My Life

12 weeks ’till Santa Comes

Rudolf packages after snow

Can you believe it!?! It is only 12 weeks until Santa comes and the rush is on. I’ve set a goal for myself that I will try to hand make as many of my gifts as possible. Not only may it be less expensive, and I get to use some of my talents, but it also will be more customizable to each person that I want to give a gift.

So, what am I doing?

Crochet – scarves, bracelets, etc.
Jewelry – stringing some beads into necklaces
Sewing – making tea towel aprons, pillows, etc.
Paper crafts – think stationary, cards, etc.
Pottery / ceramics – painting some fun pieces of pottery to give as gifts

In the last couple of months, I’ve had a class in sewing for a machine and learned to use a sewing machine. Over the weekend, I found a place to let me use the pottery wheel and also to paint some pre-formed ceramics for a reasonable price. They’ll fire it and glaze it, and after a couple of weeks, you get it back – perfect for gift giving and/or keeping for myself.

Luckily my Christmas gift list isn’t too long, and in 12 weeks, theoretically, if I plan everything right, I should have enough time to complete what I want to.

I want to point a few great sites that I’m using for inspiration –

Crochet me – Fabulous site with lots of free and paid crochet patterns. They have a great magazine for crochet called Interweave crochet that I’m subscribed to and have learned some new stitches from.

Ravelry – They’re a knitting and crochet community and they have several project ideas and free patterns that are available for everything from hats and scarves to afghans, sweaters, and more.

Craftsy – what can I say other than I love this site. I’m not a “single item” crafter. I’m more of a Jill-of-all-trades where I find that one piece of something can influence another of the many projects that I have going or would like to try. This site has a little bit of the crochet/knitting, but also has sewing projects, paper crafts, jewelry, and so on.

Crafts Beautiful – this is a magazine that gives away free crafting items (who doesn’t love that) once a month. They have a little bit of everything – and while I don’t always like everything, it really gets my creative juices flowing. The latest magazine that I bought had a bunch of Christmas themed papers – perfect for the holiday cards.

Pinterest – photos galore. Everything from beginning to end from colors to jokes, to patterns that are linked from what others have done.

CreateForLess – repository for lots of craft supplies that are reasonably priced. They also have craft ideas, and they tend to keep me within budget on whatever I want.

Wish me luck, and expect more posts with some of the finished projects coming soon.

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More Feral Kittens

The bird

Back in October, I posted about my feral family of kittens. I’m pleased to let you know that they’re still around, happy and quite healthy. This winter in Dublin has been quite mild, and on the colder days (when the frost is on the ground) I’ve found that the kittens have made it through the night snuggled up inside their box, quite warm, dry and happy.
This last week, I was amazed to come home from work and open the bedroom curtains to see this:
Miss Piggy is after the bird

Yep, that’s Miss Piggy up in the tree and after the bird pictured at the top. At the same time she was in one tree, Two socks was sitting on the ground under the other – prepared to go up as well – should a bird come near enough. It made me giggle at how confident and determined they are in their adolescence, and at how fast they were in going from branch to branch in order to even think about getting a bird.

They quickly realized that I was about, and Two Socks slunk back to the bushes – and then observed me observing him.

Two Socks

When his brother, Runt kitty came out from under the bushes, they looked a bit like bookends as they both watched me.

Runt Kitty

Finally, I decided to pop out and feed them, and Miss Piggy came down from the tree – (u fed me lady,I come down now) to eat. And surprise surprise – guess who appeared but a pudgy Bibs kitty – who I’d not seen since October – well fed, well groomed and wearing a collar. I guess someone decided he deserved to be adopted into a forever home.

Miss Piggy

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How to stay busy – after surgery

Last Friday, I had some minor surgery which left me off work for a week and a half. The surgery was preventative, and went fine. However, because it was in my stomach area, I couldn’t pick anything up or do anything strenuous for several days after it took place. The thing is that for those of you who know me, I can’t sit still and just do nothing. I have a bit of ADD, and have to constantly be doing something – or several something’s at one time. Knowing this, I’ve been trying to keep busy – and here’s how/ what I’ve been doing for the last 2 days (please feel free to laugh):

 

 

1) Listen to the radio, pet the dog, and read an entire book (all be it a crappy one) while sitting on the bed with the curtains open to the sunshine in the back yard.
2) Play Fable 2 (from middle to end) on the xbox360 in one entire day, while running a load of laundry and drinking tea.
3) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
4) Start Buffy the Vampire Slayer game, decide it’s lame and quit.
5) Continue playing The Beatles Rockband on the xbox. (I’m now 7 songs from the end)
6) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
7) Hang clothes up to dry while watching TV, fold clothes while watching Syfi channel on TV and taking a break from video games.
8 ) Get on the computer and process pictures, with History Channel on TV in the background.
9) Wish I could go outside for a while and work on my garden (too strenuous) where the tulips are just coming up
10) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
11) Peruse Facebook. Laugh at pictures and status updates.
12) Read a few blogs. Try to blog myself.
13) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
14) Play Farmville with “The Hunt for Red October” on in the background.
15) Process more pictures.
16) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
17) Read news websites, decide they’re too depressing. Try to think of something else to do.
18) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”
19) Wander to kitchen, root in fridge. Nothing there I want. Hasn’t changed in the last 2 hours. Just in case…
20) Wander back to the couch, sit down, wonder how I’m going to keep myself occupied for the next 8 days…
21) Browse crochet patterns, trying to find something new to make to keep my hands busy. Inspiration alludes me… I have too much energy…
21) Repeat to myself 500 times “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…”

I think the worst part of this is that it’s such a nice sunny warm spring weekend and I’m not able to do anything for a bit. I just want to be outside, hiking, having a picnic, watching the dog play, and/or exploring Ireland. But, instead… “I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…” and I won’t be able to drive for 6-8 weeks (The seat belt cuts across where they cut into me) and am stuck cooped up for a while. ARGH!! I’m bored. Bored bored bored bored bored…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS. Did anyone else notice that Sean Connery has an annoying Scottish accent the ENTIRE of the Hunt for Red October (He’s the Russian Sub Commander)?
PSS. Apparently, Alec Baldwin, Sam Neil, and Tim Curry (Frank-n-furter himself) are in the movie too… all with these weird Brit accents on the Russian Sub. It’s nearly comical. Especially the scene where they’re all singing in Russian (off key, mis pronounced). Yah.. what were they thinking?!?

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