t-shirt quilt: front and back are DONE. i knocked out sewing the front together in one day, and then added the border on from stuff in my stash that i bought awhile ago to make a skirt or something. bought batting on friday, and then on saturday sewed together the pieces for the back - also stuff from my stash. the only thing i have had to buy recently for this project was the batting. which makes me super thrilled.
other stuff: i did a little cricut-ing this week for a project i saw on pinterest and was dying to make. i have to wait for my brother to cut a slot in the frame before i can show it off, but it turned out just as i had planned. whoot whoot!

weekend wips [& over the weekend fun]

well... here is what DIDN'T happen this week. sunday i was set and all game to go laying out the blocks from my t-shirt quilt to get them organized and ready to sew... until i found that SOME furball in this house had decided to mark them as his territory. yeah, i was NOT a happy crafter yesterday. i really wanted to do something crafty, but honestly could not figure out what... and when i did decide on something, i had to throw everything (and my hamm stuffed animal) in to the washing machine. dang cats. can't live with them, can't live without them... anyways, here is what did happen this week.

the wedding: well, i didn't do anything productive as far as MY wedding related projects go (aka the garter) but i did help the future mr. & mrs. bust out some wedding invites on friday night. after a whole lot of hole punch distance calculations & ribbon length testing skills... we went for it. matt was assigned the rsvp card envelopes - stamp, label, insert card. erika did the ribbon cutting, & i punched holes like a boss. she sure did enjoy trash talking my hole punches lining up, but i showed HER when i handed her the hole punch. after a few cards, my power of the hole punch was reinstated. but seriously, it was a pretty fun night of gossip, assembly & of course, the appropriate TLC friday being brideday shows :) the invitations look bomb by the way... she may thing they were pretty intensive & a crazy idea... but all the hardwork really paid off and they look fantastic! once i get mine in the mail, i'll be sure to show it off since they will have gone public at that point ;)
the bridal shower: i bought the final candy bar for the memory match game... and until yesterday early evening, i thought that would be the extent of my progress. lame, right? well, i couldn't let that be the end of it, so after i put together another bridal shower invitation, i headed out with my trusty can of spray paint and added another coat to the jar lids for the favors. once that dried, i took the can of glitter spray to them, and they look AMAZING. i ran out of daylight, so i'll have to spray them once more when i get home from SF this afternoon, but at least i can say i progressed. i'm sure since i don't work at all this week, i'll plan to work on the soaps part of the favors as well. we're also planning to do a cake/cupcake trial run at some point, so i'll be sure to share about that too!
the baby shower: here is where ALL my productivity went. as you know from last week, i cut and pinned a bunch of things together. well, monday i sewed everything, tuesday i bought the batting, & wednesday i pinned to be quilted. sent off to my grandma on thursday. i'm sure hoping she'll appreciate the size difference between the last project and this one. i just have to get past all my friends getting married with the big stuff to quilt, then it will be on to the much smaller stuff :)
saturday, saturday. what a busy saturday! things started off once jenny arrived at my house around 1:50. waited for amy to show up, and then drove over to kaseys to surprise her... well, here is the driving/surprise process...
after picking up kasey, we headed to fresh choice for buffet healthy food (and some gross cold roasted potatoes... but that's not important) after bruffins & rounds of across the table draw something games, we went to shane co. to pick up kasey's shiney rings. we attempted to see 21 jump street at century, but the movie started at 415, and it was nearly 430 at that point. drove over to blue oaks and got in just in time. well, to find out the theater was the size of my living room practically, & we needed to sit 2 by 2 in order to not be looking up channing tatum's nostrils. amy & i skipped to the loo (not literally) but came back to find that someone graciously slid over so we all could sit together.
the movie was HILARIOUS. partial stupid humor, but partial really funny stuff. the end was a little much, but still funny regardless. after the movie, we then voyaged BACK across roseville to outback steakhouse to have dinner with amy's parentals & brother & chris. forever and a day later sitting outside in the cold waiting for a table, we got seated. mmm pasta. came back to my house afterwards for some pictionary man, game of life, finding nemo & cat bonding time. over all, it was a pretty excellent spring break week kick off... or as betsy & i renamed it: "party for friendship week"
when it comes to modeling restaurant buzzers, i've really been working on my blue steel and magnum. i think the practice is really starting to pay off for me.

weekend wips

tuesday i got a text from erika about moving her bridal shower. by that night i was shopping for invitation supplies so that i could get the ball rolling on making invitations and mailing them out by friday. that's right. her bridal shower got moved up by an entire month due to her schedule & mine conflicting with everything else going on in the month of april. at first i thought i had a TON to do still, and my mind was going to explode in such a little amount of time. but when i listed it all out, everything was pretty much good to go. it seems like it is all just down to little things here and there... which feels AMAZING... oh. and figuring out what i'm going to wear, of course ;)
bridal shower: invites done start to finish in two days. joann's had nothing, so i hit up beverley's on wednesday morning and found EXACTLY what i was looking for. but then when i got home and opened them, they weren't what i wanted at all. haha. my bad. but i think they turned out better than i had originally planned :) you'll get to see a little post on them tomorrow! erika & i also hit the mall yesterday & stopped at bath & body works to find some little game prize items. more like spent a lot of time smelling a bunch of different candles. haha! i also made the bath fizzies on saturday afternoon, and they're hopefully going to harden up a little bit more so they don't fall apart before they get gifted. just have to make the soaps, and then i can load the little buggers up! jars have been cleaned and i painted the first layerish of paint on the lids. i'll try another round before i go for the glitter layer.
wedding: pillow is done and delivered to erika. if i didn't mention it already, i'm super happy with it! on our errands running yesterday, we stopped at beverley's and i was able to find ribbon that was pretty dang close to the color swatch to use for her garter set, so we bought some and i'll be starting on that soon as well :)
baby shower: all pieces have been cut out (i think...) and pinned together. after a long saturday of fizzy making & pinning, i couldn't bring myself to start sewing... so hopefully this week... and then i'll find out how much more i really need to cut out.