i am not - *not* allowed to go fabric shopping anymore! at least not for a while. :)



i've been sewing and sewing these blooming lotus nine patches for what...a month now? while i was sewing the last set of nine patches (fabrics #7 & #8), i decided that i just wouldn't be satisfied unless this was a *really* useable quilt. in my mind, useable = queen sized. i just wasn't satisfied with the size it was going to come out, a topper-sized 72"x82". so, with that in mind, i took the el to quiltology last friday. i don't make it a habit to stop there, because i usually can't afford to. :) but, being the only fabric store around here that sells designer quilting fabrics, i had no choice. and i'm glad i went.

my quilt starts out with a light blue center that goes into peaches & pinks, then greens, then greys. i really didn't know what i was going to do with it. i thought that maybe denyse schmidt's hope valley greys would work, but, you just don't know until you bring in samples to the shop & match them up, you know? so after looking at about a dozen or so fabrics or so, these ones ended up being the best to continue the grey & getting darker:



and they also ended up being my original idea of denyse schmidt's hope valley. who would've thought?

of course, i had to go there on a friday, which means it's fat quarter friday. all fat quarters are $2.50. i was able to restrain myself and only pick up a few (although i most definitely could have purchased more!):


i especially love the one on the bottom left-hand corner. it's a reprint of an old liberty of london print. (how long will it be before i purchase that fat quarter bundle?!? no! i need to restrain myself.)

and this:


art gallery's naturella.

so these were just a very small portion of my fabric binge over the weekend. i followed this up with a trip to joann's to use my 50% off coupons, then a second trip to another joann's on saturday morning (where i purchased the nicest "children of the world" print (i still need to take photos), and then, today, just now, i bought a relatively large assortment of fabrics from hawthorne threads, which included fat quarter bundles of all three colorways of joel dewberry's modern meadow line. (can't wait to take photos of all of this!) do you see why i have to stop now?

but i have one last fabric purchase to make: amy butler's lotus lacework in grey. this was my #8 fabric in my blooming lotus quilt, and, since i'm making it bigger, i need to purchase more fabric. i cannot find this anywhere, as it's discontinued. i e-mailed sellers on etsy to see if they had any, i even e-mailed people who had made things with it to see if they had any extra that i could purhcase. after all these e-mails, only one person said they had some that they would be willing to sell, and, i think they've now backed out of it because they didn't respond to my follow-up e-mail reply or my follow-up to my follow-up. sigh. at least have the courtesy to say, 'hey, i've changed my mind, i'm not interested in selling it anymore' rather than just ignoring me! at least then i could just be really upset rather than upset & mad! but...there was one more lead that i received from amy butler's fabric sales team (yes, i even e-mailed them too!)... they had referred me to quilthome.com, stating that they had purchased a lot of overstock of amy's old lines. so i called them up, and, lo and behold - they didn't have actual yardage of this lacework in grey, but, they had remnants, strips of fabrics, ranging from like 7-13" wide. *perrrrrfect*, considering that the strips i need to cut are only 4 1/4" wide. i'm going to buy a bunch of these remnants since they are from different dye lots, and may be really off from each other & from the fabric i already have, so, hopefully everything will work out! i've chosen the "remnants" that i would like and am calling to place my order tomorrow morning, first thing! the lady that answered the phone when i called was so nice & helpful. i love quilt home too! :) (now i know why they have those little 'i love quilt home' badges on their website!)

one last thing before i go:



my fresh & funky july quilt block. (one of them, at least.)

the theme of these july blocks are "people & places", so, we were encouraged to add our own little personal touches (ie. make a block of your house). mine is kinda high rise-ish (i tried!), and then i put two cats in the windows that represent my two cats (even though they don't really look like them). and then, what i think is my most clever personalization of the block: the amy butler lotus lacework in grey (i know! this was before i decided that i was going to make my quilt bigger!) sidewalk & concrete, because we don't have much green space here in the south loop. but doesn't it just coordinate beautifully with the rest of the block? love it!

i have another personalization idea for my "person" block...but will reveal that when i sew it up & post it! :)

well, with that, i'm off. heading out to the suburbs tomorrow to have a late father's day lunch with my dad (since i had to work on sunday) - gotta rest up to make the trek out there! :)

sigh. i am in *love*.



michael miller's 'alfabeto italiano collezione'.

i even love it despite the fact that all 26 letters are not there. but how awesome is that - an almost complete alphabet, in italian! i *need* to have this. now!

as i was getting ready to spend nearly an entire saturday off sitting in a day-long nclex review class yesterday, there was a blurb on the news about some kind of "national start a diet day" this coming monday (tomorrow). i got really excited, because, a.) i was supposed to start my diet last week and b.) failed miserably at that, thinking i could just start it *this* monday.

so what a great idea. i'm going to start my diet on the "national start a diet day". how exciting!

after class today, i stopped at the borders across the street to go and look at that issue of stitch magazine with the really, really awesome petal clutch on the front, but instead of buying that, i ended up buying this:



i figured that this would be a more solid investment, considering that i was going start my diet tomorrow. it's actually a really good tool (you know, if i were to use it) because it is truly multi-purpose!

so, when i got home tonight, i was really, really excited to google this "national start a diet today". but, when i googled it, nothing came up. it was a *ploy*! a *ploy* to get me to start dieting! nonetheless, i plan on making my first entry in my journal tomorrow. we'll see how that goes...

so this is why i should never - *never!* - be allowed to leave the house & go to the fabric store. i finally(!) received my so buzzy quilt bee fabrics on wednesday - you should have seen me waiting for this little package to arrive - i was like a dog wagging its tail waiting for the owners to come home! apparently, there was a little zip code snafu that the post office had to straighten out - and that added another week to the delivery time. but i guess i should be happy that they a.) were able to figure it out, and b.) at least got the package to me! but anyways, as soon as i come home from work, i tear open the package & get down to business. (mind you, it's already close to 11:00 pm by this time). so i'm sewing & sewing & cutting away, and then come to find out two things: a.) i'm short one tiny, tiny square (2.5") of white backing fabric for my "smaller" wonky star, and b.) for whatever reason, my 12.5" block is smaller. of course, i don't own any white fabric, and probably could have finalged one of the smaller scrap pieces, but, didn't want to mess with it, since i had no idea what i was doing in the first place.

it's actually a good experience, these quilting bees, because i get to expand my horizons and learn new things - and find out new things as well. like i totally suck at squaring up things, and really need to get myself a square ruler to help me with this.

anyways. the whole point i was trying to make was that, on my little excursion to the fabric store to purchase this:



(so i could finish the wonky star blocks and border them - ie. make them the correct size)

i *also* end up with this:



...about 4 yards of michael miller goodness...i couldn't resist, at 40% off...some intended for another amy butler bag, and the rest towards another crazy eights quilt...

but anyways. all my hard work and cursing at the sewing machine finally resulted in this:



and this:



i had planned for the smaller one to actually be two wonky stars in one block, but then i realized that...it's really hard for me to conceptualize things (i guess more really, figure out how to cut & sew things) without a pattern. and since i don't have a square ruler, *really* hard for me. but i tried, and i think the end result came out pretty okay! but i still want to figure out how to do a 2-in-1 wonky star block... maybe after i get my square ruler!

so, instead of going out of town for the long weekend, nick & i stayed at home. we were able to go and visit some friends, and, on sunday, we went to wolff's flea market at the allstate arena. i wanted to be there by 7 am, but of course, that didn't happen, and we ended up pulling in about 8:30 or so - and the place was absolutely *packed*. i love wolff's. i don't think you really, truly understand this until you've been there. in years past, i've purchased all sorts of things - including 2 sets of vintage pyrex bowls - still in their boxes. but today, my favorite purchase has to be this:



it was only a quarter, and, i just *love* it. it's the cutest thing ever. ever!

so yesterday, memorial day, the weather was crappy, and i decided that i needed to start working on this:



these are fabrics that i bought in a kit, to make this quilt called "blooming lotus". i should add that, this particular kit has been sitting on my kitchen counter...for 3 years. i've been wanting to start & start this quilt for so long, but, just never had the guts to open the box & start cutting. and now i understand why.



these are the fabric strips, before i sewed all the skinny strips together in their respective sets.

all this sewing really made me long for my aurifil thread , which i had just inconveniently run out of, and was forced to use some cotton thread that i had on hand:



i had to wind bobbins three times, just sewing these strips together. i miss my aurifil thread. thankfully, last night i was able to purchase some off of ebay for a discounted price!

anyways. i had to cut these strips into 1.75" pieces, and, i'll be honest, i'm really, really starting to get tired of this quilt now. i've literally cut hundreds of little 3-patch blocks since last night. sigh, i guess that's what i get - i'm so used to doing these quick little projects, and end up wanting to finish this one very quickly also. but i've learned that this is just not the case with this one. i did sew up a batch (8, to be exact) of 9-patches this morning, though:




only like 200 more of these little guys to go, whoo-hoo! i think i'm just going to take it easy on this project, though, maybe sewing up a few of these nine-patches every day. that way, i get my quilting fix in, without neglecting everything else that needs to be done. besides, this definitely is not a one day project! we'll see my thoughts on this quilt once it's completed...

today i decided that i have a love/hate relationship with my dyson. after neglecting the floors for about 2 weeks, without even a quick swiffer in between - between the two of us and the two cats, the floors - as you can imagine - were disastrous. i swear there was a thin layer of fur covering just about every floor surface. (okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but, there definitely was a layer of fur in parts.) never having hardwood floors before, i purchased this handy-dandy tool called a 'hard floor tool', which is supposed to attach to my telescope reach handle, so i could just vacuum the floors (from a standing position), rather than on my hands and knees, using the hose & an attachment brush. save our backs, shall we? anyways. obviously, the engineers at dyson do not have pets. or are really, really short or do not want to save their backs, because the telescope reach isn't tall enough to vacuum from a standing position. in fact, instead of holding the handle, i'm vacuuming while holding the hose. and i'm only 5'3". i can't even imagine the angst and frustration of someone taller than me trying to vacuum with this 'telescopic reach'. so, in my frustration, i called dyson. and they don't have an extender for the extender. instead, it was suggested to me to just attach the hard floor tool to the hose, and use it that way. i explained to them that, that would defeat the purpose, as i wanted to vacuum standing rather than on my hands & knees. sigh. i feel so defeated by my vacuum cleaner. and to think i loved her for so long...until hardwood floors came into my life...

but anyways. now for some quilty stuff:

i arrived to work yesterday, to find 2 packages waiting for me, one of which contained this:



8 fat quarters from riley blake's wheels collection, to make what? another crazy eights quilt, of course! this will be the 7th crazy eights quilt i've made. what can i say - i just love the pattern! but today, i had a revelation. previously, i've literally spent hours and hours separating the squares - a, b, c & d - into piles for each block - each which consist of one 'a', one 'b', two 'cs' and two 'ds'. so, instead of just wading through the whole pile of squares like before, i just switched up the fabrics - so, for each block, square a had fabric #1 on top, square b had #2, and so on and so forth. and let me tell you, it worked like a charm. only minutes instead of hours were spent separating the blocks into piles:



aren't they cute?!? i am really, really resisting the urge to start sewing, because of two things: 1.) i need to be at work in about 2 hours, and 2.) i know if i start, the other things that need to be done today (ie., empty dishwasher, declutter kitchen counter) will be neglected. but, on the upside, i will have a good start on my blocks... ok! enough already. i need to stop.

one last thing before i go for today:



on lululemon's website. i can't decide if it's funny. or if it's gross. or funny & gross. i'll let you decide.

so, it's just after midnight, and it's still 75 degrees outside. what happened to spring?

i made a little bit of progress tonight. i turned some of this (a bunch of vintage linen fabric scraps i bought off of etsy, that i had absolutely no idea what to do with):



into this:


what a great way to use some of these little scraps!

i used the spiderweb tutorial found on quilt-it.blogspot.com. i wanted to try this block specifically for two reasons:

a.) i've been obsessing - OBSESSING - about it for the past week, ever since i came across these spidey web blocks on a different blog

and

b.) i wanted to try this non-paper piecing method of creating these blocks.

i'm still undecided. i honestly thought this block was going to be fairly complicated, but i found that the most tedious part of it (other than measuring & marking on the original triangles that were cut from the 12.5" square were cutting the strips. seriously! do you see that pile up there? all the pieces are different sizes, so it's not like i could stack a bunch up and just...zip! i cut them one by one. i know there is a better method out there - like stacking up similarly-sized pieces, etc. - but, anyways. i found the strip cutting to be the most time-consuming part of the whole process, because some you want to be fatter (2"), some skinner (1" and 1.5"), so, well, it's still a learning process. i will probably try the paper piecing method next, to see which one i think is easiest... this version was pretty easy, but there is a lot of waste with the cutting off the "corners" (or what have you) of the original triangles at the end. so we'll see. but, i have to say that i am pretty impressed with how this block turned out, considering that i had no idea what i was doing (for the most part), and sewed it pretty quickly.

*and then*, i was going through one of my fabric bins, and came across these fabrics:



ooh. ahh. i'm sure they were meant for yet another crazy eight quilt, but, i don't know...i think these are versatile enough to mix in with other fabrics!

and speaking of fabrics...in search of my patricia bravo fabrics, i came across the *awesomest* fabric website, hawthorne threads. i've already started a wish list; i'm sure this site will be one of my most frequently shopped! they just have a wonderful, wonderful selection of fabrics. soo excited!

ok. that's enough for this time. i'm getting ambitious with this blog...hopefully, i will keep it (somewhat) up! :)

so i was reading the paper today, and there was an article that had this statement:



honestly, i can't even remember what the article was about, decluttering or something along those lines. (you know, because i am *always* thinking about decluttering...but i just never get around to doing it... :) ) but when i read that, i was like, 'hmmph! so true!' however, i still really love 'later'...

i also had a chance to go through the new issue of quilt that i picked up the other day today. i found some new fabric that i just *have* to have:



this is the paradise line by patricia bravo. i just love the bold & rich color combinations! (*possible* spoiler alert...i'm thinking these may be some really nice fabrics to incorporate into my vqb blocks!) ooh...ahhh...can't wait! guess what i will be googling very well *all night* tonight?!?

i also saw a really, really nice quilt in there, too:



it's a pretty large quilt, coming out at 89x101". and honestly, i really wouldn't say that this type of quilt is "my style", with the diagonal block placement, sashing, etc. - as i tend to like more "scrappier"-looking quilts - but, how *absolutely fabulous* would this look, all done up in denyse schmidt's katie jump rope?!? i've had those fat quarters forever; they were originally intended for a yellow brick road quilt that never materialized. (these fat quarters are actually the only really nice memory i have of going on a weeklong trip to las vegas with my family in october, 2007 in which my luggage got stolen...enough said!)

and finally, another cute, cute baby quilt that i just *need* to make, for no reason in particular:



is this not the most adorable quilt you have ever seen, ever?!? i just love it. i briefly read through the instructions, and apparently, the black/white vertical rows are wonky-quilted...just alternating black & white fabrics sewn all weird so they mimic the black/white print in the large border rows. what a great idea, instead of just using some zebra-print fabric, like i would have done! (or am i just a slacker?) this quilt kit is definitely on my wish list! luuurve it!

the good, the bad and the ugly!

so i was commenting on all my photos on flickr, and then a realization came to me: why am i commenting on them *here*, when i can comment on them on my *blog* (that i never post on...)!

so i present to you the fruits of my labor the past week:


i found this one in a half-completed state in my pile of unfinished quilt projects...it's a unisex-ish quilt, although i think it leans a little more to the "boy" side...cute nonetheless, though!


this one was made with charm squares that resulted from a rotary cutting accident when cutting another "crazy eight" quilt - made with amy butler love fabrics.


oh...the shame. i'm not really sure what happened with this one. this one was supposed to be like the one on modabakeshop.com, but turned out disastrous. the charms were pieced perfectly, it was the sashing mishap...instead of just cutting them the length of the fabric (since i had enough anyways!), i *pieced* them - need i say more? it is a totally lopsided quilt. i tried to salvage it, and it just ended up more lopsided. sigh. another one for the "bad" pile!

i am a freakin' idiot. so i choose possibly the worst time *ever* to knit these:



(did i mention that, in additon to knitting these, i am in the middle of my p.e. week and have a final coming up next week?!?)

in any case, though. i started the second (left) mitten this past sunday, and continued knitting it until i finished it (minus the thumb) this morning. and so i'm comparing the two mittens, and am wondering why the thumb gusset for the left mitten is the same as the one for the right mitten. then i realize: *i knit the right mitten again!* (this is the g-rated version. actual realization included any of a number of choice expletives.) sigh. oh well. i was going to actually just undo it and knit up the left one (again) but since it's done, i figure i'll just bind off and have two right mittens. so that means i will have to knit two left mittens. great.

mental note: make sure to read instructions. and when it says, 'work same as right mitten to beginning of thumb gusset', skip to the LEFT MITTEN instructions.

sigh.

so i can't believe i actually finished a project in time - actually, let me rephrase that - finished a project, with time to spare.

case in point: 23rd of december, i've decided to make all of my boyfriend's family's gifts. it's now 4:00 am on the 24th - the day we're exchanging gifts - and i'm just finishing them up, barely. eek.

but take a look at this!



and an even better photo:



and of course, it wouldn't be complete without my little "flair" -



my little "'made by' tags" are becoming a little common around here these days! (but how can you *not* love my monogram stamp? i swear, it's just about one of the coolest things i own.)

now a baby gift's just not a baby gift if there aren't any booties, right? why would i have to knit some, if i found these?



are these not the cutest things you've ever seen in your life? i actually have another pack to give along with these, with a pink care bear on them. but how could i have not gotten these - i mean, after all, i *do* have a grumpy care bear on my crocs...



whew...lots of photos this time! well, it's almost time for work, so, i'd better start getting ready...

happy new year!

okay...so i promised that it wouldn't be another year until i posted...and lookee who's here! :)

so...we're only 2 days and an hour into the new year, and i'm already knees-deep into new crafty projects. well, only two projects. but two projects that need to be completed within the next two weeks. yikes!

first up:



super-dee-dupter cute cabled baby hat. i'm doing the one on the right, but in a fuschia alpaca yarn. i'm making it for a baby shower that i'm attending on the 13th, to match this super cute striped outfit that i found at old navy. it's a fuschia-orange-white striped footed onesie-type thing with a crocheted heart on the chest. *the cutest thing ever*. and the best part is? it's a super-dee-dupter cheap gift. $5.99 for the onesie. $7.00 for the yarn. $2.00 for four pairs of care bear booties. (what a deal!)

the second project is a 'crazy eights' baby quilt, made out of a girly combination of heather bailey, amy butler and joel dewberry prints. it's going to be *fabulous*. i just cut out my squares this morning, and started the 1st set this evening. when i was pressing them, i found that i had sewn 5 out of the 8 blocks backwards. it's the 3rd time i'm doing this particular quilt, and i have to say that i've never made that mistake previously - even the first time i made it. i was going to rip them back, but figured that i'd just leave them. it's a pretty scrappy quilt anyways, and you'd have to be super anal-retentive to actually search for these 5 blocks that are going to be placed any which way anyways and notice that, 'hey...they're not the same as the other "A" blocks.' whatever. my kinda perfectionism makes me want to rip the blocks back, but, hey. so be it.

so i apologize no photos, but, you'll be glad to know that i overnight shipped a battery charger from amazon.com, so i should have it by friday.

so new year's. we actually went and did something pretty cool; we went to the house of blues and saw collective soul. the event was actually televised on channel 2 (i think?) so, it was kinda cool to be at an event that people were watching from home. i didn't make any new years resolutions, but, i think i'm partially saying that because i've already broken one of them (only kinda, though.).

resolution #1: stop eating out. i'm getting fatter from it!

resolution #2: stop shopping for non-necessary things. my house is so full of unnecessary items, and i've got an entire bedroom that is full of stuff that was thrown in there during my thanskgiving "cleaning".

as for resolution #1, i'm really trying. we did manage to make it out to chinatown on new year's day and had dinner there, but that really didn't count. resolution #1 now changed to specify, "no eating out for lunch or really, by myself."



(please pardon the horrible photo. it was cold; i wasn't wearing any makeup, and it was snowing.)

as for my 2nd resolution, well, i'm trying. also. i wanted to make a quilt for our friend's wedding this august or september (no date set yet), so, i log onto quiltersobsession.com and discover they're having one of those "the more you buy, the more you save" sale. since 15% just isn't enough for me, i had to go for the big guns and went for the 25% off of $200. (and i really would've gone for the 40% off of $400 but just couldn't find enough stuff to buy.) so, i ended up buying a quilt for them, a quilt for me, and some fabric to make a bag for me. not that i need another bag, and forget the fact that i got a $100 gift certificate to brownson5th.com so i could buy myself another vera bradley tote. sigh. it could've been worse, it could've been worse. i keep on telling myself that.

well...it's nearly 2 am, and i have to work early tomorrow, so, i'd better get going here. hopefully i'll be able to make some progress this week and post some photos soon! happy new year!

i'm too crafty for my own good.

whooa. - oh yeah. it's me. and, if anyone is even following this blog anymore (which i suspect is no one), i'm sure you figured i'd fallen off the face of the earth. i've come close (not really), but, no, i actually am still here, on the face of the earth. truth be told, i've been just really, really busy. busy crafting, and busy procrastinating. i can't tell you how many photos of different projects i've taken over the past few months - okay - nearly year - with the intentions of showing off my handiwork on my blog. but have i? noo...of course not. but i had intended to, and well, that's all that matters.

since my last post months and months ago, i've discovered a new crafty thing to get in to. what is it this time? quilting. i actually took a quilting class at this quilt shop on halsted at the end of the summer, and, i've been hooked. my first quilt was a quilt for my boyfriend, to surprise him on his 30th birthday:

and, as for my second quilt, which essentially was a super-sized queen version of this quilt, done in more "girly" (think: pinks, greens, yellows) fabrics, well, that's still sitting on my ottoman. it's almost done, though, all that's left is to stitch the rows together - the worst part, in my opinion - but, i'll get around to it one of these days. you know, after i finish the baby hat that i need to make for a baby shower the 2nd week in january, and let's not forget the baby quilt that i need to start also for around that time, so i have time to send it out to get quilted.

speaking of quilting - okay, see, i thought knitting was an expensive hobby. which it is. but quilting? whoa...that's a whole different story. sure, i could use the $1.00/yard walmart fabrics, but, do i really want to? naah. that's why i spend about 10x (no exaggeration) that. and the final kick in the butt? after you spend all this money buying the fabric for the front, you then need to buy all this fabric for the back. and on top of that? it needs to be sent out to be quilted. i really can't complain, because after making the $170 quilting mistake that i did the first time, to quilt and bind my tiny little 50x60 quilt - i've researched and researched and found that sending it out is much more practical. sure, i have to box my quilt top up and get my butt to the post office, but the cost savings is more than enough to justify me being a little less lazy.

so my boyfriend told me a little something funny the other day. he said that "...the general perception of making gifts is that it's quicker and cheaper...but now i know from you, that it's not either of those." that's right, honey. i went all crazy and made my entire boyfriend's immediate family gifts this christmas - a wreath for his mother, those banded towels from amy butler's in stitches for his sister, and a knitted hat in this fabulous bulky charcoal grey donegal tweed yarn for his father. oh - and let's not forget the most impressive gift of all - the i spy quilt for his nephew! it's truly darling. i've actually got photos of all this stuff, but, since my camera ran out of batteries the other day (and with no charger to charge it with - that's another story in itself), i'll post them next time.

next time won't be a year from now, i promise.

hump day.

sorry for the lack-o-posting here for a while, but, gosh...just so much has been going on here lately!

first off: da bears.

i have to admit, i know hardly anything about football. i remember hearing this thing on the radio a few months back, that they were having some class for chicks who didn't know anything about football. so we could at least learn. and enjoy. and i remember saying to myself, 'i should sign up for this.' but i didn't. but it doesn't matter. i was at the gym the sunday before last, cheering the bears on, and what a game it was - phenomenal. it was close there for a second, but, geez. all i can say is, 'woo-hoo!' three more days till game day. i'm so excited. i even knitted myself up a bears hat last week!

secondly: dan.

any post bears-game excitement quickly dissipated when dan (my ex) called me. he wanted to go to dinner. i knew better. i said 'yes' anyways. we went to greektown. i was crying by the end of the night. ugh. i knew better. i *knew* better! he told me to 'not be a stranger' at the end of the night. i told him that i was better off being one.

thirdly: nick.

ohh...nick. what a sweetheart. i have to admit; i've been in chicago for nearly six years, and have not even barely *touched* the surface, when it comes to seeing and doing the city. he has made it his personal mission to be my official chicago tour guide. last saturday we started off with a quick drink at this bar that i always walk by, but have never been in, that was followed by an evening of live jazz at the back room, and to top it all off, we ended the evening at the signature room. need i say more?

fourth: i've been sick.

sick as a dog, actually. it's been coming and going for over a week now, but, got so bad on monday that i took a half day and took tuesday off to recuperate. i'm glad i did, because all that sleep i got from monday night-tuesday helped me out 100%. i'm still coughing and feel a little miserable, but nothing like i was on monday. *that* was ridiculous. oh, and mental note, never go to the gym while sick. it makes you feel *worse*.

fifth: i've been knitting.

bears hats, actually. my visit to my lys before my ballet class last thursday proved very exciting...they had some lorna's laces bulky in 'go bears!' orange and navy! *the* coolest thing ever. if it weren't 1:30 am and i wasn't totally cracked out on robitussin dm and nyquil, i would take photos. but it is 1:30 am and i'm totally loopy, so, next time i'll post photos (i know i always say that. but i will.). that was the quickest hat *ever* that i've knitted. started thursday before class, finished 100% by friday afternoon. (woven-in ends and all.) now, my manager saw my hat and was very excited. she wanted one too. i told her that i'd start one for her (since she doesn't know how to knit in the round) and she'd just have to knit the body, and i'd do the decreases. now, she wants another hat for her kinda boyfriend guy she's talking to...and considering that we're in a bit of a time crunch, i started while watching 'devil wears prada' and am ready to start decreases now. and earlier tonight, i had mentioned to nick that i was knitting this guy this hat, and now *he* wants one. so off to the yarn store i go on thursday...again. but i don't mind.

anyways. let me put my insomnia to good use and finish off this hat. or at least start to finish it. i've got a few more hats to start/finish before sunday! go bears!

so wow. we're 13 days into the new year's already...can you believe it?

i didn't make any new years resolutions this year, but, i think it has worked out better. now, i'm actually *going* to the gym, and, in addition to that, i'm also taking two ballet classes and a tango class, to boot! so...knock on wood...this will keep up. (and it'd better!)

so now that i have all this free time on my hands, i've taken to watching a few movies the past few weeks. so much so, that i actually even signed up for blockbuster's "netflix" thing last weekend while i was at blockbuster. (okay, so i got suckered into it, but, still...it's a two week free trial.) last weekend, i watched 'the break up' (you've just *got* to love chicago) and also 'the lake house' (also still gotta love chicago). today, i watched both 'take the lead' and 'click' (which i cried through parts), and actually made *a lot* of progress on a few projects of mine. i finally finished up my garter stitch handpainted yarn/moonlight mohair scarf, and i'm about 97% complete on my bulky ribbed hat...i would've finished it, had i not misplaced my size 10.5 double points. i think i've got maybe like 3 more decreases to do, and, it'll be done. it's amazing what i can get done when i'm not browsing the internet!

today wasn't all that productive (in terms of house stuff) of a day, but, despite the fact that i watched my movies, watched the grey's anatomy episode that i missed while i was in ballet class, and finished up that scarf, i was still able to make it out to the post office this morning to pick up some packages, go to pier 1 imports to buy another two layers for my wine rack, completely update my match.com profile, go to the gym and the grocery store. geesh! i guess i *can* be productive sometimes! :)

i *was* actually supposed to go out (on a second date) tonight, but, the guy kinda freaked out i think. i guess at least i'll have to give him credit for actually calling and giving me the courtesy of letting me know, instead of just leaving me hanging (like any other typical guy would). who knows, though. this whole dating and meeting new people thing is so bizarre. i wish i could just fast forward and skip the drama!

anyways. about my finished projects: i'll post photos of the scarf and hat next time...the scarf turned out beautifully, with just the right amount of shimmer, and as for the hat, well, it's just a basic 2x2 rib hat, but, because of the handpainted yarn i knitted it out of, it reminds me of life savers candy. (you'll understand when i see it.) next project to complete will be my 'cristina/grey's anatomy' grey rib scarf, and then hopefully, i'll get that french girl one out of the way, considering that this is my 2nd winter working on it. good thing my blockbuster queue is all filled up...

new years, (not really) missed connections, bad boyfriends and brazilian waxing...

here's hoping everyone had a very safe and wonderful new years!

just a few comments on my evening last night:

mid-30ish dude, sitting at the bar, with your friend wearing the packers shirt: okay. enough with the ogling. it was very flattering, but, there are two things that are very wrong with this picture: you didn't buy me a drink, and, *you have a girlfriend*. it's not that flattering anymore.

corey: you were cute and looked great in a suit, you are working out in california but are originally from minnesota. it's really not a good idea to start talking to women in a bar when:

a.) you're there with your ex-girlfiend.
b.) you flew out last-minute from california to chicago to spend new year's with her, even though you're broken up.
c.) tell women - who you've just met at a bar - this.

you're all sweet and nice and all, but, corey, honey, you've got to give it up. yes, five years to be together is a long time, but, she obviously doesn't want to be with you. she's selfish, and that's why she keeps you around. you're too different; you said so yourself. get over her and go and find a nice, decent woman who appreciates you.

oh, and by the way, i would've loved for you to buy me a drink and talk in the upstairs bar - but - it kinda ruins it when your ex-girlfiend comes along and squeezes in between the two of us, isn't it?

i kinda ran out of there without a goodbye - but, hey. no hard feelings, though, k?

heavy: we met on the dance floor at tequila roadhouse. actually, we didn't meet. you kinda started dancing all up on me. gross. you told me your name was 'heavy'. a bit inebriated by this point, i thought i misheard, and asked you, "javi? like javier?" and you replied, "no, heavy. like, 'heavy duty'." enough said.

***

i'm kinda enjoying this being single again thing, but, on the other hand, it really kinda sucks.

speaking of all this: just one more comment:

dan: we had a great 14 months together. you're too much of a spaz; i'm too much of a "distraction". yes, i know those aren't 'your words', but, you're still an asshole. *two* days before christmas? two? could you have picked a *worse* time, ever? i'm really suspecting that this all went down because you're hanging out with your friend brendan a lot now. you said it yourself, he is the biggest scumbag you know. and guess who's following in his footsteps? don't you dare compare me or our relationship to that of his and his little skank girlfriend, you selfish, selfish person.

and maybe just one more:

ray: i looked awful, i know. but it was after the gym! i haven't seen you in years; you are still very sarcastic and fun to be around. starbucks was a little strained, though... maybe it was because we were both thinking the same thing? guess we'll never find out, though...

okay. i'm done. maybe i should just transfer this post to the rants/raves section of craigslist... :)

anyways. the *real* reason i'm posting is because i'm probably on the "bad sp" list. no comment on that one. speaking of sp9, i'm crazy. i actually waited in line - at the post office, no less - last saturday for *30 minutes*, so i could mail her package. ridiculous! i had no choice, though - it's either that, or wait until wednesday to mail it out! ah well...

i've decided that my big box of rowan will be my last yarn purchase for a while. just call it a new year's resolution. now it's time to scale back the other shopping. i was *very* bad yesterday. i've had an awful past few weeks, and, i've gone a little crazy the past few days. but at least now, i've found my *absolute favorite* bikini wax place - sisters, at water tower - and, i have a new, not-given-to-me-as-a-gift-and-it-makes-me-want-to-melt-it-down-and-make-a-new-ring-out-it-it, right hand ring to boot! it's currently out, being resized, so, i will post photos of my beautiful, totally "me" ring asap!

ok. *definitely* too much bitching this time. hopefully, more interesting stuff/fp's next time! happy new year!

secret pal swag!

so, on my trip to my super nice post office early last week, i was presented with a few boxes, one of which contained my second secret pal 9 package! i wasn't even at chicago ave. yet before the box was torn open, to peek inside:



of course, i couldn't *open* all the pretty lovely presents, i had to wait until i got home that evening...and i couldn't even *belive* all the super lovely stuff i received!

super lovely gift #1:


*fabulous* knitting needle holder. with a zippered pocket inside and all! and speaking of the inside, take a look at this!



it's pink! geez, secret pal...i coudln't have made a nicer one myself! :)

super lovely gift #2:


an *absolutely gorgeous* drop stitch scarf. it's a beautiful light blue hue, with a shimmery yarn carried throughout. i was *so jealous* of this scarf that i had to start one for myself! (details following!)

super lovely gifts #3:


yarn. candy. candle. = awesome! and did i mention that i probably ate like half of the caramels before i even got to north ave.?

and take a look at this super lovely card she sent me:


isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?

so *thank you thank you thank you* super secret pal! once again, you're the *bestest*!

yesterday (saturday), i spent running errands. it really *isn't* a good sign when you're barely out your door, and you see those bright lime-green vest clad traffic management authority people out, directing traffic. but i did manage to get my errands done, and started swatching out my sorta copycat secret pal 9 scarf:



i started actually with an orange, which i definitely did not like (too retro-looking), and then so, since i couldn't find a suitable yarn while i was out on saturday, i decided that i'd go stash diving, and ended up liking the 3rd yarn the best. in order from left to right (if you can even see it in this completely blurry photo): first was a moss green blue sky alpacas yarn, from a previous secret pal round (too blah), the second was a pink worsted weight alpaca (too bright), and the third (and my favorite) was a kettle dyed merino in a very different pinky/mauvy color (just right. like the three bears.).

this is a totally overexposed photo, but here's a little detail of my scarf:



it'll be absolutely *fabulous* when it's done. i've already knitted one of the mohair/glimmery balls up, so, i'll probably start the 2nd while i'm waiting at the dentist's tomorrow.

i've also learned one very important lesson today:

never never never never ever buy knives that are on display



my sister and i were at bloomingdale's home store this evening, and, because they didn't have the particular knife set that i wanted in a box, the associate offered the display model. so we took it. we dragged it halfway across the city (okay, total exaggeration), and, as i was removing all of the price tags on EACH INDIVIDUAL PIECE, i found that:

a.) the block was broken.
b.) the tip of the chef's knife was bent.
c.) the tip on one of the steak knives was damaged.

and, as a final kick-in-the-butt, i decided to look up to see if my knife set was even complete. a quick visit to williams-sonoma.com proved otherwise. *not only* was i missing my 8" carving knife, it was replaced with a 3" parer! *you've got to be kidding me!*

so yes, i learned my lesson. i will never buy open-box, display knives again. (not that i'll ever buy another set of knives, period.) i'm going to have to go to old orchard tomorrow to see if i can even exchange these for a set in a box. and, well, if not, i'll have a set of very nice, very sharp, knives in my hand. (just kidding on that last part.)

ah well. it's 1:37 in the morning, and i will be going to bed very soon. i've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow!

until next time!

my cats *have* to have this:



okay, fine. *i* have to have this. i don't think you understand.

in a wee bit of insomnia this evening, i somehow ended up on the ikea website, and came across this super cute cat bed. nevermind the fact that it's $60.00, and, despite the fact that my cats already have several very cool, very trendy cat beds, i just have to have it. it's the coolest thing i've ever seen. (that, and griffin will look just so adorable sitting in it. it'd be his twin!) hopefully, it's a relatively large bed. it's definitely on my list of 'things to check out' next time i'm at ikea. i'm lucky in that i actually have two ikeas that are relatively close by - in fact, they're probably equidistant. however, i've not set foot in an ikea store in probably in excess of two years. this'll soon change, my friends! :)

(did i mention that i was going to stop shopping?)

anyways, i spent my weekend cleaning my living room and setting up/decorating my christmas tree. (photos forthcoming.) last year, i had a 7' tree which i felt was too short, so, this year, i opted for my 8' tree that i bought for 75% off at target after christmas last year. it's pre-lit, so i don't have 1500+ lights (or whatever national lampoonish quantity i had on it last year, which took me a week to do), so it was pretty easy. and definitely not as blinding as last year's tree. ooh, and the ups man dropped off my restoration hardware tree skirt on friday, and, oh my gosh, it is so, so, so, so, so, so very me. i'm afraid to use it, though, because my cats have a tendency to sleep under the tree during this time of year, and i'd really hate for it to get destroyed. so, i was thinking of making a treeskirt to cover my treeskirt...ooh! or maybe i'll just get some of that vinyl stuff that people use to cover their furniture. idea! hey, it'll be tacky as hell totally protected though, right? we'll see, though. i do have an absolutely *gorgeous* treeskirt that i bought a few years ago that i *love*, so, i don't know if i'll just use that. ugh! so indecisive! i need to make up my mind!

so it was a pretty productive weekend. i cleaned my living room, put the bows on my wreaths outside (since it was relatively warm today), put up my christmas tree, and geez. i'm exhausted. photos to follow next time! until then!

shame, humbug and slack-o-rama

so it's been a few weeks since i last posted...oops! so much has happened during those two weeks, also!

first off: i'm *so* disappointed that mario lost. what a crock!

secondly: i took my first ballroom dance lesson with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. although it was a lot of fun, i think i'm going to have to trade in my ballroom shoes for a pair of steel-toed boots. (and to think...the *first* pair of shoes that i purchased were open-toed...i can't even imagine if i wouldn't have traded them for a pair of closed-toe shoes!)

third: i was off for a week before/after thanksgiving. i swore i'd clean my house. kinda didn't happen...

fourth: i swore i would clean my house this past weekend. instead, i get called up at 8 o'clock in the morning by my sister, asking if i had wanted to go up to the outlet mall in pleasant prairie, wisconsin. after debating about it for a really long time, i decided that i'd just go up there. what the heck, right? it ended up being a two-day long shopping spree, no joke. i ended up just staying at my parents' house up north saturday night! (gotta love the automatic cat feeder/waterer!)

speaking of the automatic cat waterer... two fridays ago, after coming back from an exhausting day of black friday holiday shopping (more on that later), i came home to this awful, awful screeching sound...their cat waterer had run dry, (oops!) so i refilled it (this was friday night.). anyways, i had gone out someplace on saturday, and, by the time i came home, i noticed that my carpet was wet. i figured it was probably just the little bit that had splashed out when i had refilled it (despite the fact that i had cleaned that up the night before), but, thought it was weird, so, i looked at the cat waterer. the *entire* reservoir was empty. all two freaking gallons of it. i went through nearly a dozen bath towels before going to home depot, and picking up a shop vac. apparently, they don't work all that well on carpet, but, i was able to extract a little more water from it. so i just set it on the blower function, in another futile attempt to dry my carpet. and i swear, it's a week later and my carpet is still damp. maybe not, or maybe i'm just crazy, but, i swear it is. i'm setting the space heater on it before i go to work. (just in case it is still damp. or just to settle my craziness.)

black friday was a total joke. i couldn't believe it. after perusing the ads on thursday (and receiving a list of things that i needed to purchase for my mother), i set out for kmart at 5:30 am. i figured i'd go out to the suburbs, since i could hit all the stores i had wanted to go to in one shot. so, i get to kmart at like 5:58, and there is a line of people in front of the door, at least 200 people deep! (i had no idea kmart was going to be such a hot commodity on black friday.) anyways, people were literally running into the store, and anyways, i had made it to the back of the store to pick up these tool bags that were on sale (perfect for my cordless drill & screwdriver), and this man was running around the section, and saw me holding my ad (mind you, from my thursday paper), and was like, "could i see your paper?" and i was like, "i'm sorry, i've got to run and get a few more items!" bah humbug. hey. they had a fat stack of ads in the front of the store, and if he didn't bother to grab one because he was too busy running to the tool section, well...

so then, after kmart, i headed to menard's. uuugggggghhhhh. just thinking about it makes me shiver. people were literally buying *carts full* of crap...hundreds and hundreds of items. i just had to buy my popcorn (from the list) and fake ott lamp and knife set and scram. good thing i grabbed some magazines to read from off of the shelf; i was in line for 45 minutes. unbelievable!

then came orland square mall, which was a complete, total unbelievable nuthouse. it was awful. but i got everything i wanted, except for the only chihuahua ornament that they had at field's. oops. macy's. when the lady was putting it into a box, she had dropped it, and its back feet and tail came off. great. but i have to say, they *did* ship me one from another location (go figure, state street) without any shipping charge. and, i have to say that i love getting my christmas shopping without having to leave the house. how convenient!

that was it, until i went to oakbrook later that evening, to have dinner with my boyfriend and his family...

but i won't bore you with that.

after stitches midwest, i swore i would never buy any more yarn. rrrriiiiigggghhhhttt. here's just a sample of one of my extremely shameful purchases that i've made as of late:



(this is only *part* of the package.)

i'd better not buy any more yarn anymore. my trip to my lys on tuesday had better been my last for a while. i only went there because i wanted to knit up a long, grey scarf like cristina on grey's anatomy was wearing the other week (when she went running). i *have* to have one.

and the reason i really *have* to have one is this:



you should've seen it on friday! (okay, it really isn't as bad as what they got in the suburbs. but still!) *awful, awful, awful* snow. and it's so cold that the stuff just thaws and freezes. thaws and freezes. my back stairs are a *joke*. they are deceptively fresh snow-covered ice chunks! *awful!* (but don't you just love my wreath-covered fence? i was supposed to put out ribbons and bows also, but, it *snowed*! good thing i put them out on wednesday evening, despite almost freezing solid!)

and, before i leave you for this time, i just wanted to show you my (one of my) *most most most favorite* purchase of this weekend's shopping spree:



*gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous* silver sage/brown towels for my guest bathroom. (the design really isn't me, but, the colors are, so, i just couldn't resist!)

my *most most most* favorite purchase photo is forthcoming...a christmas tree skirt from restoration hardware...i should have it by the end of the week, though!

that's it for now, folks! stay warm! (i'm trying to!)

p.s. i received an e-mail from our sp9 hostess, stating that my pal's e-mails are having a hard time coming through... i've not seen anything come through lately (or get stuck in my spamblocker), so, secret pal, if you're reading this and trying to contact me, please do so again and i will make sure to add you to my "allowed" list (although i thought i did before!)! anyways...we'll figure it out! yay! :)