Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts

February 10, 2010

two realizations

i've made two realizations today that, for some reason, i felt were blog-worthy. feel free to correct me if i'm wrong in this assumption ;)

1) after my first experience with fasting post-migraines, i switched to fasting from Starbucks coffee for the 40 day period. a significant sacrifice, since my husband works there (at least through next week he does... then no more opening shifts - woohoo :) ) and we get free coffee. anyways... my realization. after 40 days of not drinking Starbucks, i had it for the first time again this morning, and realized... wait for it... i don't like it anymore! maybe that's for the better, since 1) each drink has an exorbitant amount of calories and sugar, both of which are bad for my diabetes and 2) it means we won't be spending money there once hubby's not working there anymore.

2) this Christmas quilt, while the fabrics are gorgeous and the design is equally beautiful, is going to be a lot of work. and a lot of piecing. and a lot of time. therapeutic, yes, but still... a lot of work. it might be a WIP for a while :)

slowly but surely... :)



June 23, 2009

to be continued...

hi guys. sorry for the lack of blogging in the last month & a half. i'm sure i've lost a lot of you readers in the meantime, but for those of you who are still around, waiting for that next post... i figured i owe you a bit of an explanation.

while i love blogging and love the opportunities this site has brought me over the past few months, i'm going to have to take a step back for a while. i'll be back -- that much i know. this isn't a project that i want to give up on, but with how busy life has gotten lately, i don't have the time to craft like i used to... and even when i do have the time to craft, i don't have the time to post on here, or even keep up on the blogs that i follow.

so this is just "see you later" for a little while -- until life calms down & i have more time to spend crafting and blogging and following all of you wonderful people on your own adventures :)

until then...

May 7, 2009

away we go...

Off on vacation so things will be a little bit quiet around here for the next 2 weeks. I'll be sure to come back with pictures & stories & keep plugging away at the giant list of blogging ideas that are rolling around in my brain! :)

Don't miss me too much ;)

May 3, 2009

busy times! also... February craft challenge (finally!)

I knew that this past week & a half was going to be busy, but a few unexpected things (oh, like buying a car) made it a bit more hectic than I had planned! my best friend bought a new car a few days ago and left a nice car needing a good home. seeing as my car was needing repairs more & more often, we had been thinking about a new car anyways. when the most recent problem (a crack in the rear axle) led to the repairman telling me the there was no rear axle available in the entire continental US, Puerto Rico, or Guam, we knew that something had to be done. so for a decent price, we decided to buy the 2002 Mitsubishi Mirage de Coupe off of my friend... and figure out a way to either sell my car or get the state to buy it back :)

anyways... in the midst of the busy week i finally managed to get pictures of the newly finished shower curtain (February's craft challenge) and dig out pictures of the fabric basket that I sent off to Bley (March's craft challenge)! So without further ado... pictures of the infamous shower curtain :)



and the finished product...





what do you think? I think that's definitely the biggest project I've tackled thus far... and I really like the way it turned out! It's been brightening up our bathroom for several weeks now and I think it's a keeper :)

more tomorrow on how I made it and the book that I used to help me out!

April 28, 2009

Wow!

Ok, so people really DO read this blog! Or maybe I just need to get myself out there a little more often :)

After participating in Park City Girl's 0online quilt festival (fabulous idea, btw!) my number of visitors went up... and so did my comments! Just look at all those pretty little words :)



I feel like a proud mama :) Thanks, friends! And be sure to stop by (and comment ;)) again!

*I think I'm addicted :^)*

April 24, 2009

Happy Etsy Day!

I've heard rumors throughout the blogosphere that today has been declared Etsy Day by none other than... Etsy :) I actually heard about it in the twittersphere (you can find me at @candidcrafts)... not the blogosphere... but decided to play along none-the-less.

Therefore, here are a few of my favorite Etsy items... some sold out, some still for sale... but just a few of the beautiful things I have found over the last few months.


Hello Stranger, by dkim


Small Beaded Clay Journal, from Bibliosophy (Bley also runs the Bibliosophy Books blog, which hosted the Cozy Domesticity swap -- pictures about that later!)


LivvieLee doesn't have anything for me right now... but what little girl wouldn't love this Blue & Brown Apron? She always has adorable things in her shop.


and lastly... these prints (this one is called "Baby Rain" by the poppy tree are just too sweet. check out the others... she's got some serious talent!

one of these days i hope to have an Etsy shop of my own... what are some of your favorite Etsy spots for inspiration?

April 21, 2009

under construction...

a bit of redesign happening today (and possibly throughout the week)...

just an fyi in case links are broken, etc. :) feel free to let me know what's wrong with the page!

February 25, 2009

Coming Soon...

- a review of French General: Home Sewn: 30 Projects for Every Room in the House
- the February installment of the monthly craft challenge
- pictures from purchases at the close-out sale of Whizbang Fabrics
- my love of freecycle

but for now... it's happy birthday to me! :) have a great day, all.

February 9, 2009

A Little More About Me

**the January Craft Book Challenge blogpost is coming... I promise! but for now...

A little more about me :) This is actually from Facebook, but I figured it'd be fun to post up here as well. I'm not "officially" tagging anyone, but it'd be great to learn more about you all as well! If you do post your own, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know. Enjoy! :)



1. i have never dyed my hair, although if i spend enough time in the sun during the summer i usually end up with reddish highlights (thanks to my grandpa's genes! :))

2. the beach is by far my favorite place to be and if i could live there, i would.

3. when i was a kid i always wanted to live in san francisco--every time we visited i watched for "apartment for rent" signs in the windows

4. p.s. - i still want to live in san francisco :)

5. my best friend jodi & i watched "you've got mail" in stages every friday our senior year in high school after selling chocolate at safeway to finance our class's trip to DC

6. while "you've got mail" is still one of my favorite movies, my husband won me over to "his" movies (i.e. shoot-em-up, war movies) as well

7. i draw the line at movies like "scorpion king" where you can literally leave the room for 45 minutes and know exactly what's going on when you walk back in



8. i love little kids and tend to "adopt" others kids as my own temporarily

9. luckily... the parents whom i "borrow" the kids from don't mind at all! they think i do a great job :)

10. ryan and i are looking for a bit more financial stability and job security before having kids... but we already have a boy's name picked out thanks to my uncle's suggestions :)

11. although my "this is what i want to be when i grow up" statements changed frequently when i was young, they all revolved around similar topics: author, journalist, novelist, editor, copywriter, etc.

12. now that i am "grown up," i'm not writing published works on a daily basis, but i do work for a publishing company in their public relations department, so i am fulfilling my dream of writing! we'll see where else my love for words and writing and editing takes me someday.



13. i love to travel and want to do it far more than my job allows. it doesn't matter where--i just love seeing new places and doing new things.

14. i am NOT a morning person. i need at least 20 minutes of time to myself in the morning before i'm able to carry on a coherent conversation.

15. fortunately, my husband is the same way and understands completely.

16. unfortunately, our puppy is not the same way and doesn't understand at all.

17. once and for all... our dog's name is ember. no, we didn't name him -- the adoption/shelter company that we got him from did. yes, he's a boy. no, it's not a girly name unless you pronounce it amber, in which case, you're not calling for our dog in the first place... you're calling for the girl who lives down the street. and yes... we like our dog's name, or else we would have changed it :)

18. when we first adopted our dog, we made it a rule that he couldn't be on the couches, up on the bed, or in the 2nd bedroom. we lost the battle re: the couches rather quickly--he now spends a good portion of his day up there. we're in the process of losing the battle with the bed--the last 4 mornings i've woken up with him curled up next to me, fast asleep. we are determined to not lose the battle with the 2nd bedroom. there are too many cords, knickknacks, and expensive gadgets in there for him to get into.



19. although i'm willing to try new things and go to new places, if you ask me what i want to order at a restaurant, 9 times out of 10 i'll settle on a safe favorite rather than branching out. in other words... if i have to pay for it and don't have the choice of eating something else if i don't like the food i ordered... i'm not very adventurous :)

20. food at home, however... i experiment with. constantly. i hardly ever follow a recipe from start to finish -- i substitute items, taking out what we don't like and adding extra spices or other ingredients that sound good. and to my credit... it rarely turns out bad if i do say so myself!

21. i'm addicted to craft blogs. literally addicted. i'm subscribed to 81 different craft blogs via RSS feeds, and have about another 15-20 bookmarked. stop looking so shocked... i told you i was addicted! (p.s. if you find any good ones that i might enjoy--let me know!! ;))



22. i keep a to-do list of projects that need to be done both at work and at home. i don't usually follow them, but for some reason it gives me a sense of accomplishment to just see everything that i have to do written down... even if i have yet to accomplish any of those things.

23. one of my pet peeves is coming home to a house with piles of stuff everywhere--the mail left on the counter, clothes piled by the bed, laundry still in the dryer from the night before, etc. but before you get on ryan's case, you have to realize that even though it's a pet peeve... i'm one of the worst offenders.

24. i enjoy working out... once i actually get myself to the gym. it's the getting to the gym part that's hard for me. gotta work on that one... any suggestions? :)

25. i love the idea of bubble baths... relaxing, enjoying the peace & quiet, nursing sore muscles, or just winding down from a busy week... but in actuality i don't enjoy bubble baths... just the idea of them. maybe if i had a jacuzzi tub? maybe then i would enjoy both the idea and the actual bath :)

December 18, 2008

it's officially winter...

because i'm officially sick :( i woke up with a cold yesterday morning and it's come on full blast in the past few days. sorry for the lack of a "wednesday wish list" post yesterday -- i worked an 8-hour day, then went to meet up with Ryan & fam for dinner, then went to the last rehearsal for our Christmas program on this coming Sunday. Got home at 9:30ish and was in bed by 10, having taken medicine and propped myself up so I could hopefully sleep.

here's hoping i get better soon!

November 4, 2008

blog post sticky notes...

if you're anything like me, you're probably scratching your head at this point. or maybe that's just me... a bit overwhelmed by work and in desperate need of an afternoon break (hence... this blogpost! :))

read it slowly with me... blog post (pause) sticky notes. as in... sticky notes that look like blog posts. check these out:



according to the website, you can use these to jot down "thoughts and opinions, or track daily events. These sticky notes provide room to "post" comments and links (just underline in blue) and "upload" photos (requires tape)." sounds fun, no? i may just have to give these a try... :)

October 17, 2008

right now...

right now, i am:

feeling... tired of the mundane and hoping something new will come along my path soon

enjoying... the quietness of the office and how much i can get accomplished when everyone's gone to conferences!

wondering... what God has in store for us in the next few months -- things seem so "up in the air" right now even though we have no solid plans at all

wanting... more free time to focus on crafting and writing... to get all of the ideas in my head out on paper

loving... my family and friends who are here for the long stretch -- no matter how long that may be!

searching... for ways to save money and save for the future

hoping... for peace, assurance, and comfort to come in unexpected ways

forgetting... what has happened in the past and moving on to what lies ahead. i resolve to press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God has called and is calling me. (phil 3.13-14)



**Inspired (as many things are) by SouleMama**

October 16, 2008

my wonderful husband

...brought me beautiful flowers last night. unfortunately, i woke up with a migraine this morning so i stayed home from work... but i got to enjoy their beauty all day long! :)




more craft posts coming soon... i promise! :)

September 22, 2008

this is me!

so, following in Randi's footsteps, I've agreed to post a few pictures of me up here... although with few readers, I guess it doesn't hold as much significance for me :) regardless... here are a few of my favorite pics of me (and my hubby!) from the past few years.



captions of the pictures from top left, clockwise...

-my amazing husband Ryan & I at our first anniversary
-enjoying our last fall break from college in DC with a friend
-at our wedding, hosted in the gorgeous back yard of family friends
-enjoying some time at my favorite place... the beach!  flying a kite on a windy day
-during our honeymoon in Hawaii -- enjoying the view from a restaurant in Kona
-one of our engagement photos taken by the amazing Kara... a good friend from college

if you want to see the pictures closer up, check out my flickr site

enjoy!  :)