Make something now!

So, I was in the middle of a project when i thought, "boy, I could use some pattern weights." So guess what I did?

Ta daaaaa!!!!

 Now, I can't say I am solely responsible for this idea. I am pretty sure I got the idea somewhere, but I have no idea where. If it is yours, please let me know and I'll cite you!

Take four washers of about an inch diameter, and put them in the center of a 3" by 3" square of pinked cloth. 

Bunch the cloth up into the middle. 

Tie with a tiny rubber hair band (I used the clear ones).

And they held the pattern and the fabric down well. I wanted to try using a rotary cutter, which is much easier if your corners are all secure. 

 Gold Star to ADD crafters.

Happy Valentines day!

Oh wait, is it really?

Anyway, my tip for today is totally unrelated, but very relevant to my current life:

Don't watch anything with subtitles if you have to work.

Especially something as engrossing and filled with attractive young men as the Korean version of "Boys over Flowers"

You should be realizing this by now, but these "tips" are really more like "lessons learned."

A very chocolaty and rosy Gold Star to the lovers (And my loves).

A new tool

Okay, bloglovin' isn't anything new. But its fabulously valuable to keep track of a myriad of blogs, which is exactly what I've spent way too much time finding. But bloglovin' makes it organized and makes my hobby feel less procrastinatory. And now I'm there!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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.

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 :)

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.

She crazy

Indeed I am. Because here comes the first big snow of the season, and I choose to frolic in it in shorts.

I was going to get rid of this pair before spotting this tutorial on the Colleterie, and decided I'd try it. Now I love them -- enough to be crazy. One tip -- when she says carefully snip, really be careful. I had to resew around half my scallops because I got scissors-happy.

Pretty snow face :)

Oh my goodness!

It looks like I'm not wearing pants under my coat. Scandalous!

Aaaaand now my camera decides the background needs to be REALLY white. Silly technology. But I kind of like this look, and some of these are quite good, and it's my blog and I'll post what I want to :)

A nice kick to show off my boots. 

And whatever this nonsense is to show off my shorts.

I love snuggling with my pashmina!

It looks like I'm backwards embracing the tree...

Kisses on a happy holidays!

God, I'm a narcissist. 

Outfit deets:

Sweater and Coat -- Old Navy

Shorts -- Formerly Wal-Mart. I think.

Tights -- Target

Boots -- Icing 

Pashmina and White Tee -- my world travels

Gold Star to the closet narcissists. (That's how narcissistic I am, I just passive-aggressively gave myself a gold star)

Quick Tip Tuesday

Don't try to have a real life at the holidays.

that is all.

Gold stars to the recovering holiday-holics.

Got treasured family recipe? (cheap gift idea, with a gift for you!)

Make last-minute gifts! I even did most of the work for you. I came up with this idea the ump-teenth time someone asked me for my mom's banana bread recipe -- a make-your own kit!  Since people are bound to have the wet ingredients -- eggs, oil, and an old banana -- it makes this work pretty well. I just went by the recipe, split the dry ingredients into two steps and packaged them -- with instructions labels.

Then, I tucked the baking instructions into these cute little casserole pans, (available at Michael's for under 2 dollars each!) . . . 

tucked the recipe in back, . . . 

and wrapped with cellophane, cute ribbon, and matching gift tags.

And, since I made all these little templates, I'm willing to share! I haven't figured out how to attach a download (and since a PDF wouldn't let you put in your own recipes -- or name -- into the gift tags. I'd love the credit but it wouldn't help you all much), so leave your email in the comments and I'll send the files, if you so wish :) This could be done with breads, cakes (using mini-cake pans), cookies (using little cookie sheets? or just a cute basket), or even things like warm casseroles. And all it costs you is the container it's in, some ingredients, and whatever ribbons and bits you want to use to accessorize. It'll last longer than the actual baked good, be usable upon craving, and probably be cuter. I make delicious stuff sometimes, but it's rarely pretty. I'm working on that.

By the way, here's the most efficient method I've found for cutting out a million little circles:

Cut the bottom curves.

Loop around the end and cut the top curves. 

Then cut away the little remaining bits. 

Gold Star to anyone who may have found out what they're getting for Christmas from this post :)

It's like the stain was never there!

Sounds like a commercial for detergent. But rather, its a way to deal with the stains you can't get rid of no matter how good the detergent.

The dastardly stain

I'm not sure how I managed to stain this lavender tee, but I'm not too surprised I did. I have the unfortunate inability to eat food without being messy. Me and my mom tried all the tricks (including the super-secret sweat-stained marching band collar trick), but to no avail. So I embellished a little.

Ta-Da! you can't see the stains anymore :). I bought a bunch of doilies at the local antique mall, picked one, and cut out the inside to make a trim. But whole doilies (especially the wholly lace ones) could also be arranged creatively a la the Anthropologie aesthetic to cover stains elsewhere.

Gold Star to all those whose eating habits come from Never-Never Land (in other words, never grew up).

So, you like how I did two week's worth of posting in two days?

Here's this week's tip -- when you make a google calendar to help you keep your blog rotation in check, make sure the notices actually show up.

Also, don't be an unmotivated lump who only watches Dr. Who.

Gold Star to all those tempted to be unmotivated lumps by Dr. Who (because, I swear, it has that effect).

Top it off

So, on my newly designated accessory wall, I have run into the problem of hats. I have a growing collection felt cloches, which are really impossible to store -- well, no longer!

The best part? All it took was some clothespins, ribbon, and some nails (or command hooks would work splendidly -- however, they refuse to stick to my paint job).

Take your ribbon (I used a simple white one-inch satin) and tie it around the hooks (or around a clothespin -- enough so it won't slip). 

Then, adjust ribbon length until you get the length and drape you want (remember to calculate for the weight of your hats). Then apply the hooks, or put one BROAD-HEADED nail through the back tine of the clothespin (the pins will probably crack some, so the broad head secures it -- since this won't hold a lot of weight, just making sure the pin is held snug should do).

And voila!

For a more colorful version, you could paint the clothespins, or use binder clips to get a more utilitarian effect.

Gold star for all those times when its just too easy :)

A Quick Switch

So, the other day I had an insane need for slippers, and remembered Target had quite a stock. After searching for the comfiest, fuzziest pair I settled on some cozy, durable mocs.


I didn't much like the leather strung through, so I cut some lace on an angle, threaded the thin end through the biggest needle I could find (just pulled until it stuck), and wove it in where the leather cording used to be.

 I have a bit of trouble getting the bows to lay straight, so I may have to glue them down, but overall its an improvement, I think. And I can change it as I feel like it.

Gold star to anyone who can't live without a good pair of slippers.

Quick Tip Tuesday

... or Thursday. I'll get used to this rotation one day.

Read the instructions of IKEA furniture before you put it together. Especially if you have carpentry experience. Because I have discovered that the language of IKEA makes perfect sense those illiterate in the terms of furniture with the directions, but is not engineered in a way that makes sense to those who actually know furniture.

I wish a National Geographic team to film my dad, a natural builder, installing my IKEA pants hanger. I daresay my commentary on this creature out of his element was quite amusing.

Slightly like this, except insert the part where all my pants fall off the hanger. 

(from this article on learning and cognition)

Gold Star to anyone whose Dad is too smart for his own good (and I say this will all the cheeky love in my heart).

Quick Tip Tuesday

So, I've been meaning to share little tips to crafting, and I planned to name the series "Quick tip Mondays." Well, it's not Monday, but I decided I like the name better with Tuesday anyway. :)

So, here it is, let me know if its useful (I do so ever like to be useful).


Ever spill seed beads while working on a project? It's a pain, right?

Not so much, with a dash of epiphany.

The lint roller trick


You know those clothes rollers you use to get rid of lint and fuzzies, the ones that are essentially layers of tape? Surprise, they are multi-purpose! And cheap -- I get mine at IKEA for a dollar. In absence of a lint roller, a layer of masking tape wrapped around your fingers will work pretty similarly.

All you need to do is sweep your beads into one spot, roll the roller over the pile until they are picked up, and (slowly and carefully) peel the layer of tape off.

The best part of this quick trick is you can bead straight off the tape! No more chasing those buggers around with your needle or wire.

So much neater than a mess.

Gold star to whomever has spilled the most beads. Feel free to share stories, they will lift my spirits.