Gifts for my Soon-To-Be-Born Niece

It's been a long time. In fact, I don't think that I've ever taken such a long break between blog entries! Oh well. I've been busy.

This is the sweater and hat set that I made for the new baby who is due to make her premiere appearance on Christmas day. I was afraid to commit to a more gender-specific color because the first sonogram my brother and sister-in-law were told they were having a boy, the second one they were told it was a girl and the the last 2 they baby wouldn't move it's legs to get a good enough look. I figured that yellow was a safe bet-- I could always change the buttons if I have to!

Bec's Baby Hat

Awwww...wish it fit me!

Look what I did at school today!

 

Well, I took a class 1/15/11. I was awesome! I'm definitely thinking about taking another class in metalworking!

Never-ending Hats!

I finished my Verity hat that I rescued from it's hibernation! The only modification that I made was the band. I hated the instructions for the band in the patterns and I hated (even more!) how it was turning out. So I frog it and just knit a K2P2 ribbing and it worked out well. I washed and blocked this piece over a dinner plate and it is turned out truly lovely.

I've been promising my Dad a hat for years....yes, years. I made him mittens a few years ago and he has worn them all winter, every winter. He even had me darn a little hole that he got from shoveling snow!

So I got some semi-matching yarn and knit him a hat to go with his mittens. I've been lazy about knitting it all week but last night I was determined to finish it. And I did. I didn't go to bed until the last end was woven in!

I have about half the skein left over and my friends just had a baby boy...so I will be casting on for the Fresh Pick Baby hat for Baby Sam. I plan to cast on today.

Hats, hats and more hats!

I finished my Cable Chapeau and Eli's Hat a few weeks ago.  I haven't worn my hat yet but Eli looks adorable in his hat.

I just picked up my Verity hat that has been lying dormant for a year. I will finish this hat this year-- I promise!

I guess when I think hats for me, I just think purple!

La Cumparsita Completed!

I finally finished the knitting portion of La Cumparsita! Hallelujah! Of course it still needs the ends to be woven in, to be dyed and to be blocked but I'm soooo much closer now! Honestly, I'm not really sure what I will be doing with this shawl. I may give it to my mother, haven't decided. But I will document the dying process since it will be a first for me.

Last night I cast on for the Cable Chapeau from Debbie Stoller's new book Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics. I completely forgot that I pre-ordered this book and it just showed up in the mail yesterday! Nice surprise on a Monday, especially since I didn't think that it was being released until November!

I'm using up some old Cascade 220 that I've had in my stash for quite some time. It's a lovely heathered plum color. Hope it's not too itchy for me to wear. I really need a quick, instant-gratification project after the last 2 shawls that I slugged through!

Secrets, secrets...

Written on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010:

So I've been working on a couple of secret projects. I realize that I haven't posted in over a month but the big reveal has come!

My brother and his fiance are getting married Nov. 12, 2010. I've been busy working on a wedding shawl and a garter set for my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her bridal shower is being held on Sunday and I will finally be able to give them to her.

I knit Annis in Ivory Handmaiden Sea Silk. I think that it turned out lovely. Her dress is ivory so I thought that this colorway would really compliment the warmer tones in her dress.

I also made her a garter set. They are planning on doing the traditional garter toss at the reception so I made 2 garters.

The garter with the blue ribbon is for Sam to wear on her wedding day-- it can be her "something blue" and the garter with the eggplant ribbon (our bridesmaid dresses are eggplant so I was just following the theme) is for the garter toss. They both have clear Swarvoski crystals sewn onto the bows. I made Sam's garter to Sam's specific measurements and the eggplant garter slightly larger-- who knows whose leg it will end up on!

The gifts are all packed up and ready for my trip to NY tomorrow. I hope she loves them!

Third Batch of Soap

As a child I loved creamsicles in the summer. As an adult I love them all year long! I've been know to make orange sherbet and vanilla desserts. When I was thinking about possible soap recipes the notion of a creamsicle scented soap seemed very appealing (apPEELing!). The end product smells so yummy that I'm tempted to take a bite!

Here's the recipe:
Creamsicle
16oz Clear Soap  Base colored Orange w/ yellow & red Labcolor liquid colorant
16oz White Soap Base
0.25oz Orange Valencia EO
1/2 tsp Vanilla Fragrance Oil

Make-up Product Review: L'Oreal Infallible Stars Collection Lipcolour

I love me some red lipstick! With that said, I just had to try this product when I read Kandee Johnson's review: L'Oreal Infallible Lipcolour. OMG, she was right! Not only is the color Beyonce's Red a fabulous red but this product is not going anywhere...literally!

It reminds me of a product that I used to use years ago by Max Factor called Lipfinity except that the formula feels much lighter and actually doesn't wear away at all, not even in the center of the mouth after eating & drinking. After Lipfinity was release several other cosmetic manufacturers (Covergirl Outlast Lipcolor, Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor, Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor, to name a few) came out with very similar products but, in my opinion, nothing compared to Lipfinity until now.

I will be trying out other shades from this line. Stay tuned...

note: The seperate conditioning balm is pretty much the same as that of the other similar products out there.

Second Batch of Soap

 Boy Soap  Recipe:
1lb Hemp base
1lb Aloe base
1 tsp Tea Tree EO
1 tsp Eucalyptus EO
1 tsp Fresh Bamboo EO
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Blue Sapphire Lab Color
1/2 White Mica

 Smells like boys...

First Batch of Soap

I made my first batch of soap yesterday. I created a recipe of my own based on the proportion of other recipes that I have read online. My goal was to make something that I can use on my face, so I didn't add any fragrance or essential oils (for scent-- thought it might be irritating).

Heres what I used:
16oz of Goat's Milk base
16oz Honey base
3 tbs Coco Butter
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Olive Oil
1/2 oz of apricot seeds
1/2 oz of oatmeal

I poured the concoction into a loaf mold and let it harded for several hours. Then removed it, cut into 8 bars and wrapped each in plastic wrap.

Lesson learned: the hot soap must be stirred until it has cooled down considerably (I thought I did this but read an article with a better description of how the soap should look after I had already poured it) so that the exfoliants added stay suspended in the mixture instead of sinking to the bottom of the mold as mine did. Also, the soap has a mildly greasy feel...too much oil? Not sure.

Anyway, I didn't do too badly for my first attempt. I even washed my face with it last night and this morning! More to come!

Soap!

I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head. But soap making...I've always wanted to learn about soap making! I have this idea in my head that I will learn the process, create awesome soaps and them open an Etsy shop to sell my soaps. It might be a pipe dream for now but I'm on my way.

Above is my first amateur attempt at melt and pour soap making. I bought a cheapy kit at A.C. Moore when I was in NY last month and just got around to testing the waters of soap making. The materials included in the kit aren't very good quality but it was good enough for a mere amateur such as myself. I also just purchases some real soap making supplies from Bramble Berry to really get going once I have it down pat.

I have been intrigued by soaps that have chunks of colored soap pieces within a opaque base. So I learned a little about this method on youtube. I think that this method would work out a lot better if I made a huge batch and cut each bar individually but I used the starter kit materials and the individual bar mold for the ease of learning and not being wasteful of my limited materials.

For a first try, I think it turned out ok. The blue, pink and orange translucent chucks were all dyed and molded separately and them chopped up and dropped into a white opaque base with fragrance added. I used cucumber-melon fragrance, which I'm not crazy about, but wanted to try everything that came in the kit.

My better quality supplies arrived yesterday so I will be attempting more soap (better quality soap!) in the very near future!

At-home Animal Print Mani!

I love animal print-- leopard, cheetah, zebra-- you name it! My sister recently had an awesome manicure done with leopard print nail art on one nail on each hand. It was gorgeous....but really expensive. I figured that I could definitley do an at-home version for much, much less!

So here what I used:
Out the Door Topcoat
Orly Bonder Basecoat
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish, Choco-Latte
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen, Black and gold
 
I did my usual mani: starting with a coat of Orly Bonder, 2 coats of color, then used the nail art pens to create the leopard print, and then finished with a coat of Out the Door as usual. And ta-da-- a cute mani for the week!
 
 
 
 

Leaf Yoke Top and it only took me 7 months (haha)!

Well, tonight I finally put the finishing touches (applied i-cord edging on the neck and arm holes) on my Leaf Yoke Top. It turned out beautifully.

This top was my first project using short-row bust shaping. The short-rows created an extra pouch of fabric for my busty top half. What a difference it makes. It is so much more comfortable when there isn't any pulling across the chest. Not only is it more comfy but it looks soooo much nicer when the pattern isn't distorted when I squeeze the DDs into a B-C space.

Naturally, I'm planning on wearing this top tomorrow-- no need to block LB Cottonease. I even have the perfect shoes to wear with it!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Yesterday I went to Chinatown (WinMil Fabrics) in search of some fun fabric to make fabric roses. My primary thought was to adorn cheap wife-beater tank top necklines with them. I love the irony of mixing casual/dress down with fancy/dress up elements. Then I figured that I might make some hair clips and/or brooches with them. They're so fun and easy to create. I'm really digging the raw edges (I tore the fabric into a strip rather than cutting it). It adds a nice dimension. We'll see.

After fabric shopping, I walked to Back Bay. I wanted to go to For Eyes to check out some new frames. The temple hinges on my current pair have had it. I had no intention of buying until I tried these on:

They don't look like much but they were very complimentary on. And I got a deal! Love it. Should have them but the end of the week. Yay for glasses that don't constantly slip down my nose. I also fell in love with these but I figured that I couldn't really justify new sunnies since mine are in perfect condition. Wah...maybe in a week or two I can reconsider a potential frivolous purchase.

I also checked out Anthropology while I was in the area. I love that place for inspiration. Unfortunately, all I was drawn to were big Jackie O-type sunglasses. I have such a one-track mind!

This morning I broke out the sewing machine to hem a pair of yoga pants that I've been meaning to hem since November and sewed a pillow that I cut the fabric for ~3-4 years ago! Done and done! I'm feeling pretty productive. I even washed my sheets...now if I could only motivate myself (clad in freshly hemmed yoga pants) to get my ass to the gym!

Yo-Yo Necklace

 

My creation from yesterday's crafternoon with Holly & Jenny. Isn't it neat!?

Bazaar Bizarre 2009

I went to the Bazaar Bizarre on Sunday. I love going every year-- it's so inspiring. I picked up a few coasters, to match last year's mixer coaster, for my coffee table.

I love the vintage photos that the artist had available. I love retro!

I was also in the market for a nifty print of some sort to replace the Wassily Kandinsky that I had hung temporarily in the living room. I used a piece of black tag board to mat the print.

Seems a little dark so I might change the mat to make it pop more. Wonder what color I should go with?

I also couldn't help but grab up this adorable little airplane/take-off pouch! I already have it stuffed with knitting!

***

Other improvements:
A short bookcase for the foyer along with a cool lamp, large glass centerpiece and cool metal damask print bin.

Glass pull handles for the little piece that I refinished. I like this piece much more with the addition of the pulls.

My house really came together!

"New " Living Room!

Finally! Here's the full affect:

Here's the corner of my new sectional sofa:

Here's the opposite corner with a piece that I salvaged from the curb and refinished:

Still have small touches to finish but it's almost there. I finally feel like this is MY home!

Notice the new Wii!!! I had to part with the last one but she's all mine now. I'm dying for Beatles Rock Band, Band Hero and Wii Fit!!!

PIA Saturday

Something sunny needed to come out of this day!

This past Saturday I rented a UHAUL and drove down to Ikea in Stoughton, MA.I was so ready to get my couch. The website showed that the particular couch I was interested in is only available in the Ikea stores and could not be ordered on the website.

I picked up the UHAUL and drove down there so that I'd be there as soon as the doors opened. Once there, I got a free coffee from their cafe (they know the way to my heart) and then at 10am, I started for the show room. I found my series and sat on it to make sure that it was comfortable and looked through all the fabrics to make sure that I was picking one that I loved. I went up to the sale person to ask some questions and she said, "we don't stock this model in the store. It needs to be ordered."

WTF? Really? How come I was told that the store stocked it and that it was in stock at this particular location when I called? I was beyond irritated. I just spent $65 on a UHAUL and I can't even use it? And now I have to order the sofa and pay a $100 delivery charge. I don't think so.

I went straight to customer service and made my case detailing the poor customer service and told them that they needed to make this right. They were able to eat the $100 delivery charge, but I still have to wait for my new sofa. I was really hoping to go home with it and set up my living room. Wah.

Though I couldn't get what I wanted as far as the sofa went , I was able to find a few other necessities. I found a grill pan, a TV entertainment shelving unit, candles, an ironing board, fabrics (I used the yellow to cover a canvas to hang on the wall-- see top of the post), a wok, and some glasses (of which the bottom of the box fell out causing 3 of the 6 glasses to crash to their deaths). I put the TV unit together immediately and set up all my electronics on it and even had room for my mesh metal magazine baskets on the bottom shelf.

I made a pit stop at Target afterward to return that hideous rug that I ordered and a poster that was delivered damaged. I found a replacement rug for the living room in a cream color for the same price. I was envisioning more of a cafe au lait but I was unable to find it so this will have to do. I moved my black leather woven rug that was in my living room to my dinning room-- under the dining room table. That was a fun task to do without any help. Below is a WIP...just not of the knitting variety.

Once I got back to town, I unloaded and returned the UHAUL. I took a trip to Back Bay to go to Trader Joe's and to hit up Urban Outfitters for album frames-- on sale for 2 for $20 (usually $15 each!). I grabbed two. I framed a couple of records that I got in LA a couple of years ago. Pretty sweet, huh!?

 So, things are coming along slowly but surely...slower than I'd like. Hell, my mom & sister are coming for a visit next weekend and I'd like for them not to have to sit on the floor! We'll see.

On my own

The ex finally moved out. The past month was truly a test. I think that I made it through with minimal damage. I was really sad and weepy on Sunday night after all was said and done but ever since I've been fine. I think that I was just working up to this point all along. I already mourned him.

So now I live alone. For now. Strangely, it was an easy transition from taking care of two to one. He's having a rough time (good!) but I'm being the self-proficient person I've been since childhood, really. I thought that I would be terrified and lonely and afraid to go to sleep at night. It has been fine. The cat is sadder than I am (she misses her feline friend).

So my new situation has brought about the need for new furniture. I've never owned a new sofa. I've always had hand-me-downs or Good Will specials-- not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's time to buy my first brand new living room!

I've been doing a lot of "window shopping" on the interwebs. I want something modern with clean lines. I found a sectional on the Ikea site that I adore. I *think* that I like the Sivik Dark Gray, but I'm going to check out the fabrics at the store over the weekend. I ordered and already received (and assembled) a new coffee table from Target. I also ordered a new area rug which was delivered today but it needs to be returned. It's not at all what I was expecting. I'll make a Target return trip this weekend. I think that once it's all here I'll feel like I have my living room back. Feeling like my apartment is a "home" is very important to me.

I'm also looking for a funky piece for my front foyer. I want a buffet/credenza with a funky flair. I really like this one and this one. Also for the foyer, I have to get a few record album frames to display some fun records that I have. And I'm in the middle of creating some fun art for over my sofa.

I'm keeping everything else intact as is. Just need a few changes and some some new stuff sans memories. Time to make new memories.