Because I’m strongly considering doing December Daily, a scrapbook project where you scrap each day in December (or, alternately, each day until Christmas). I even went as far as to buy a Christmas-themed digi kit (Sarah Smutz’s Jolly), brainstorm the things I want to take photos of (lights, tree trimming, wrapping presents, Christmas Eve service), and made six templates. Like I said, I must be crazy.
No, this isn’t the sweater FO post I promised but another completed project. I finally finished up the quilt top I started in early August. I work on it on and off before we moved then put it away for a solid month before bringing it out again for a few days before we went to Europe. Then, today, I cut out the last five blocks and finished sewing it all up. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the back but I’ve got 3/4 of a yard of each of the patterned fabrics and a 1/4 yard of the solid. Probably something simple. Here it is, in all of its slightly wonky glory (in a rather blurry photo, oops).
Made using the tutorial from here.
I’ve only it ten minutes until bedtime so this will be super fast (but will, in no way, involve Elmo).
1. I finished the sweater I’ve been knitting since we got back from Europe and it fits! Photo session as soon as I convince Matt to help with the photo shoot.
2. Work is busy and stressful.
3. My only day off next week is Thursday. Before you feel sorry for me, realize I did just take a 2.5 week vacation and will get so very much done with everyone else out.
4. I have no clue what I’m going to knit next. I started a few things today but pulled out progress on every single one because they just weren’t working.
5. Here’s a photo of Willie.
So I leave you with Elmo…
Just the last 20 rows of the second half of the button band/collar to go. Plan is to make the big reveal on Thanksgiving. Wish me luck that it fits.
Last week (or was it the week before that?), I promised a friend I’d make her a set of armwarmers. Great, I thought, an easy project which I could whip together in a week or two as I work on finishing up my sweater. Well, I suddenly had two issues: 1) I somehow managed to become re-enamored with my sweater and 2) I have no clue what pattern or yarn to pick.
I’d had the pattern problem before, when making arm/wrist warmers for another friend. I got it down to 22 choices from which I had her choose. There’s a whole post about it here.
So, I could just point Lora there and have her pick a pattern but that doesn’t settle the “but what yarn?” portion.I’m down to very few yarny options in my stash (and have no time to go pick anymore up for the next few weeks). Silly stash knitting I’ve been doing.
I’ve got two super bright colors of Neighborhood Fibre Co Studio Sock: Copper Circle (bright oranges) and Clintonville (bright greens). Either would produce nice, lightweight gloves that, certainly, couldn’t be missed.
I’ve got a couple of colors of Berroco Weekend, a worsted cotton/acrylic blend that’s great for texture but not great for cables or lace. (I’ve got a dark blue, light purple, and maybe a light blue hanging around.)
Then there’s that skein of dark turquoise Eco Wool that would mean rather warm and fuzzy armwarmers.
And a single thing of Berroco Vintage I’ve held onto for more than 2 years in a different shade of dark turquoise/teal.
Oh, those two skeins of light blueish-greenish Berroco Vintage DK from the first sweater I tried to make this fall. You know – the one that turned out a good 12″ too large?
Last, a skein of greens and blues that’s in a rather thin sock yarn.
But, really, that’s it.
I have no clue what to do.
So, Lora, what color would you prefer? Any patterns in my list (or on Rav) that you like?
That’s the bright orange Neighborhood Studio Sock and Eco Wool. Too lazy to take photos of the other options right now as I’m comfortably sitting in the living room, watching Matt play (and mostly fail at) Battlefield 3.
I found Heather Guenther’s pages in the gallery over on Design House Digital, a site I’m really enjoying checking out lately. You can find her blog here.
So Much Fun
I liked how this layout uses a bunch of different fonts to convay whimsy. I’m often afraid of combining fonts, especially this close together, because I think there’s some sort of rule that you can’t have different styles on the same page. I also like her use of several small, squared photos and the large amount of white space. And those little birds, so cute!
Eureka Today
Looking at this page and not reading the words, you’d think it was recording a happy, lighthearted day. Unfortunately, Heather suffers from strong, often dibilitating pain, something that I can image would be hard to scrap about. But, this page is highlighting one of the happier moments in her journey to treat the pain: the day she started to find out its cause. This page shows me that, even in hard times, we have things we can scrap about – little, positive moments we do not want to forget. (And, design-wise, I like the use of the thought bubble to highlight the photo.)
The Simple Life
This page is the definition of sweetness. A short quote, a single photo in black and white, sometimes that’s all it takes. Her delicate touch with embellishments adds to the sweet feeling and is not at all distracting. Again, love her lack of fear in combining different fonts.
Korean BBQ
Again, with the grid. I just can’t help it. This page makes me want to go try a new food and capture all of it using my camera, even if I don’t particularly like my food. I love food – I really have got to learn to be brave and whip out my camera at restaurants more (ok, not going to do this at a place like Citronelle, don’t worry!).
Materials She Used:
1) All Design House Digital Products: Deena Rutter – Design 365 Layered Templates Vol. 5, Jen Allyson – Design 365 April Kit, Design 365 February Kit, Audrey Neal – Dotty Dates, Neutral Stock Paper (kraft blended over dark brown to get a darker brown kraft paper), Chemistry Paper, Whirly Birdie Font
2) Design House Digital Products: Karla Dudley – Just Thinking Full Kit
3) All Design House Digital Products: Deena Rutter – Design 365 Layered Templates Vol. 9, Karen Funk – Simplicity Complete Collection
4) Design House Digital Products: Karen Funk – Basic Word Strips Complete Collection, Robyn Meierotto – In Stitches Layered Template 4, I Love Boys Paper Pack
When we bought this house, one of the things we liked about it was the fact it’s surrounded by trees. They keep the place cool in summer and provide shade. But, there’s a downside: leaves. Every Saturday, we’ve spent a few hours raking and bagging the leaves. At least they’re pretty?
Guess which side is ours?
My friend, Marlyn, asked in a comment on a previous post how I would recommend she go about getting started in digita l scrapbooking. Thing is, I’m pretty new at this, myself. It was only in August or so that I really started looking at digital stuff again after a multi-year break. Part of my personality is this tendancy to jump full-forward into something new, spending all of my time reading, watching tutorials, getting inspriation, etc.
So, maybe this post should really be called “How Angela Started Digital Scrapbooking” or, better yet, “How Angela Should Have Started Digital Scrapbooking.” After lots of thought, I got it down to seven steps:
All the details are after the jump.
No, not for me. In case you haven’t been paying attention, I’m already married. A very good friend who we’ll call L for now (until she gives me official permission to say her full name) is getting married and asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. Okay, sure, fine. She’s an excellent friend and, hey, I’ve been through the whole wedding thing before.
Thing is, I’ve never actually been a bridesmaid. I’ve got a handful of female friends but close female friends? Uh, yeah. One’s married. One’s L. One loves being single. One’s too busy with pharmacy school. One’s about to move. End of list.
This is, is all likelihood, my only chance to play bridesmaid unless, you know, my brother gets married at some point. But he’s more the call and say ”Hey, guys, just wanted to let you know I’m married.” type – though he would at some point have a great party filled with good beer and BBQ and the only dress code requirement being flip flops.
So this whole bridesmaids thing means I get to think about weddings again. I’ve never been a huge fan. Sure, the whole promising to love another person forever part is the whole point but, let’s be honest, the real focus is on the invitations and reception decorations and dresses and all the stuff The Knot tells you is aboslutely necessary or everyone will think you’re a cheapskate and your day will be ruined and no one will ever talk to you again until you have your first kid. Because babies are cute and, of course, you’re required to have one within two years after you get married or you’ll be “that” couple.
I was not a fan of wedding planning. Part of me wanted to take the approach of one family friend who handed the reins over to her mom and said, “Do whatever. Just no pink and no purple.” Or, you know, elope. But, I stuck it out and our wedding was great and almost all of our friends and family were there. And, apparently, we clean up well.
It’s my first “bridesmaid to the rescue” moment, working to get her to calm down and realize she’s got almost a year and that not every decision has to be made right now. Sure, picking a date is a priority (she’s got it down to two weekends) as is picking bridesmaids and groomsmen (which is almost done). But things like hair styles can certainly wait. And I’m here for her when she needs to bounce ideas off someone or talked off a ledge.
I just need to keep from laughing because, you have to admit, it is sort of funny how freaked out people get with wedding planning. The whole point is you’re getting married and your friends and family are there to witness it. Everything else is just the stuff you’ll only remember when you pull out your wedding photos or a friend asks you to be a bridesmaid.
