One for me, one for you

I feel like all I make is baby items, which is nice because they are small and quick. I've recently added to the collection with the following items. Now, I'm not necessarily making things for my baby, because I'm too superstitious for that at this point, but one never knows if one is going to end up keeping certain items that one has made simply because one knows at least ten people having babies this year.


This is the bib I started and finished while in Georgia. Just had to add the button when I got home. I would list the pattern but I'm too lazy to go find it right now. We'll call that a symptom of week eight.


This is a mini version of the classic bear and I need to change the location of the ring because it currently appears as though he is being hanged until dead. Oops.


This is my own pattern for a zebra of unusual colors. His back legs may be longer than the front ones, but I like him and will call him Squishy.


Hello.

Well, the plunge has been taken.

Oh, Penny. Don't look so bewildered. Soon enough, you will have someone to lick who is not able to refuse you! *until adult-sized hands descend, swatting*

I. Am. Pregnant. And since this picture was posted on Facebook today, the whole world knows it! Which is a relief, even though it's still early - only eight weeks. Secrets are the worst.

Let's not focus on the scary things, but list the exciting things! It'll be cute (I think); it'll be snuggly (I hope); it'll smell good (when not covered in spit-up); it'll have at least one cousin to play with; I think Laura and Sammy will love it; Penny likes kids; my dad just retired; I don't have bad morning sickness; shopping for it will be fun; and to quote Sarah Chalke, "I'm gonna love the crap out of this kid."

Artsy-fartsy in Atlanta

It's about time I did this. What have I been doing? Clearly not blogging. But here we go.

My and Becky just spent a week in Georgia visiting her first-grade teacher, Louise, and husband, Josh. For better or worse, they've remained family friends all this time. We used to drive to Omaha for visits, but they moved to the Atlanta area last year. It was Becky's third trip, but my first.

The World of Coke is pretty awesome. Here is a photo tour of some of the more crafty aspects:

These are in the lobby, but there are more elsewhere to total maybe 20, and they all seem to represent a different culture. And it is true; Coke has infiltrated every corner of the globe.


This is my favorite piece of art from the gallery area, by Comer Jennings. Something about colored glass is scrumtrulescent.


TINY scooter made of Coke cans. It was about four inches long.


More Coke can art.


And yet more.

Now we move to the Georgia Aquarium, where the gift shop houses these fun beaded creatures:


Puffer! If I'd been thinking, I would have noticed where these treasures are made. But I didn't, so we'll assume that some church group right there in Atlanta did them.

At the home of our generous hosts:

Egret! Strangely enough, this sculpture was made in MN but purchased in Omaha and now resides in Kennesaw, GA. Apparently, Gertens carries them and I think I need one for my own yard.


This is where we relaxed for TV watching, magazine reading, and knitting. I'm proud to say that I started and finished a project during our week's stay; a bib whose owner is TBD.


And this is the LYS where Louise works. The Whole Nine Yarns. We spent an afternoon there knitting and walking the area. Best place to eat in GA: Pure Taqueria. Just down the road and winning for most intriguing name: The Right Wing Tavern. I also marveled at the greenery, since we have none in MN right now. Oh, no. We have several feet of snow and roads with alternating patches of ice and potholes and no one knows where to park and if I have to wear long underwear much longer I'm going to implode!

Also, Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh, AND I'm entering a giveaway for this "Nelephant" by Danger Kitty Designs. Enter for yourself here!

Wise Words: Men (and women) lose in superbowl spots

Travel news soon; but first, this from the Ad Broad:

men lose in superbowl spots

Odd that a televised extravaganza targetting men would be rife with advertisers belittling them. "Hey, guys, you're henpecked, emasculated and illiterate," many spots said, in essence, "but buying our stuff will make you feel virile!" Really? What guy falls for this? Don't brand shepherds realize we've come a long way since Walter Mitty. And why haven't they noticed that 39 million viewers are actually women?

In case you missed it, here's a sampling of commercials I'm talking about, and the hypothetical creative briefs they were based on:

It's not easy being a man. You have to recycle the garbage, put the seat down, listen to your wife and be nice to her mother. Whew! But a big car can make it all feel better. (Dodge)...


Read the full post here.

Two gifts and a sneak peak

It seems I'm always excited about some pending baby or another - sometimes more than one at a time, like right now I know of like five - and this week I got to give them things.

<--- booties and blankie --->

There were many other gifts given this week that I don't have pics for yet. But I do have a picture of my entry in February's HandmadeMN Challenge:


HandmadeMN is a blog by and about Minnesotans who have shops on Etsy. Every month, we can submit something to the challenge that fits whatever theme we've been given and you can vote for your fave! February's theme is fiery.

Go vote! Also, if you like Etsy and you like buying local goods, all the members' shops are linked by category for your shopping convenience (I'm under "mixed media artists").


PS - Remember when I mentioned the type of vacations we take? Well, tomorrow I'm going to Atlanta with Becky to visit some friends for a week. Super excited to see the aquarium, zoo, and Coke museum! And I'll be with people who can talk about knitting with me without getting bored.

Photo collage for the bedroom

I did it! I didn't wait months or years to get this one done! It turned out to be way easier than the first; partly because there are only 25 pics instead of 49, and partly because I was already experienced in the limitations of my adhesives.


These are more scenic than the photos in the dining room collage. Because I don't want everyone I know staring at me while I'm in bed.


Penny did make the cut, though, because she's just too cute to exclude. Otherwise the pics are from our Lake Superior adventures, around our yard and neighborhood (the egret is in there!), and from our honeymoon in Hawaii.


THIS is the frame, probs one of my all-time favorites.

Adventures of two hunds

More crafty stuff soon, but today we just have an admission. I dressed up the dogs last time Gretzky came to stay.


Because it's cute, that's why. And they were willing to pose!

Job news

Thirteen or so hours later, I am still jobless. Am I crazy? In many ways. But I just knew this job wasn't for me. Couldn't do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

I'm not sure how this is supposed to make me feel

Random post not about crafting....more like Doogie Howser style than anything else....

I was offered a job today. I've been looking for a job for 19 months. I can't say exactly how many I've applied to, because that would require me to get out my laptop and open the spreadsheet that lists most of them, and I'm not going to kid myself and think people really even care or that I'm not just too lazy, but I'm going to say it's around 75. Maybe that's not right, but it's a lot. Definitely over 60, but probably not more than 100. The jobs have been in communications, social service, administrative support, retail, and anything else I might (or, frankly, might not) be qualified for or interested in - because I still don't know what I want to do with my life.

So here I am, one job offer in a year and a half, and it's in retail. And in a world where no one is getting a job, why would I not take it?

Then again, I got out of retail because 1) customers sometimes made me sad, and 2) I wanted to get some use out of my education. This hasn't really changed. I've run the gamut of emotions regarding my so-called career and thought about all the possibilities (me? Over-think things??), but now that I have a choice to make - by tomorrow - all the clarity I thought I had is gone. It honestly sounds like I might enjoy the job. But I don't want to work evenings and weekends. I know somebody has to do it. And if it's part time, maybe it won't be a big deal? I bet the customers will totally different. Right?

Fade in Doogie Howser music for the traditional episodic adage....

I guess hindsight is 20/20. Making a commitment isn't about finding the smoothest road, it's about making a choice and giving it your best shot. Maybe it's not about what you do, but how you do it. And if you can find some happiness in whatever hand you're dealt, then you'll be just fine. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Finished projects I have previously neglected to share

Yay! We've lived in our house for almost four years and I'm almost done decorating it! When I am done, I'll surely want to REDO it, but we'll cross that bridge....

This project wins for Heaviest Thing I've Ever Made.


Also, I hope it's legal. Is Lake Superior considered a National Park or a Natural Reserve or anything like that? Because when my family drove to California and visited the Petrified Forest National Park when I was like 11, I definitely remember being told that taking pieces of petrified tree out of the park was BIG TROUBLE. Felony, probably. I don't remember the Grand Tetons, or basically anything of our zigzag between Utah and Iowa, because I was sleeping, but I remember not wanting to go to prison. The *funny* thing is that I think we bought a hunk of petrified tree in some gift shop.

Anyways, since we travel up to the "north shore" every summer and stay right on the lake, I've been....liberating....some of the small stones by bringing them home. Add one frame with a backing, some white paint, a small piece of driftwood, and lots of E6000 and you have a sweet Lake Superior homage. Or, at the very least, a weapon for when someone breaks in.

NEXT, I've hung this monstrosity in the dining room and it is a grand display of just some of our loved ones. And Justin Morneau.


It measures about 45" square and displays 49 of our own photos touched up and cropped. Each one is float-mounted and raised on a mat backing, which was not an easy feat considering it's heavy and I don't have my beloved professional supplies. Adhesive-wise, it would have been easier to cut openings for the pics, but I don't ever want to be responsible for making 196 cuts in a mat without making a mistake.


Plus, this way the photos have a nice shadowy look. The frame was purchased on the cheap long ago whilst I was still at the frame shop and it sat around the house waiting for a purpose in life until last fall when hubs had an epiphany. Thus was born the photo collage.


Between the frame, glass, mat, spacers, and photo prints I think I probably spent less than $70. If I had taken my pics to have them framed at a shop, I'm sure it would have been at least $250. Not that I'm saying you shouldn't give them business, because we love them and totally appreciate their knowledge and skills, but I enjoy doing this at home. Another collage is in the works for the bedroom, featuring more scenic pictures, but I'm slow on the uptake because these beasts are kind of, well, beasty.