What's with Today, Today?

I think I need to watch Empire Records again soon it's been on my mind. (the title posts).

I did end up deleting my profile from the online communities that I mentioned the other day. It's kind of bittersweet. In many ways, I'm glad I did. It's freeing. It's relieving. It's just a really nice feeling to have it gone. In other ways, it's sad. That community has been a huge, huge part of my life for most of my twenties. It's where I went for support. It's where I turned to share good news. It's a very, very strange feeling to not have that anymore.

I was antsy this morning. I think partly because of some of my thoughts still lingering on everything around my decision to leave that community. And I think partly because I've just been doing a lot of nothing lately. A lot of sitting.

So even though I felt like doing nothing but sitting on the couch and catching up on a favorite TV series we picked up on DVD the other day, I got up and got moving. Made some Grandmother Bread again.


While that was rising I sewed up some bread bags really quickly. I have some great ideas to make some nicer bread bags and some more grain/produce bags but I just whipped these out really fast.

I also made a couple new curtains just using some fabric from my stash. I've been having a lot of fun changing out the kitchen curtains every few months.

 

While the bread was on it's second rise, The Husband and I hiked the hill behind our house. The weather was really beautiful today and felt more like March or April than January.

I am so out of shape. It's maybe a 3 mile hike up to the top. It's pretty steep and I was having a hard time with it. Not so much my body, my lungs. I had the same problem running this past summer. 15 years of smoking, I suppose. It's been a year since I quit, though I have had a couple here and there. I need to build up my lungs though, I really want to run again.

This was the first time we made it to the top of the hill, we found a neat stream and a pond at the very top. It felt so, so good just to get outside and get moving for a little while.

 

It was just what I needed.

oh the weather outside is frightful . . .

Not really. Not here. Central New York is pretty famous for our snow storms, but as the rest of the country gets pounded, we get . . . nothing. nada. Maybe some snow (mixed with rain) coming our way on Christmas.

But, because of everywhere else in the country getting the snow I want, flights everywhere are canceled and delayed and non-existent. What's also non-existent are taxi's and hotel rooms in NYC, which is where my brother in law and his family just landed. So, The Husband and his sister have just left to go get them. They should be home in about 12 hours.

My sewing machine decided it hates me and wants to keep breaking thread and skipping stitches. Now, I admit I've neglected her and have never brought her in for a proper servicing, but she has been lovingly (and this week not so lovingly) cleaned and maintained by me. This week she has also had the needle changed several times, two different types of needles, several thread changes, several types of threads, 2 cleanings, one oiling, a lot of cursing and grumbling and threats to throw her out the window. She is now in my basement being ignored since I borrowed my mothers new machine yesterday.

So now I have, um, 5 days (while company is in town) to finish several napkins, a table runner, a dollhouse, a pair of pajama pants, 2 robes and felt food. I have a very good feeling that we'll end up with some store bought wooden food and no robes till new years.

I also somehow managed to get a very nasty virus on our family computer last week, that is going to result in us wiping our hard drive and reinstalling windows. Luckily we have our important documents on an external hard drive, but because of that getting online has been difficult, and will be difficult so my posts will be few and far between, I'll share some snapshots when I can.

Hope your week is calm, and wonderful and joyful!

Autumn Curtains

I've been trying to get back into doing little craft projects here and there - I've been seriously slacking.


I told you about tumblr - where I can save and track all the little inspirations I come across. And Soulemama continues to be a source of inspiration for creating a handmade home.

Last week I took about an hour to myself and whipped up these curtains quick. The embroidery around the leaves I've been working on in stolen moments here and there, so that's not quite completed and I would like a second panel for the 2 windows. But it didn't take much time at all to add a little personality and warmth. I'm already thinking of Christmas valances :)

A couple of years ago a piece of red something ended up in a batch of linen I was washing. It stained the fabric and I tried to get it out - but there were still some swirls of pink. I put the fabric away and figured I could use it for a cutter project down the road. It's been probably 3 years since then and that's what I pulled out for these curtains. The coloring is barely noticeable on the window, like it would be up close. It took about 45 minutes to cut and sew the fabric into curtains. Easy enough!

Then I just cut out a couple of leaves out of felt - creating an embroidery swirly trail - fused the leaves on and now am embroidering around that. In all, I've spent maybe 2.5 hours on them - not bad! It's been great with the embroidery because I can "steal" a couple minutes here and there to work on it.

I'm still working on knitting, and now crocheting, but without a ton of luck so far (still!) I think I'm going to have to sit down with my mother in law for a couple hours one of these days.


How are you incorporating the season into your home?

One Pretty Thing

No, not the site (though if you haven't checked it out - do! One Pretty Thing)

That's a promise I'm making to myself for the month of May.

Every week, I will find the time to create at least one pretty thing.

That is all.

Ok, that and a spring picture from last week

Crafting

I've been crafting for as long as I can remember. I've always liked creating things. Over the years I've found and used different mediums and as a result I have quite a few 'hobbies' and supplies.

Until we moved last year, I didn't really have a designated crafting space. I used the living room floor. Or the kitchen table. And often spent more time pulling things out and putting them away then actually crafting.

I've scrapbooked. Repainted and re-crafted items and furniture. About 4 years ago I taught myself how to sew.

But I haven't really done any of that in months. I mean, almost a year. Not since we got married.

And I miss it, I do.

I finally have a space. We moved, and I have a wall in our small bedroom set up with a table and my supplies. But I haven't organized it. Not since we moved here. Almost a year ago.

So I haven't crafted. And I haven't done any sewing. The last thing I had made was my wedding dress (with the assistance of a friend 2 weeks before the wedding, but that's another story).

Photograph by Andrea Casey

And there has always been a reason excuse. There isn't time. The crafting area still hasn't been cleaned/organized. I have to do laundry/clean/dinner/anything else.

About a month ago I started embroidering. It's peaceful, enjoyable and best of all portable. I tried knitting, again. It makes me angry. It should be fun but I just.don't.get.it.

But, I'm done with excuses. Yesterday, I stayed home sick (I really was sick) and I was tempted to start cleaning (does anyone else get like that when they should be resting? It doesn't make sense. If my husband was home sick he would not be doing laundry) Anyway, I got up in the afternoon and decided I was going to sew.

Normally, I would get to my sewing stuff and decide it had to all be cleaned and organized before I could possibly do anything. Then 5 hours later I would find myself painting my bedroom walls or something equally ridiculous (because cleaning the crafting area would mean I had to clean my room then while I was doing that I would realize how I don't like the wall colors and then . . . ) So I cleared my table, without cleaning (luckily I had cleaned my machines a couple weeks ago) found some fabric and decided to do a quick project. And ignore the mess around me.

I took my inspiration from this post over at soule mama I figured it would take a half hour or so, right?

Right, except I haven't sewn in a year. And while it felt (so) good to be sewing again, I was a little rusty. I made some mistakes. For the most part, I ignored the mistakes. This was for ME. I wasn't selling this. It didn't need to be perfect. It's going on my floor. Just do it. Push through it. Let the mistakes happen, eventually I'll fall into the rhythm. And I did.

So, it has it's imperfections. But I love it. And it matches the orange countertops (that I can't believe I ever hated) and it was quick (about an hour) and I will so be making more of these (mostly because soon those imperfections will drive me craaaaazy!):

Please pretend my floor is clean

So I made a promise to myself, to make time. Even if it's 15 minutes here, a half hour there. Because I love this. I love creating. No more excuses. I deserve the time.