made for our contractor people!

wip - circle scarf

brrrrrrr!

damn it's chilly in the house. not to mention, having your bathroom turned into a mini-open-to-the-elements courtyard keeps us from turning on the heat.

(in truth, we're holding off on turning on the heat - electric blanket FTW!)

then again, sitting in front of the computer in the darkened craft room definitely doesn't help.

so how do you like my little board o' inspiration? well, less inspiration and more - this is what we're doing. i needed it to get a handle on the overall picture. it's been pretty helpful! and obviously totally not to scale. photoshop is hard, bitches. the floor tile isn't that... muddy looking and the blue mosaic glass tile is a bit brighter. ant got a gift certificate from his job for being so awesome, so we're gonna blow it on a hamper, probably that one from crate & barrel. thanks, corporate job!!

hampers in the real world are pretty tiny. it'll be nice to move it out of the bedroom, but this just means we'll have to keep up with the laundry in a big way. we'll see how it turns out.

in any case, we're into day 3 of the renovation. no set schedule, other than they work every business day until it's done. not too shabby. 7 more business days to go!

our contractor said that during the demo on wednesday, the entire tiled ceiling fell down with a single crack of his pry bar. whoops! not really what's supposed to happen. that baby was heavy and not really set properly. nice! it was also plastic/fiberglass sheeting on top of tile on top of tile.

i can't even begin to tell you how excited i am to take my first hot bath. i'm also really hoping we'll have a toilet by monday or tuesday night. preferably monday.

*crosses fingers*

CAKECAKECAKE

WTF.

I sent text with these images. Bastards.

So, anyways, this is the cake I made for work. Today is our Thanksgiving "party".

Not too shabby - I even made cute little banners for it, on sticks. "Lemon" "Drop" "Cake".

In the pro-cake making world, I think this is bad - I believe it's called cake tunneling? Not sure why it happens. Not sure I care, as long as it's tasty!

Right now it smells like... the plastic carrier. :( Maybe I'll try and prop it open and let it air out.

All on my clothes

Lizzard egg!

Scissors + Beer =

AAAAARRRRRGGHHHH

worst email signature ever.

. __
. \\ //
~©ø©~ "I hear I forget, I see I remember, I get email it gets fixed"
. \o/

back on the bandwagon (for tonight)

tonight, i was trying to sew this skirt. she used an elastic band and is wearing it with a belt. such fashion eludes me. a belt? for a skirt? just for decoration?

*shaky googley eyes*

anyways, i forged onward - hey, i've got a polka dot fabric laying around! it's some kind of synthetic i inherited from my mom's stash and unfortunately, i realize now that i don't have quite enough to make it... fall right. like in the above picture. also, i'm too lazy to wear the right shirt to offset the skirt in the following photos.



right?!

super bleh! it makes me look like a fucking bell. it poofs out just enough to look wrong and not enough to look right. *sigh*


so now i'm thinking something like this. more pencil skirt. but it definitely needs a lining. (*ahem*) the skirt material itself feels like a lining, a slip-kind of material. what kind of lining do you use with that? 2 layers of slippery fabric? or a simple thin white muslin? hot pink cotton sheet?

i'm hoping it'll be easy... ish. not sure how the sides should be shaped.

colette shirt was never finished, it's currently sitting, cat-ironed into a sad bundle to the right of my sewing machine.

november goal.

finish these 2 bits of clothing.

*weeble/wobble*

friday.

 

4:30. 

 

 

 

countdown.

 

 

this was my lunch - it was lovely.  had a crepe from the downtown market, a co-worker bought a sugar crepe to share, we walked to the park, he had a cigar, i took some photos and we mostly basked in the sun.

 

my brain is thick and heavy due to this strange headcold.  nothing too crazy in terms of stuffiness, just general head congestion and thick thoughts and heavy eyelids.  and exhaustion.

 

i anticipate a night of rice and potstickers, maybe some cooked romaine or roasted broccoli.  soy sauce.  garlic.  fresh hot thai peppers from the garden.  rice wine vinegar.  couch.  quilt.  cats.  fringe.  grimm (is that shit on at the same time?  hmmm...).  not too shabby.

 

life moves on.  the job is... way more "corporate-y".  i feel more of a need to look "professional", which i hate.  i miss the library, but everyone is so unhappy there right now.  morale is low and friends are so not happy about decisions being made.  *sigh*

 

this week i cleaned the guest room, which now frees me to clean the atelier.  must get that in order.  you know, again.  the usual.  need to work on and finish photos, update the shop and order business cards.  FOR REALZ.  that item, "order business cards", has been on my to-do list for forever.

 

defer.

 

defer. 

 

deferdeferdeferdeferdefer.

 

feel free to yell at me if i haven't done it by monday.  a sharp slap on the hand ought to do the trick.  and then you should buy me a strawberry ice to dry my tears.

 

not sure if my dad is emulating ronald here, or what...

fall/winter goals

take at least 2 naps outside in the cold weather, in the hammock.

 

set up an outdoor movie night.  have an outdoor movie night.

 

oy

shopping for floor tile is the hardest thing.

ever.

cleaning.

 

FAIL.

the before...

*cleaning commences now*

proof

le messy room

tonight's goal

clean clean clean!

 

the house has kind of been in shambles since we found out we needed to replace the subfloor.  it's like... we just stopped caring all of a sudden.  whoops!  but life goes on and the house marches inexorably towards chaos.  the garage, however, is very clean.  (well, as clean as it's gonna get.)

 

the backyard?  also not clean.  maybe that'll happen tonight, too.  i'm hoping it doesn't rain, mostly so i can lay in the hammock - the weather has been PERFECT for hammock-laying.  hammock-lounging.  i'm not popping out a hammock.

 

yes, i just talked about cleaning like crazy and also lounging in a hammock in the same blog post.  *sigh*

 

oh man, what else?  i feel that there's so much going on, but when i get down to it... it's just this remodel.  ugh.  this weekend we really need to finalize decisions and select a contractor.  while we can do stuff, like maybe lay tile, taking out and installing a new tub?  not really something we want to learn.  i know, i know, lazy bums, at your service.

 

 

busybusybusybee

last month?

 

insanity.

 

 

 

found out that the subfloor under the tub needs to be replaced in a big bad way, so we're most likely going to do a remodel of the entire bathroom, as it's our least favorite part of the house. 

 

ant brought up the idea of a clawfoot tub and i went all batshit crazy with excitement, though finally, after 3 weeks of talking about it, i think we may just go with a larger soaking tub (or whatever they're called).

 

we've gotten estimates from a few people and will hopefully begin sometime in mid-october.  must remember to get the halloween decorations out now, as that will keep me feeling sane while the house erupts in dust all around me.  reminder: buy a chamberpot.

 

and this weekend one of my oldest friends got married!  i'll post a few pics in a week or so - i went crazy and took like, 1,500 pics.  i had just gotten my camera back from it's factory fix and they supposedly "tweaked" the autofocus.  ugh.  i'm worried that some pics didn't come out, but as there were a few people there with DLSRs, i believe that it'll work out.

 

i don't think i was even that stressed at my own wedding; matron of honor + photographer = oy!

 

 

i'm still a little sore from all the photography, but get this.  we get home, i'm exhausted, we're laying out on the couch.  i bring a cold, delicious beer to my lips when WHAM - kitten jumps up to say hello, crashes into the beer bottle (shakes his head groggily and wobbles off), which crashes into my teeth and suddenly i feel pain and taste blood and feel grit on my tongue.

 

crap.

 

all i can think is: OMG, my tooth is going to fall out.

 

i always have dreams of wobbly teeth, which is supposedly symbolic of anxiety or instability, but you know, i think that i just really have a fear of losing my teeth.

 

after making my way to the bathroom, confirming it's not glass in my mouth, but tooth bits, we realize it's just a little chipped tooth.  thankfully, it seems that it's chipped vertically, mostly along the back of my tooth.  i should probably get it filed, since i can't stop tonguing it.  bit of a sore lip, life goes on.

i'm attempting to use google sketch up to make a working model of our bathroom.  (we're considering a remodel.)


here's as far as i got:

brain.  hurting.

as you can see, i am crazy bored. 

also, wine is delicious and i'm starting to look sleepy.

and my bangs are getting a little too long.

damn i need to paint that craft room.

things i did tonight: bought primer, painted the trim in the hall, painted over the semi-gloss samples in ant's office.

ate mac 'n cheese that i made last night.

sneezed all over my arm.

all clean, just like delicious vinegar

best advice ever:

in the top part of the dishwasher, put a small cup of white vinegar.

it gets your dishes MAGICALLYFUCKINGCLEAN.

use dishwasher soap, too, of course.

your mind?  blown.

last sewing update for a little bit

random:  not sure i like the new blogger interface.  too much white space?  icons not immediately understandable?  weird.

anyways, i finished my sorbetto top!

uhhhhhh, i think the binding ruined it.  maybe a wash will make it better?

not too shabby from here - not fully sold on the green.  the only blues they had weren't *quite* what i wanted.

 but then - wonkwonkwonk.

under the arms, the binding gets all.... flat and stiff. 

also, did i mention that i don't really know how to sew binding? 

or curves?

BAH.

and here, as you notice, the binding along the top looks all wonk, too.

the directions didn't specify cutting the binding to make it lay flat, it just said to sew it on. 

sorry for the crappy pictures, by the way.  at some point i'll try and use a better camera, the one on the computer is just so convenient!!





*sigh*  anyways, enough sewing for now.  still need to sew a magnetic curtain for the door, but i think i need to take a small break and clean up my mess (you know, a curtain for the lazy movie marathon days when it's blazingly bright out and the window on the door disrupts one's television enjoyment).

*another sigh*  stupid sorbetto top.  at least i have a bunch of fabric left - i can sew maybe a double layer skirt, that's kind of easy.

sewing update

knits - not so scary anymore.  i've got to find a place that sells good quality knits with fantastic patterns, because i just filled up my virtual shopping cart at the anthro online store.  must... not... click... checkout.... 

this morning, after i woke up at 7 with a hangover, downing 2 glasses of water and passing out again, then waking at 9 and drinking more water, taking a nap until 10 then having some ibuprofen with breakfast (BACON!  EGGS!  BAGELS!  KETCHUP!  SRIRACHA!), i worked on my dress.

yay! 

it fits!

it took 3 tries to get it taken in enough in the right spots.  i'm still not fully satisfied, but it will have to do.  i find that i like a lot more ruching/scrunching action with my knits.  the pattern only had 2 little pleats (in the wrong spot, since i made the larger size), so what i'm going to do is make them bigger on the pleat side, add an extra one and add buttons on top of them.  black buttons?  buttons in another color?

yea, i'm not really sure how it'll look in the end, but hey!  i'm trying!  plus, if i wear it at night, no one will be able to tell the difference (that's what i'm telling myself, at least).

see, kind of like where those colorful pin heads are.  maybe i should space them more evenly apart.  ... or maybe they look good all wonk?

i know, it's hard to concentrate looking at that picture because MY GUNS ARE SO BIG.  check out that little bicep bump!  pure muscle, my friends, pure muscle. 

did i mention on tuesdays i'm going to the free county midgie gym and taking a toning/cardio class?  it kicks my ass and i don't have time to shower afterward, but it makes me feel good.  a group of us have also been doing the stairs 3-5 times a week.  we went from 2 people to a total of 6 so far.  we struggle and huff and sweat together for 25 flights, it's pretty rad.

i never thought i'd be one of "those" people ("those" stupid people who go to the gym on their lunches and take the stairs and feel superior, but it's happening.  WTF.  i'm calling it my third-of-a-life crisis.  at least i didn't buy a red convertible.

sewing maniac

dress, fifty percent complete.

it's kinda way too big - but in some aspects that's good. the knit fabric i used is waaaay too thin to be as tight a dress as it's supposed to be. unless maybe i doubled it up.

BUT, i'm fairly certain i can adjust it to fit AND leave out the tiny cap sleeve that wasn't even in the package. thank you, vogue 2091, for being the wrong size and missing pieces.

this fabric though? heaven. it's like i'm not wearing anything. i wish wish wish i'd started this sooner so i could wear it asap - i love the way it feels.

that's right, i did shit today

BOOM!

shirt, sewn.

(if annie reads this - apologies that i didn't send a pic of the fabric sooner.)

i haven't fully finished the neck or arms as of yet - they're supposed to be completed with binding tape. i'm wondering - tape made with the same material, or a solid color? red would be the obvious choice, but maybe a green or blue would make it pop? anthro-style? i'll have to bring a swatch in to jo-ann's sometime this week. should one pre-wash binding tape? will that stuff totally bleed? won't it get all knotted up in the washing machine on its own? internet research, here i come.

here's a close-up of the fabric, the unfinished neckline and my clavicle. the fabric is a super light cotton, probably was supposed to be for quilting, and is so cute i want to scream.

the pattern was pretty damn easy, though overall the shirt is a teeny bit big, especially at the bottom. stupidly, i sewed the hem before i even tried it on (BAD KIM, BAD!), so now i'm irritable that if i wanted to put in a side seam zipper, i'm a little screwed.

i'm REALLY good at doing things that require me to do more work. over and over again. possibly i'll just leave it and this will have to be a tuck-in shirt. it looks business casual and is great for the summer! (you know, now that it's practically september. that's ok, good thing i live in florida.)

i'd also like to take this moment to mention that my sewing table is totally clean.

can't say the same thing for the rest of the craft room.

tipsy thoughts at 10:15 pm

1. i am getting old.

2. i need a private blog.

3. wine is yummy.

4. new job is... coloured by my uterus. must take vitals again in a week.

5. i need more wine.

6. i miss being a librarian.

7. i apparently have very little patience.

8. i need to be like steve jobs and look death in the face and just fucking start carrying my camera with me all the time without worrying that i'm looking like a typical asian with a camera.

9. i need to eat more duck.

10. i need to sew more, but not when tipsy.

11. my cats are freaking adorable and fuzzles.

12. i can, in fact, survive climbing 26 flights of stairs.

13. i need to get business cards already - thoughts? bueller?

14. i need less frumpy clothing.

frontal bags

well, i just finished making some mini-bloomers from a free pattern.

1) they're crazy low (WTF).
2) i have saddlebags on my pelvis. i'll call them my frontal bags.

maybe they're cute, but i have no idea at present, as i need to get used to them. i was hoping to wear them as summer pajamas.

blarg.

also, i hatehatehate elastic casings.

been a while

yea, that kitten is totally freaking adorable. it's difficult not to gush all over him, but it's just because he's such a cuddler. as soon as you start petting him, he'll just fall over and give you his belly for smooshysmooshypets.

well, anyways, i've been busy.

and weirdly exhausted.

not sure if it's the monday nights that were making me totally wonk for 3 days after, or what, but it seems that simply working 1 night a week from 12:15 to 9:15 would incapacitate me completely. it wouldn't be until thursday that i'd start to feel normal. and today? thursday? totally not feeling normal.

it probably would have evened out, eventually.

i mean, i passed out, literally, while anthony was talking to me last night. it was maybe 6:00 or so and he was talking about something or other and i could feel my eyes getting heavy ('uh huh... yea... really? *attempting to stay awake*) and i foughtfoughtfought it, but i lost.

i fought the sleep and the sleep won. it was like i blacked out.

and today, driving down the road, in the sunshine, thank goodness, since it's finally stopped raining for some delicious heat and bright, bright sun, my eyes kept wanting to close and i had to stop off at a starbucks for an iced coffee to keep my mouth busy (which usually keeps me awake). if i sip slowly at something, i can maintain consciousness. the caffeine didn't hurt, either.

the good news?

no more monday nights! no more weekend work!

because, well, i got a new job.

i'm still a little forlorn/broken up/excited about it, but basically i'll no longer be a librarian. still working for the county, in a new department - fiscal & support services. and it's a pay raise. finally! my title will be "programmer/analyst". programalyst. better than analrapist?

definitely.

... holy crap, it's 2:40 and i realize i haven't eaten yet.


... WTF.

dad, on his farm

morning pics with kitten

no idea why my lips are so extraordinarily red in this picture. i blame the dehydration.

morning person; morning, person

i'm trying out this "morning person" thing.

day 1 - success.

and by "success", i mean that i went to bed by 11, slept fitfully because i'd had to work until 9:15 pm that evening, set my alarm for 6:30 am, woke up and didn't go back to sleep.

it probably helps that i put my alarm in the kitchen and not next to the bed. keeps me from doing late-night "checks" on facebook and haven't "they" said that having gadgets next to the bed keeps one from sleeping well?

either way, let's see how long i can keep this up. it was nice to have an hour of time to get ready - heated up some coffee, read a little, snuggled with the kitten on the couch. i *almost* did some yoga, as i've been feeling all sorts of body old and ache-y, but maybe tomorrow morning.

have i mentioned that i also got a new job?! very exciting! i've been feeling very stagnant here at the library, with almost no options for me to advance, even though i'm doing the work of a statistics librarian combined with systems administrator duties and knowledge. LAME.

so when a programmer/analyst position came up with the county, associated with my old supervisor, i jumped at the chance. and i got it. hurrah! it's a raise, not huge, but i'm not saying 'no', and a co-worker mentioned to me yesterday that it's actually on the same pay grade as a principal librarian. what what?

it's good on the resume, it's good with the county to be moving up, and it's good for me, because i love new things and get bored easily. my first day will be august 15th - cannot. wait.

i keep trying to take super cute pics of yam; because she is (super cute).

but it keeps backfiring on me! the other day, she perched herself on my stomach and proceeded to bliss out while i gave her some loving - her tongue slipped out and she closed her eyes. soooooo cute! but here, she just looks like she's going to vomit.

cute cat picture fail!

faux mcD's

when we first started dating, ant and i used to go to mcdonald's to get hamburgers, hold the meat.

hold the meat, you say? hell yes! that shit's gross and almost always gave me an upset stomach. probably because it's "meat" made of salt. it's amazing what they can do with technology these days.

there's just something so... wonderful about that spongy bun, the mix of ketchup and mustard and tiny little onions, and of course, the extra pickles. it's basically a vinegar sandwich. (my mouth literally started drooling.)

we don't get them that often nowadays, but when we had a cookout for friends of the family, anthony had this GENIUS idea to make one at home! and they're so fucking amazing. seriously.

in fact, i've had 3 in the past 4 days. it's kind of an obsession. i'm trying to rein it in, but they're just so... tasty.

ugh

so my camera is broken, now both of them!

camera 1 (older one) - gets an ERR message randomly and then proceeds to take super dark photos every 3rd photo.

camera 2 (newer one) - seems to have a stuck shutter. the mirror flaps up, and comes down, but the normal "taking a photo" sound is missing.


tonight's goal: find my receipt.

craft nights are keeping me sane.

one day, we'll be able to open this up to more people - as it stands, none of us have the space to really allow for larger numbers of people to create.

but, for now, it's keeping me totally sane. stress levels are below a danger threshold (which is when i start producing massive quantities of stomach acid and pain). last meetup, we made hypertufa planters! when i finally plant something in it, i'll be sure to post. it was fairly easy, although one of the ingredients smelled strongly of cat litter. used cat litter.

hint: portland cement is caustic - use gloves or wash your hands and apply massive quantities of lotion as needed.

these pics are from the meetup at my house - we made carved sculpey beads - ridiculously easy. hello jo-ann's sale! roll a bead, poke with skewer, bake for 15 minutes, cut with razor blade/x-acto knife (we put them on crumpled foil to bake - no need to worry much about dent marks in the clay from the foil, since we would be carving into them).



i really want to make more and will hopefully soon be tracking down some ball chain to use as the necklace. i like the way it lays, and it's cheap. right, it's cheap? seems like it'd be cheap.





this was an attempt to make a colorful rainbow bead necklace. it's still in this state in the craft room. rainbow necklace fail.



one of the craft members found this fantastic piece of wood shaped exactly like a turtle head! no, not like this. at least, one hopes not.

this day? glorious.

remember this?

the good news is that our little kitten, wash, is actually playing with his sardines!! he's starting to get crazy frisky and clearly wants to kill me, as he runs between my walking feet with reckless abandon.

reck. less.

even more, he loves wine corks and pieces of paper that skitter across the hardwood floor.

(yammie, of course, is too dignified to play.)

i'd made a few extra, so i sent one to ruby (who hopefully liked it) and then brought another to erika's cats, theo and hazel.

holy. mother fucking. shit.


those cats went batshit over the sardine. bat. shit. crazy.


this is theo:



and this is hazel:




theo is definitely the dominant cat in the house - strong and lithe. i have 2 claw scratches on the top of my foot that are just now beginning to heal.

hazel was a sweetheart and was very difficult to get near, or photograph. she also licked the sardine to within an inch of it's life. the felt eyeballs? grey. the 'X' sewn eyes? unrecognizable. the length of the sardine toy? sopping. wet. when i left, it didn't even resemble the original toy, but for the vague shape and a barely discerable blue. somehow, it looked really dirty, as though it had been dragged through dirt.

*shudder* it was so gross.

so, not an utter failure!

the blueberry farm was on the honor system. drive up, grab a bucket and pickpickpick.

tip: it's a good idea to taste from each bush, just to make sure it's a good one. no one likes a sour bush.

(that's what she said.)







meaghan was a total pro - her final weight was 3 lbs! we were there for maybe... 20 minutes? my final weight was 1.5 lbs. granted, i took some time to take these photos, so maybe... oh, let's be real. no way i'll be a blueberry picker anytime soon.

blueberry eater? YES.





really need to see if tampa has something like this nearby. i loved that this place was so close to meaghan's house, on the way to erika's. it just made it so easy to get a fuckton of blueberries for super super cheap. did i mention that it was $2 a pound? perfect for picking and freezing and maybe even making jam.