Rats in the house…

Sunday morning I came out of bed with as much energy as a todler full of sugar! The anticipation of my mysterious felting class was at its peak and I couldn’t wait any longer to create…well…I had no idea but it would be in felt. In a sunny studio, on the second floor of a Waldorf toy store, a small group of women gathered around loads of multicolour fiber. During the day, I learned the facinating story of felt and the different techniques used in its creation. Do you know that felt is the oldest textile form and that sheep pee had something to do with it! Anyway, it was now time to get wet and energetic because felting requires a lot of friction that left me exhausted and sweaty. Hum, that sounds naughty but it’s not at all the case!!! After I looked at the beautiful books brought by the teacher, I decided to go for a pair of cute little mice…that turned out to be a pair of cute big rats. I had such a good time that I gave my name for a needle felt workshop in march. Sunday morning, I had no project in mind when I got there but now my head is full of ideas for the next time. I can't wait!

A love-hate affair

There are those projects that seem great on paper but end up making you swear like a sailor during the entire process. That is exactly what happened to me this weekend when I decided to make an ice cream sandwich softy from that book. What I find strange is that even thought it made my life miserable I kept working on it…“you stupid sandwich”. I had no obligation. It was not a present promised for a little one…“see the garbage bin there”. I think that there are those projects that you just love to hate … “stop smiling at me little *blip*”. It became personal. I could not let that little sandwich win…“you pathetic loser”. After a few hours of stitch-unstitch, I finally won the combat: Crafter wannabe – 1, Evil but cute felt ice cream sandwich –0.

Need to wash the dishes!

There is no better way to end a long and boring week at the office than having a little craft meeting in good company. What should I bring? Should I finish a project (ex: my gray sweater that I would like to wear before the snow melts!) or start a new one for the occasion (ex: impress people at yoga class with a new bag for my mat)?

My recent passion for crafts is a blessing. I have such a good time during the entire crafting process: selecting a project, analysing the different steps, finding the right material, working patiently (or not) on the item and looking at the final result with a big smile on my face. There is one “but” and I know that I’m not the only one in that situation! …but I have a tendency to neglect other aspects of my life such as cleaning the dishes or dusting the furniture. I’m pretty sure that I could write “negligent” in the dust on the top of my bookshelf (I won’t take a picture - too humiliating).

Maybe when spring will knock at my door I will calm down and spend more time outside but in the meantime I need to make up my mind for my "craftevening"! I think that I will bring everything...it's good to have options!

6 months + 10 years

Today is our 6 month wedding anniversary but we previously dated for 10 years. We are high school sweethearts. On a sunny afternoon, in what used to be an old jam factory with a tiny garden, we got married surrounded by our family and our closest friends. It was an “urban garden party”, with cupcakes and lemonade, hors d’oeuvres and organic wine. A violin and a cello were playing lovely music and 45 little potted plants (our favors) were decorating the room. It was simple yet elegant.

To celebrate our “we are still together after 6 months” anniversary, my husband got me one of Ella’s beautiful dolls. It’s actually a substitute for our “tree of life” which is now in rehab at my mom’s house. The tree (aka giant potted plant) was suppose to represent our growing relationship as husband and wife. People were also invited to write their wishes on little cards and tied them with ribbons to its branches. To make a long story short, after only one month, the tree was in pretty bad shape. In conclusion, you don’t need to have a green thumb to have an happy marriage…and a doll is very low maintenance!

The doodle report

I'm the kind of gal who likes to "feel" a book before buying it. I want to touch the texture of the paper, see the finish on the pictures, look at the font design and when nobody is looking I might also smell it...especially vintage books. That is probably why I'm really insecure about getting books online, especially those beautiful Japanese craft books. I'm also a little cheap! I don't like to spend money on something that I might not enjoy. However, last week, with no other option, I ordered Doodle-Stitching and I really don't regret it. This book is full of very cute ideas that can easily be done by people like me...beginners. It has a "stitch library" and the explanations are very simple. I highly recommend this book for its projects but also because the paper is soft but not too delicate, the pictures have a nice mat finish that is not aggressive to look at and the fonts used are "girly" but with moderation. And the smell...well...it smells new which is a good thing since I paid full price!

Fuzzy cookies

Do you want romance? I will give you romance, well, for a couple that has been together for more than 10 years! Cuddling on the sofa, we ate popcorn and watched Access Hollywood. Do you feel the love right there? Ok, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day but just for fun, I made cute felt fortune cookies for my husband. Martha has such good ideas! And to my great surprise, my wonderful husband tackled a craft project of his own...with glue and scissor!!! He gave me a tiny little heart made out of recycled felt (promotional junk). I know that some craft goddess might find that little present insignificant but for me it's a real token of love. Happy Valentine's day!

My squirrely valentine

I’m not a big fan of Valentine's day. I’m one of those party poopers who thinks that Valentine's day is an evil conspiracy made by corporations. What? Don’t we all need a cute and fuzzy pink bunny with floppy ears that says “Kiss me”? Well, it seems that the temptation was too big this year and I have not one but two Valentine's day crafts. It started with an easy papercut (nothing life-threatening) valentine from Little Acorn. It has squirrels and acorns (wonderful) and it respects my limited abilities with a blade! I must admit that brown and baby blue don’t scream “love is in the air” but I don’t think that it’s a big deal. I can’t talk about the other craft today because, well, it’s for Valentine day…tomorrow. I want to keep it a secret for my husband who had this panic look on his face when I said that I was planning a little something for Valentine day. Husband: “What, but, why??? We never celebrate Valentine day. Now, if I don’t want to look cheap, I have to get you something! ” I just hope that it’s not a cute and fuzzy pink bunny with floppy ears that says “Kiss me”!

I give up and that’s ok!

Follow the White Rabbit by Fog and Thistle

I Love Wood by SanFran67

Dutch geese by Molly Jey

I just discovered papercutting (scherenschnitte) and I’m completely amazed. I didn’t know that you could make something so pretty and delicate with nothing more than a piece of paper, a sharp blade, a lot of patience and dexterity. I almost fell off my computer chair when I saw this free pattern that includes a sweet squirrel holding an acorn. I love squirrels! With some advice from Jackie at smoothpebble I decided to give it a try. I enjoy reading blog posts that show exemples of courage and determination (ex: it was a challenge but I finally finished my beautiful quilt after 10 months of sweat and tears) but this will not be the case. I gave up after 15 minutes and I really don’t mind! I admit that I have limitations and using a blade that could slice off one of my fingers during a short moment of inattention (ex: my dog is eating cat littler) is just not my thing. Sometimes, it’s simply better to admire the beauty in the work done by other people.

Neck warmer express

This morning, I woke up with that CSI victim look that made it clear to me that I was going to call sick. I can't put my finger on the problem but my body couldn't go through another day at the office. I felt exhausted but luckily I have paid sick days. My plan was to sleep and to make sure that I was in good shape for the weekend. However, I kept thinking about that pretty neck warmer. I already had the wool and the needles. Crazy how the time flies when you are in a "craft trance". Next thing I know, I didn't rest at all but I have a new neck warmer that looks lovely with my tweed coat!

Strange phenomenon

It happens to me once in a while. It normally takes a few months before I realised it but it’s already too late. I slacked! I slowly stopped caring. Suddenly I see neglected hair that could confuses a bird looking for his nest, badly plucked eyebrows luckely hidden under too long bangs, racoon eyes without concealer, sand paper skin, etc. And lets not forget the mismatched bras and panties, the fact that I don’t iron my clothes anymore and that I have holes in most of my socks. You know there is a problem when I’m worrying about getting hit by a bus. Not for medical reasons but because I fear the paramedics expression when they see how negelected I am!!! Baby, it’s makeover time! First stop: the hair stylist for a simple and sleek haircut. Let’s face it, I don’t fancy myself with an Amy Winehouse beehive ;)

Note: This is the "simplicity" photo that I will send to my swap partner.

Uh...it's silver?!?

This is what I said, half joking half serious, when a coworker asked me what were the characteristics of the camera that I got for Christmas. In my defence, it's my first "grown up" camera...you know with a zoom and more than three functions. After that humiliating episode, I understood the necessity of a canon powershot workshop. Yesterday morning, braving the snow storm, I went to my local camera store to find myself with a group of sweet elderly people who required a 10 minutes explanation on how to set the date on their camera. I was not that bad afterall! Especially now that I have been getting "mini workshops" from the same coworker who made me feel like a complete loser two weeks ago. I still have 341 pictures to take in order to complete my project 365...plenty of time to apply what I learned. And what did I do during the date setting chaos? I wrote this post on paper.

That’s bloody expensive

I dreamt that I was happily walking the streets of London with a bag full of Cath Kidston items. Meters of fabrics, flowery tableware, polka dots tins and flirty skirts were all part of it. As soon as a Cath Kidston catalogue arrives at my door I always look at it with great envy. I tell myself: “If you ever go to London, you will visit that store and buy some nice goodies”. Happy me! We are going to London this summer!!! I might have carefully looked at every single item in the catalogue but I never really bothered to calculate the price with the exchange rate. My little hand, holding my calculator, was slightly shaking when I saw that the “cowboy skirt” (that would look so nice with a little red tank top and some delicate sandals) actually costs 150$ cdn. I must admit that I’m slightly disapointed but it’s not the end of the world. London certainly has a lot of very nice stores where I can spend my money at a more resonnable price. Does it?!?