Fabric Wrapping "Paper"

Sometime around Christmas, a conversation with my mother about a friend of hers who sewed fabric gift bags for her family to use instead of wrapping paper gave me brilliant idea... why not make reusable fabric wrapping paper?! Sew some ribbon to the sides of a fabric rectangle and wrap it around you present. I was sure this was how I was going to simultaneously make my millions and save the planet, but unfortunately someone already beat me to it.

I figured I could make them for way cheaper and was looking for a fun project, so I went to Jo-Ann fabrics right after Christmas, bought fabric for 70% off, and tried my hand at it. They turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself...



I made a few bags as well for good measure, though I do I prefer the act of actually unwrapping when receiving a present.



Now I only have to wait 11 more months to actually use them!

Nina Luna Meets Project Runway

I finally got my hands on Project Runway, and now I can't get enough. Seriously. This, combined with the task of coming up with a Nancy Drew costume for my niece... and I'm off running.

I made a cute skirt reminiscent of the recent Nancy Drew movie look (hopefully). Headband and magnifying glass are on their way...

Now I'm on the hunt for a more vintage Nancy Drew look for myself for next Halloween. I already have the magnifying glass necklace. Now I just need the right dress/suit. Something very prim and proper 1940/50s with youthful full skirt. Perhaps plaid with a crisp white collar... Did you know they sell vintage sewing patterns on eBay?!

Inspiration is everywhere when I am tuned in. On the Nancy Drew quest to every local fabric store (it was incredibly hard to find plaid this time of year!), I got distracted and produced a purple and orange paisley corduroy skirt and a laminated cotton bag for Mother's Day!

Fun! Thank you Heidi and Tim Gunn (am I the only one who wants to take him home with me?!).
Make it work, people.
Carry on.

Time On My Hands

For the record, it is very hard to think (much less write) about anything but dating right now, since my brain is consumed by the current deliciousness. Thank you blog for the opportunity to remember the other sides of myself that I've worked so hard to cultivate for at least a moment...

Life has actually been good. Although, a little romance tends to make just about anything rosier. We just had Spring Break. The kids at school all asked, "Where are you going?" Because we are all headed to some exotic tropical location, of course [yes, that is a hint of bitterness that you detect]. I answered, "To my couch." And pretty happily, actually.

My usual plan of attack for any open expanse of time is to dive onto the couch and indulge in the luxury of doing nothing. And "nothing" inevitably means television. But the TV binge usually ends up feeling like a hot dog does for me; a fun idea at the time, but empty and regrettable. I was determined not to feel like I had wasted this gift of time. It took me a while to figure out what I needed to for that to happen. Turns out shopping isn't entirely the answer (though I gave it a good shot). I realized that the first flash of intuition is usually the answer... I needed a project. Like the vacation when I locked myself in a garage with some power tools and came out with a bookshelf.

So I decided to finally make a skirt out of some vintage fabric I have been holding on to. I am lucky enough to have a finished room in my basement, and I have done my best to make it conducive to creative endeavors. Great color and inspiration on the walls. Convenient and attractive storage for lots of supplies. A big fold-out table to spread out on. But I can never actually get myself to use it. It's cold. Kind of dark. I'd rather lug everything upstairs for the slight distraction of the TV... Just more shades of resistance and perfectionism, of course. And a reluctance to be entirely alone with myself.

But I had a breakthrough. Did you know I have a whole room in my house just for creating things?! Somehow I was ready to quit making excuses. I turned on the lights, turned up the heat, and put on some music. And got lost (or perhaps found) in the work.

The cats loved it, too. They even tried to help - if you can call lying on top of whatever I am trying to work on "helping".

Sushi For One

Yet again, my favorite sushi place managed to make me feel like an inadequate single person three separate times during the process of ordering and picking up my take-out. Is it really that unusual that I'm single at my age? Or is it just considerate business practice for them to assume there are at least two people eating? I didn't even order enough food for two people. (Did they forget to tell me the rule that you aren't allowed to eat take-out alone?)

Their insensitivity propelled me into an examination of what my life must look like to outside observers. Luckily, I caught a glimpse of my sticker-covered Nalgene water bottle in the back seat as I got back into my Subaru, and I was reassured that the obviously outdoorsy/independent part of me probably looks relatively strong and capable enough to the outside world.

I am pretty confident that I will be in relationship(s) again and that there are plenty of big things on the horizon of my life. And I usually genuinely appreciate that I am on my own unique path, and am grateful for the time to figure out who I am and what I want before I have to do that taking a significant other or children into account. But why do let their assumptions about what my life should look like (and how many chopsticks I should need) make me feel lacking in the meantime?!

I've also played the outside observer game for my own life while working on my scrapbook again, walking page by page through my bumpy past. As I'm reliving the late 90s/early 2000's, I am amazed to see my own smiling face in so many photos. I think of those years as having been really hard. Lost years where I was desperately trying to get my feet down underneath myself and glad to have lived through them. (And I have to fight the discomfort of how heavy I look to get myself to revisit them). So why does all the evidence show me smiling? A lot of the photos include my niece and nephew, and I am most often genuinely happy in their presence. But it's never that simple. Why not document and memorialize all of the important, good and bad, amongst the smiles. I'm not sure how to do it, but I'm ready to explore the possibilities.

And I'll try not to be offended when they try to sell me two cups of Miso soup even after I clearly say "one".

And then my cat puked on Prague...

My sister's friend cancelled on their day-long scrapbooking event, so I decided to go get crafty, get in some quality sister time, and try to finally catch up on my photos from studying in Berlin (yes, eight years ago). Suggestion for you scrapbookers out there: document your adventures within, say, months afterwards. Not years. I couldn't even remember people's names, much less the significance and fun of all the little things that happened. Luckily, I apparently did a few pages sometime right after the trip, so not all of the original flavor is lost. And it started coming back to me as I worked with it, which is half the fun.

So after eight hours of scrapbooking (yes, eight hours), we finally quit. And when I went home, what did I do? More! Yes, I may have an obsessive personality (it was binge knitting last month, remember). But I love a good project!! Once I get into the creative zone, I don't want to be anywhere else. But eventually it was 2am. So I laid everything out for the last page of the trip and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I discovered a strange pile in the middle of Prague... Cat Puke!

First of all, lovely. And second, really?! Of all the places in my house to up-chuck, why on the one set of photos that I don't have the negatives for? Serious anger ensued. I nearly threw my cat right out the front door (he's not an outdoor cat). Then frustration; I spent a good chunk of time wishing that reality was different. Then sadness. Lost evidence of the fabulous, free, time in my life. Loss of the creation supposed to be made on that page.

After a while I came back around. Resigned myself to the fact that this was an unexpected and unforeseeable occurrence. I got a mini-lesson in anger out of it. (I'm not good with anger, whether mine or someone else's; it scares me.) And maybe even an amusing story.

I eventually started to look at what I had left, and get some ideas for how to salvage the page. I borrowed a few images from a book and the Web. It probably turned out better than it would have with my own grey photos.

But don't tell Oliver (the likely suspect). He's still in the dog house.

Parties Need Crafts, and Crafts Need Parties

I hate parties where you don't know people. Standing around trying to think of things to say. Field wide open for new people to judge me. Even if I love the host and I theoretically trust that their friends will be lovely as well, I still have a hard time getting myself there. Sometimes I just don't.

But I recently went to a party that bridged this... with champagne and a craft! Fabric collage postcards sewn to cardstock. (Apparently you can really mail them!) Everyone was busy with the fun task at hand, and conversation flowed (or didn't, no big deal) as we pleasede.

Brillliant! (Except for the people who fear art projects more than new crowds of people, sorry. But we could gently guide you to your creativity...) Kids parties, duh. Why not adult birthdays and family gatherings? And how about skipping the toilet paper wedding dresses and measuring the pregnant belly? We're thinking of going into business...

A Whole New Bag

Inspiration can be around every corner. I see something, get an idea, another builds on that. With each idea, my spirit lifts. Possibility.

But too often something happens between idea and action. Perfectionism. Unstarted projects often hang around (often for years). Taunting me.

But something has been knocked loose recently. With encouragement from the right company, the possibility outweighs the fear. And once I get started, I can feel my brain chemistry change for the better. For the moment, it's somehow worth the risk to get into that space. Here's an oilcloth bag I cooked up while at Stitches and conquered within a week - unheard of for a sewing project in my world.


And here's a custom birthday crown for a friend's 50th. Any excuse for a little decoupage and glitter. And a reason to use grommets! Basic idea shamelessly stolen from cute novelty shop, with a few personal twists...


Hmm. What's next?!

Binge Knitting

Another way to deal with the holiday blues? Binge. I've certainly gone the chocolate route (more recently it was apple pie, actually), but apparently I've moved on. For some reason, all I want to do is knit hats. Small. Easy. Accomplishable. Useful. The perfect way to cover up not taking a shower on the weekend. Here are the new ones I've cooked up...

And that doesn't count the blue-grey stripe I made for my friend's husband and the one currently on the needles. I'm serious, I can't stop. What deep psychological need is this obsession meeting? At least it makes a good excuse to sit on the couch.

My favorite is the purple stripe with the flower. I figured out how to put in a micro-fleece lining. Super cozy!


Happy New Year! Keep your hat on. (You know you lose 80% of your body heat out the top of your head...)

Wish I had a river...

Coming on Christmas. Cutting down trees. If the lack of light and the residual family issues don't get me, single + holidays = abandonment will. Especially in Seattle where everyone is from somewhere else (except me). Everyone goes off to their family, and I'm left wondering where my rich and full life went. Previously attempted coping mechanisms have included: general overindulgence and poor decision making, escaping into an alternate reality by watching Alias on DVD all night and sleeping all day, or getting on an airplane and running away. Unfortunately, none of these actually helped all that much. What should it be this year?

My new goal: Embrace the holiday angst! Overindulge if the spirit moves me. Watch as many movies as necessary. But also welcome the ghosts of loss and disappointments past who are lurking in my dark corners. Maybe allowing them some light will finally release them. Or maybe I'll just escape by working on my new blog...

At least I've come up with a few new ways to simplify and de-consumer-ify.

1. Christmas cards with luxury tea bags and a honey stick inside for co-workers.
   
2. Donations to a favorite charity or cause (preferably theirs, not yours). For kids, World Wildlife Fund Adopt an Animal.
   
3. Decoupaged frames with miniaturized black and white old family photos (with a current photo in the middle). Gotta love the scanner/printer combo!