S.A.D.

I'm so tired of grey and white: Grey sky, white ground, white sky, grey ground. It seems to never change. On those few days it is actually sunny it feels wonderful (even if it is only like 10 degrees out). This winter has felt so long. I've heard someone say something along the lines that we have only had around 12 sunny days this whole winter. I can't wait for summer, forget spring, I just can't wait for Summer. I believe this is why they throw Valentines Day right in the middle of the gloomiest month; to get some color into this world. Now it's white...., grey....., PINK, and RED! The change is somewhat a welcome. I'm normally not a Valentines Day person, but this year I have been having fun with some crafts.

A few weeks ago I started making lots of cards. I first drew an anatomically correct heart card, then moved to somewhat morbid cards, to well, even more morbid. I eventually decided that I needed to tone it down a little and started sketching these S.A.D. little people. Yesterday I found this neat craft on a blog where you wrap yarn around a wire. It was a little frustrating at first, but I eventually figured it out. I think it would be fun to do names or sayings with this technique. Lastly I found these instructions on how to make these paper flowers on Green Wedding Shoes, and on a whim decided to give it a try. I like the way it turned out, but seriously what do you do with a huge paper flower once it's done?

Besides these few crafts I haven't done too much in the creative department. My life mostly consists of homework, and because I have been a little sick lately; naps, lots of naps.

I hope everyone has a great Valentines Day this year even if you don't have a special person in your life. It's so easy to find someone or something to love. Just look around and tell them you love them. It can be your parents, siblings, dog, random person on the street, I don't care maybe you even love that flowering bush in your room. God gives us so much love everyday the least we can do is spread it around a bit.

Times almost up!

I knew my break would go by fast and it did. I had over a month, but I start classes again tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. I have to admit, besides the constant dread of homework, and the stressful overburdened feeling I get on the not so rare occasion, I'm looking forward to getting back to a routine. For the last few weeks, besides the occasional "activity" I'm been completely bored! I have actually had days where I hesitated getting dressed, and some days spent the whole day in sweats, yes you heard me sweats (don't worry not the baggy guy type). So in honor of boredom I thought I would share with you some of my pointless endeavors that I have done in some of my more extreme states of boredom. I've drawn one too many pointless sketches. Watched almost a whole season of Bizarre Foods "cow stomach anyone?" I spent way too much time on the computer; Playlist, Pandora, Modcloth, Anthropologie (which is were the adorable jacket its from..I think), etsy, ebay, just to name a few.

Wrote around ten poems:

The Sorrow of the Stars

Time is blowing the leaves away

to a place so far unseen.

The stars they came and stole the day

and I'll see the last no more.

Why? I entreat the grass to talk.

Why drain the color so?

The birds look down at me they mock,

and with the wind they fade away.

Why flowers bloom ye then ye die?

Why goslings must they feather?

The rustling hillside webs a lie.

The clouds they part in sorrow.

Sun is shedding tears for me,

enamored with my woe.

Infringing on the Willow tree,

I hide my voice among it's bark.

Time has blown the leaves away

to a place I once had been.

The stars did show me their dark day,

to watch with them forever more.

I've done other things like sewn a skirt, did some logic problems (In my most insane state of boredom), baked a lot (I'm suffering for it), and although I can't think of anything else I did, I might have done something somewhat worthwhile.... I hope.

not a baby banner

I don't remember when I first decided I wanted to make a banner for the craft room, just one minute I was browsing etsy, the next I was googleing how to make a banner. I didn't look very hard, but I couldn't find any instructions online. I looked at a few photos of ones people had made and how they were constructed, then decided to make my own up.

It didn't take long at all. First I made a quick triangle pattern, then cut out two of each fabric, sewed them together, flipped and pressed, arranged them in the order I wanted, then sewed a ribbon along the top.

I know it does look a little nurseryish, but that wall has been so boring for so long, and I really did want to make something fun for it. I had originally planned on hanging the banner across the window, but I don't know, I just didn't really want too.

So, now it's up, making the horrid mint colored room a little more tolerable (I do have plans to re-paint it) and if it looks a little babyish, who cares, not me!

If any of you want me to put the pattern up and make a tutorial just leave a comment, and if I have time, I would love too.

Seven ways to identify that you are a craft addict

1. Even when you know you should be doing homework you decide to craft instead.

2. A new craft idea ways on your mind so hard you want to explode.

3. You stay up well after midnight because your "all most done".

4. You bring your laptop to your craft room so you don't have to keep running between rooms for instructions.
5. You can't see your desk anymore because it's covered with who knows what.
6. You find that your gift card to Joanns didn't have quite as much as you thought left on it, and you find yourself breaking a twenty.
7. You know your sanity will deteriorate if you don't find something new to make quick.

So I'll start and you can join in if you need to;

Hi, my name is Megan and I'm craftoholic. I've been at it for about my whole life and can't stop. The last time I did a craft was yesterday, and before that it was a few long days. I go on stints of doing nothing, but then I just get the urge, and before I know it I'm cutting up, or sewing something together.

There I admitted it! But now the fun part, do you what to see what I made?

Your probably thinking "what crazy thing did Megan make now?" or possibly "that's so cool I want one too!" either way I like it. This isn't actually the craft I made yesterday, but last Sunday after church. I found the how too on etsy and asked dad if he could help me make it even before I had finished watching the video. He said he would but that it would be harder than it looked, but they made it look so easy on the show, how could it be that hard? I promptly went off into the woods and found a branch. Unfortunately it was attached to a fallen tree, so I got the hack saw and started sawing a chunk off. After about 7 minutes of sawing, two cuts on my hands from the blade, and a sliver on my toe, I finally had my branch. I proudly marched it back to dad who said that It had a crack going down the middle and wouldn't work. *sigh*. So off I went again, this time with dad, and found a new branch. We took it to his shop in the garage and he showed me how to cut it using the power saw. I ended up letting him do the cutting, while I sanded each cut with the electric sander (scary). We found a board, and I brought it inside to begin placing the slices in a pleasing arrangement. I eventually glued them down, and the next time we went to town I got some spray wood gloss to finish it.

So, was it worth it? I think so. I have it hanging in my room, not really matching anything, but there having collected memories, now collecting dust.

Day 24: I'm seeing multicolor sugar birds!

I'm supposed to shock you all with a movie none of you would expect me to love. I have a dilemma. Being as sporadic and strange as I am in my tastes, I think it would be impossible to surprise you. I enjoy a good romance, as well as a zombie movie, a disaster movie and a animated cartoon. I tried hard to think of something that any of you who know me personally wouldn't know that I liked, but I failed. So I apologize on my first failed challenge. Do you ever feel like you have a fizzing, gurgling, mass of creativeness trying to escape, but you just don't have the time to let it out? I was feeling it today, only I did have some time and an excuse to try this batch of cookies. I wanted to try something new, something challenging. I love a baking challenge don't you? I found this cookie recipe on the very back page of our mashed up, unorganized, binder of miscellaneous recipes, and we had everything to make them! So I got started. They were pretty labor intensive as cookies go, but overall they were easy. They didn't turn out as perfect as the picture in the book, but I also didn't put a lot of effort into making them flawless either. I thought they tasted bland, but other people seemed to like them, so maybe I'll make them again sometime. Also, something else I've been up to was redoing the cover of my planner. The college gave me a daily planner when I had my orientation. It's really quite nice. It has all the phone numbers in the front, and a quote each day, but I didn't like the cover. It just sat on my desk screaming for me to do something with it. At first I thought I might just tear off the cover, or maybe crochet something, but I never got around to it. So last night I got out my scrap booking supplies and some card stuff and put together a very "me'ish" cover. Front
Back

a ring around no mandrel

From the same book I wrote about in the previous post, there were instructions on how to make a wire ring. I'm not much of a ring person, and the ring they had in the book wasn't my style, but I decided to try it anyway. This was on Wednesday night. I made one and thought it turned out kinda neat. The next day I made seven more. On Friday when we went to town I decided to buy some more wire (I was almost out). I got blue and copper wire, and this board that's called a Thing-A-Ma-Jig. Last night I was playing with it and made a pair of earrings.

So, here are my attempts at wire wrapping. I didn't have a ring mandrel so I tried to find something that was the same size of my finger. It turned out my finger is the exact same size of a chap stick bottle.For a first attempt I think they turned out pretty well. I didn't have any silver left, so I used gold. Not quite my first choice in color, but it worked.

Getting all wired up for summer

Yesterday I was in a creative mood, so....

I've been wanting to make this sign for a while now, so I finally got around to it. I found my old wood burning kit and decided it would look nicer than painting it. I hadn't tried burning in so long I forgot how hard it is on your hands, and how easy it is to mess up. Afterwards I felt like I had been crocheting a hundred mph all day. These are not weeds, but it is my garden. I know they look small for this time of year, but it was just too cold to plant ant earlier.

The plants in the foreground are radishes.I got a jewelry making book from the library and it had instruction on making a wire bird nest necklace. I had everything to make it so I decided to give it a try. It went really quick and I like how it turned out. All I need now is a pair of bird earrings. Remember so long ago wen I planted some forgotten seeds in a old pot? Well it has been blooming really gorgeous flowers. Actually three different kinds.

Stolen Craft

Like any good little crafter I save old wool sweaters for crafts. Although I've never actually done anything with them, I still kept them for "just in case I ever need them". I've found some cute patterns for pillows, gloves, and little animals, but I just never felt inspired to cut up a sweater to make anything.

Today I was doing my rounds (blogs, e-mail, and etsy) and I found this really cute video on etsy. here is the link. Finally, I could feel happy bubbles and stars exploding in my head. I asked mom, and she said it was fine so off I went. After I felted it, I began construction, or deconstruction. It went from a huge sweater, to a swing jacket, and then I finally decided to cut it to capelet size. At first I was hesitant but after a few good snips I went wild.

So here is my ending project.
Tell me what you think

Cute?

strange?

Or

only Megan would wear something like that?

sling shots

My brother and I were watching a Myth Busters on human sling shots so..... If you have ever watched that show you know how they always insist that you never try anything they do at home. Well, don't worry, Luke wasn't flying across our yard, but unfortunate Lego men were.

We built it using pencils, duct tape, tacks, yarn, and rubber bands.

Pretty isn't it? We were both amazed on how well it worked when we were done. The Lego men would actually go from our family room back wall all the way out the back door past the porch.

I tried to film my little stunt man in action. You can't really see him, but he goes past the table.

Lace and Logs

If you've ever been into my bedroom, you have most likely seen a half sewn log looking thing, and a unfinished crochet square doily sitting on my floor. You may have even seen them sitting there, seeming to never progress, for over a year. Well, for my sanity, accomplishing forgotten projects, and for general cuteness, I can finally say that I finished my two pillows! I love them both so much I don't know why I never got around to finishing them. The log pillow was made from a pattern I found online. It's cut out from felt and then hand sewed in place. Unless your an avid hand sewer, I would recommend doing it all my machine.

The lace pillow is from a Crochet Today magazine. I ran out of thread half way and had to switch to a different brand that was a little different in shade. When it was done I then tea-dyed it so it would become uniform in color, it ended up working out fine.

Kimono

Here are the promised pictures of my Kimono I sewed. I got the fabric a long time ago, cut out and started on the Obi, but never quite got around to moving on. I finely got up the gumption and finished it and the Kimono. I just love it! It fits so nice and just feels so fun to wear. Don't ask me why I made it, I couldn't tell you. But now that I have it I'm glad. The obi was very strange to make, it actually has cardboard in it.The Kimono itself wasn't to difficult, but with all the fabric and lining it was a hassle.

I really like the sleeves you could hide all sorts of dangerous things in them!

I used the Simplicity pattern 4080 and made veiw B

Kanzashi

I finished sewing my Kimono a few days ago (I will post pictures later) So last night and today I made a Kanzashi* hairpiece to match. I think It turned out really nice. I love making Kanzashi since I got this book Kanzashi in bloom. The instructions are so easy and fun. The projects are kind of strange and unusable, but like I said the flower instructions are simple, quick, infinite, and very doable. *Kanzashi are traditional Japanese hair pieces.

my etsy shop!

After some encouragement from Hannah, I finally got around to starting my etsy shop. It opened yesterday and now have four items listed and plan at least 3 more.
It's at http://www.etsy.com/shop/calicomoose Please visit!

Band of happy!

About a week ago, I made this headband. Again, I was kinda copying something I found on etsy, but it turned out way different. It is so fun to wear and is remarkably comfy.

update!

Well, sorry I haven't posted for a while. but I have been up to some fun things. First I crocheted and knitted a "interesting" neck, scarf thingy that I found on etsy. Second I almost finished my bonnet, the only thing left to do is put the ribbon under the hat. So without further adieu here are the pictures.

Yokan Wagashi

This is my newest amigarumi creation. She is a baby seal. Her name is Yokan Wagashi, after the colorful, sweet Japanese candy. Because of her monochromatic colors I thought she needed a colorful name.

Wagashi!

This is Namagashi Wagashi. She is a rice bunny! I made her last night and thought such a sweet little bunny deserved a very sweet big name. Namagashi is a type of Japanese rice cake and Wagashi is candy. She is only about an inch tall.

Clutch

After church on Sunday, I cut out and then later sewed this little clutch. I was tired of all my chap stick and lip gloss rolling around the bottom of my purse. So, out of desperateness I quickly made up a pattern to sew. I will put snaps on the top when I get around to buying some, but till then it will just have to sit their and look cute!

Green life with an orange thumb

A while ago I crocheted a tree frog. I look a picture of him and thought it looked cute, so you get to look at it too! He protects my ceiling high house plant from all manner of evil bugs.

Gloves

I'm normally leery to try glove patterns because they always seem to take size 30 thread, to thick of yarn, look way to elegant, look old ladyish, or take forever to make. So when I found this pattern I talked myself into trying it and really was happily surprised. They only took me two evenings to make and I like the fit, and weight of yarn.