Lovely blossoms...

(here)

I'm totally ready for some.

I bought a mini-daffodil plant this week to get me by.

Gold Star to the romancers of spring. 

If you can't say anything nice ...

(here)

Yes, that's right. I love Yiddish. Of the many languages I am interested in, it definitely has the most character. And like USA says, character welcome. So yes, I have a list of Yiddish words I need to use more often smack-dab in the middle of my desktop. I love to use them. They can express everything from exasperation to disgruntlement to bemusement with such panache. As a fan of language, I am simply in love with the words of Yiddish. Perhaps I shall write an ode to them...

Some of my favorites:

spilkes

tuches (I've used this one here before)

conniption

SCHMUTZ

bupkes

kvetch

mishugana

Gold Star to anyone who knows what those all mean.

The perils of seamstressing

So I need to post another inspiration post, but I've been in a weird place of not being particularly inspired by anything but quite creatively productive, and feeling the need to isolate the productivity-causer. It's probably just that my list got too long. Anyway, I don't feel like thinking now, so something will happen next week -- when I'm more inspired by something -- maybe music.

Anyway, I do feel like writing slightly humorous prose. Since my household has been victim to several sewing-related injuries lately, I present Anna's list of safety tips for seamstresses:

1. Beware of fitting fits of conniption. Seamstresses sometimes crave perfection, and after the fifth time they sew a seam, symptoms similar to Tourette's can be witnessed.

2. Pick up your pins. Seamstresses are far more prone to comical injuries (sat on, stepped on, etc) than even the most classic of cartoon gaffes.

3. Watch your iron. If you see emo-kid burns on the arms of an otherwise stable-looking female, they could very will be a seamstress.

4. Be careful with your lighting. Seamstresses should work in a well-lit space, wearing appropriate eye gear to avoid strain. They should also not leave lighting sources on the floor, lest a well-placed Godzilla stomp should shatter an important source of illumination.

5. Keep well-organized fabric bins, and think judiciously when in fabric stores.. The fabric avalanche is an ever present danger for the seamstress, as are what-the-%@##-am-I-going-to-do-with-all-this-inspired panic attacks.

Gold Star to the craftily clumsy.

CCS (not an obscure coding language)

One of the downfalls of working from home is that, if my day job doesn't me out of the house, after a few days in my PJ's, I run the risk of CCS -- Cave Creature Syndrome. Symptoms of CCS include: sluggishness, lack of showering for 48 hours, inability to get out of bed, drop in productivity, excess Facebook usage, deterioration of communication skills to grunts and whistles, and finding pretzel crumbs in your bed.

Its a slippery slope, folks. Once you realize you are a cave creature, you've usually been there for at least a day. And once you admit your problem, you still don't want to get out of bed.

Well, here's my proven 5-step program to get human (and therefore, productive) again.

1. Do physical activity. Run, do Wii Fit, have a crazy 10-minute dance party, do jumping jacks, or whatever wakes yourself up.

2. Take a shower. Never underestimate the shower as a goad for productivity. When I pulled all-nighters in college, I'd take a shower at 1-2 am to wake myself up.

3. Put on cute underwear. It just helps.

4. Grab a cup of coffee or tea.

5. Make a list of things to get done that day and use your newfound wakefulness to stick to it.

Gold Star to all the sufferers fighting CCS.

I want my own craft room,

and I want it to look like this.

From (here)

Except it probably never will, because a major reason for me having a craft room would be to embrace my organized chaos in a way no one will ever have to see it.

Gold Star to the embracers of organized chaos.

Breaking news!

or not really...I've just been a little in love with the internet lately, all whilst cleaning out my emails.

but ohmigosh! Oxford broke up with the oxford comma! (This is to me what celebrity scandal is to most people).

read more (here)

While you mourn or celebrate, you may indulge in some geeky punctuation music. (Vampire Weekend -- a guilty pleasure)

(here)

box pleats are a girl's best friend

Sometimes, when you're sewing a seam (like a waistband) your fabric stretches as you sew without you meaning it. Or you cut a pattern piece too big. Or there's just too much fabric for reasons unknown and probably involving string theory to explain.

pic and some wonderful explanation of pleats (here)

Put in a box pleat! Instant cute and a fix. I love it when you can make mistakes into a detail that totally looks like some planned couture thing :)

Wishing for spring

(here)

and daffodil yellow

Gold star to all those anxiously waiting for the days of the daffodils. 

New Year's resolutions, for real

Yes, its the middle of January. I'm a procrastinator (with access to True Blood and Dr. Who), all right?

1. Finish a project every week. Not necessarily a big one, but one nonetheless. I'm going to empty my bins this year. Hopefully sooner.

2. Keep up with the Wii fit. Cliche, yes, but this is a method of physical activity that actually works. As long as my mom keeps challenging my high scores. I'm not a competitive person, per se, but I do respond well to challenge. And I need to seriously rethink my sedentary lifestyle in a way that doesn't involve going outside.

3. You know that classic book thing I sort of started a month ago? yeah..get on that. Its Dorian Grey's fault. He's plugging up the pipeline. Unmitigated blame, probably.

4. Live the Neil Patrick Harris poster I shared in my last post. Possibly get suit.

5. Not freak out about the Mayan calendar.

6. Stop buying things I only like, so I can save for things I love. Like jetset vacations. Or Disney World. Or Grad School.

7. Make more lists. I am much more productive with lists. I actually bought a planner and am doing well with this one. I still can do better.

8. Write more. And get my stuff out there. It would probably be best to do my whoring myself out/scrounging for publishing phase while I'm still able to leech off my parents. Hopefully this will help me bypass the Liberal-Arts-Major-Living-In-a-Box phase.

There. They're published on the internet. Now I have to do them.

Gold Star to all the Liberal Arts Majors who long ago resigned themselves to living in a box for a part of their life.

My New Year's resolutions

for serious. 

(here)

Also, to take these to heart:

The 25 things writers need to stop doing

A great article. Extremely motivational in a takes-no-prisoners, brutally honest way and also hilarious.

Also, to finalize my posting schedule -- with AT LEAST one project post per week. This blog is all about fostering my creativity, after all. 

Gold Star to all those who wish they had more occasions to suit up.  

The eff-you pie

I know you're only supposed to bake out of love. I know that it's supposed to be a relaxing activity done because you love and care about the people in your life and you want to gift them with your delicious affections.

But sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is by throwing pie at it. In a perfect world, this would always be the best solution to every problem.

The reason I bring this up:

I was sick on monday. Like, feverish, moving hurts, possible slight delirium sick. Oh, and it felt like a really pissed-off cat had been working my throat like a scratching pole. So I'm thinking, as I drearily trudge out of my room, I need to eat something. There's a slice of that banana cream pie in the fridge. Nice and cold and creamy and oh-so-soothing. So I grab it and a fork, and sit on the couch to eat it.

My brother had been bitching about it ever since. Just because he didn't have an initial shot at the pie because of his work.

So he brings it up today, and I start baking. Not out of love or caring, but because he needed a slice of Eff-you pie.

The deal of the Eff-you pie is, I make the pie, he eats the pie, he is no longer allowed to bitch about the pie. If he does, he gets a punitive slap across the face. He didn't quite agree to this deal, but I  figure, as the pie-maker, I get some executive power in forming pie-based deals.

(It's not even worth a shot from my Canon. It gets the smartphone picture)

No one tell him I made it with soy milk.

Gold Star to all those who feel simultaneously empowered and jealous of mid-century buildings with giant pie awnings by the use of the term "pie-maker."

So Fricken' French

(here)

This girl's and my styles don't always mesh entirely, but her adorability, pics like this, and the peek she offers into Paris is absolutely wonderful.

Gold Star to all the bloggers who name their cats Batman.

The right book at the right time

So, cheesy as it may be, one of my favorite books is The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. It's a good book, certainly, but that's not really why it's one of my favorites.

I love it because it's proof that the right books find us. When I first read TSTP, I was amidst the angst of leaving high school, moving on to college, and leaving decade-old friendships. And, if you've read the book, you can have no problem imagining how it comforted my worries, with its message that the important ones will always be there, even if you're separated, even if you drift from each other. And it's proven true. After four years of college and a homecoming, the important ones are still there.

And further proving the literary magic, I picked the movie to watch last night, looking for something chick-flicky that I'd seen before (see, the favorites). And lo and behold, as I deal with my one roommate being hours away in Chicago, a good portion of my best friends an hour away (a long way when one can't afford gas), and my other roommate/best friend/soul sister soon going to Korea, the right words showed up at the right time yet again.

Books can do that, it's in their magic.

Gold Star to the believers.

The Traveller

I never really knew my great-grandmother. We used to go to her house and play when we were in town, but I don't even remember the Traverse City visits, and the later Florida ones were usually overshadowed by Disney or Sea World trips. But I like to think she was a kindred spirit. When she died, at the ripe old age of 96, enjoying a lobster dinner (we can't prove it was the lobster, but that would be the way to do it, so we choose to believe that was it), I didn't mourn her passing as much as the stories I would never know.

Because I do remember her house being a fascinating place. By the time she had pared down her life into a small Floridian condo, her possessions had been distilled to her most treasured relics. Elegant carved wooden giraffes with inset ivory from Africa, a fantastic parrot-mosaic table, and a snake-charmer's basket filled with toys. My brother and I always focused on the basket when we were at her house. So single-mindedly were we that she left it to us.

A few years later, I found this picture of her and my Great-Grandpa. I begged my mom to let me have it. I knew my Great-Grandma had travelled, and I still don't know the whole of where she had been. But the fact she went makes me realize that more runs in families than one thinks.

This picture sits next to my desk -- where all the magic happens when I can get the courage to get out from under the covers. Both as a reminder of my aspirations, and because you have to admire her panache with a sari :)

Gold Star to all those who share their stories before it's too late.

New Year, newly uncovered workspace

So, there really isn't anything new about this space (except I finally put knobs on my dresser), but this is the first time the area has been fit for visual consumption. It's still a bit cluttered, but cluttered with things I love and which put me in a good, creative mood. So welcome to where I work -- meaning the little nook in my bedroom (when I can get my lazy bum out of my covers).

Good lighting is key. (And I absolutely love my Home Depot half-off chandelier!)

My projects board -- which has been sitting on the floor for months. But now it's up, and all my little design inspirations and doodles categorized (via the rainbow labels). Yes, a line of shoe pictures counts as a design inspiration. 

My dresser (with my awesome Vietnamese eggshell mosaic painting and picture of my Great-Grandma in India). 

In case I get down, I have all these lovely messages from my loved ones lining the window in my space. 

The top drawer of my dresser got taken over by fabric...

and on the other wall of my little nook, more craft supplies! And all my geeky tchotches. Like a pikman, Batman, and various penguin-related things. 

The desk as a whole (my sewing machine would normally be dominating the right half, but it's at the doctor's right now :( ) All my sewing books and magazines are on the right. Yes, that orange thing is a Nerf dart.

A close-up of some of my very favorite things. Yup, crayons and Post-its. Also, my antique drawing model, wearing my original clock necklace from Tibet. Which you can't really see.  

The handy-dandy lower shelf of the desk, and my tucked-away typewriter (it's baby blue. I loves it very much, even though it doesn't have any usable ribbon). This is where I keep all my actual job-related books. And more darts. My brother got a Nerf gun for Christmas. He's 20, FYI. 

And finally, my method of organizing projects. Throw it in the bin. It actually works pretty well. The urge to empty the bin is strong. 

Gold Star to all who can find the two shoe-related inspirations in my workspace. 

The wonder of stay tape

When you're attaching a two fabrics of different weights, use a line of stay tape (or if the fabric is opaque, a line of interfacing will work as well) to make the seam a lot easier and prevent bunching.

Like when attaching floaty business to a sturdy cotton lining :) You'll see what I mean soon.

What with that sunshine, them that comes in a can

Okay, so more like a pic of total silliness. And yes, I do have a can of Florida Sunshine on my desk. After witnessing beautiful Bowl Game weather all day, I definitely wish I could pop this baby open.

Gold Star to the bravers of Michigan weather.

Also, I'm going to have to watch Easy A tomorrow. I now have "Pocketful of Sunshine" stuck in my head....

I like impossible colors.

More specifically, the lady who came up with that phrase!

In addition to posting some lovely vintage fashion, Andrea shares all the ups and downs of writing a novel. From her simple posts exclaiming over a word-count goal reached to dealing with publishers, she covers it all. She even hosts a challenge for NANORIMO (loosely translates to November = write a novel) that I was too late on this year, but I may have to do next year.

So, yes, my writerly affair this week is with this writerly lady.

And, she shared this exercise from The Relaxed Writer, to greet the New Year.

"Here's how it works.

1. Take a sheet of clean paper and draw a vertical line down the middle to create two columns.

2. Label the sheet, "My Writing Life"

3. Fold the page in half.

4. Set a timer for 10 minutes. On the left-hand side, as quickly as you can, list exactly what you DON'T want your writing life to look like in the coming year.

For instance:

I don't want...

"to not have a place to write"
"to struggle to find time for my writing"
"to be so isolated"
"to keep postponing developing story ideas"

5. Keep going until the timer chimes or you've completely exhausted all possibilities. If you feel uncomfortable with all the negative statements you're making, please be patient and stick with me. Emotionally connecting to your goals will help you achieve them. (I see this time and again in my private coaching practice.) The more you can allow yourself to really feel, see and experience what you don't want, the easier you'll be able to connect with what you do want. 

Please try not to edit yourself as you do this exercise. Redundancy is fine--even instructive! In this step and the next, pay attention to the themes and variations you lay out on the page. Notice where you concentrate your attention. Notice which topics appear again and again and again in different forms. If you pay close attention, the repetition will show you where you've been stuck.

6. Next, unfold the page. Use each bullet point in the left-hand column as a writing prompt. You're going to discover what you DO want by writing a specific, clear intention for yourself. How? Just rewrite each negative statement in the left-hand column into a positive one.
For instance:

I want...

"to have a dedicated space to write"
"to create a consistent, sustainable writing schedule"
"to refresh my network with new colleagues and writing peers"
"to send X new queries each week"
Voila! You've got marching orders for the new year--a perfect starting point to help you make good decisions and take the steps necessary to clear your internal and external environment of unneeded clutter.

Enjoy the process."

I will have to do this very soon :)

Here is another great post of hers, on books writers should read.

Gold Star to the lovers of the literarily minded.