This Week

I really didn't do anything. I went to work, I came home, and then I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell until I HAD to sleep. Fruitless, but fun. Oh, wait, I made these chips. They were tasty. And I received this...which, I guess, means I am to be a published crafter. Goody! Or, they just pay people to get their hopes up. But I highly doubt that. A while back I submitted a project for Lark Book's "Pretty Little Patchwork", and today I got this, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the book, however, I haven't a clue when it will come out.

This weekend, the husband and I are off to my parent's house, to "watch" their pool for them while they are at a class reunion, and also to scour St. Joseph for cheap furniture, because after this weekend, we will hardly have any. Long story, but, anyone looking to sell a couch?

Us Apple Cores, We're all alone in this world.

Can you tell I have a bit more spare time on my hands now? It's kind of fabulous. In no particular order, here's what I've been doing.I boiled water. But wait! This water had pasta inside! And then later, I boiled water with eggs inside! Turns out, left to my own devices, I will boil frequently.I've been documenting the heck out of apple cores, you really have no idea, there are more pictures where these come from. I was waiting for the cable guy to come, so you have to excuse it. That's how I excuse it, anyway.I made this little thing, with two more in the partially completed stages, and I'm pretty pleased with how this one came out. A picture of it has been swimming around in my head ever since I brought home GINORMOUS stacks of the Laurie Smith for Hancock's fabric. Seriously, $3 a yard? How could I resist?And ORANGE lining. I wish I could say it was all for you, Rachel, but it's really that I have a giant bolt in this color. I do love it, though.You thought we had moved on from the apples? Mwahahaha. Ok, that's it.Baxter says the apples are lame, and may he please have a piece of turkey?

I have a blog?

Well, barely, it turns out. I've had quite a lot happening lately and very little time to snap pictures or sit in front of this here iMac. So, with so much to catch up on, I will do an entry in list form. I'm comfortable with lists, see?1)We went to Hancock's of Paducah. It was one of the more overwhelming experiences of my life, and I was so excited I felt like I was about to vomit the entire time. The bolt-end table? one yard cuts of FABULOUS fabric for 4.95 a yard? Heaven. And, as an anniversary gift, the husband let me get whatever I wanted. He got off pretty easy, actually, with a $75 total, but he will tell you it was $500.2)I got a new job, which is awesome, because I am done with work at 2:15 and will hopefully have more time for crafts, when this awful heat lets up. It is not awesome because I desperately miss my old co-workers, and also, I no longer get a lunch break where I make whatever I want in a fabulous professional kitchen. I'm packing lunches, so the cutting board now makes a pretty routine morning appearance.3)I made this, a baby gift for the fabulous Amy of My Land, and met a ton of the other KC Blogger girls at a great get-together hosted by Jenny in her amazing house and planned byLaura, who is just as funny in person as she is online. It was an amazing afternoon, and everyone brought THE MOST AMAZING crafted baby goodies. If only most baby showers were like that.4) I have made some wonderful, although small, thrifting scores lately. I forgot to photograph the partially pieces quilt top I got for $4, but these two items are so adorable I can hardly stand it. The piano fabric? Amazing. And that cross stitch? It will eventually be framed in a shadowbox and hung in our bedroom. Because who doesn't want a little woodland creature in the bedroom?5) I made this shirt, after seeing this post, and realizing that JoAnn had all their Simplicity patterns on sale for 99 cents. I had no plans to make a shirt yesterday, and then I see this and suddenly I cannot live without making one. It's definitely not perfect and needs a few major tweaks, but it was good practice and I liked the pattern in general. I'm thinking a lot about smocks, now, but I'll save that for the next post, if I manage to get around to it again before, say, two weeks? Mmhm. Yeah, I have a blog.

So, one of my favorite things from getting back from a road trip is sitting down and unpacking all the wonderful, kitschy, all-american-road-junk you picked up along the way. I would like to say that most of it is to give away, but I am afraid the most sizeable chunk of it is for husband and I to keep. And if it's staying in my house, the LEAST I can do is SHOW it to you, right? So, I now present, in no particular order, The Top Ten Souvenirs of Summer Roadtrip, 2007.Mug, from the Sun Records store in Nashville. We found that Nashville had the market cornered on cheesy country music schlock, but the Sun Records stuff was just really well designed and executed, mostly because they have been using the same great logo since, well, Elvis.Also from Nashville, some Hatch Show Print cards we picked up at the HSP Store. I had looked through the book they published of their show posters before, but it was kind of an accident that we ended up seeing the place. It really is an amazing print shop, and they have a ton of really reasonable prints, but it gets pretty crowded in the shop and so I ended up just picking up these little things.Oh fish can cozy, how I love thee.These are a gft for one of my husband's sideburn-less friends.Have I mentioned my love of patches?And B's love of Cowboy Kitsch?What number am I at? This violin is a LIGHTER! Do we smoke? No. Is it so awesome we bought it anyway? Yes.
Action Figures from the movie Rocky II. Strange? No, Peculiar. I think our new favorite place in the world is the Peculiar, Missouri "Flying J" gas station, where we picked up one of the Rocky II action figures on the first day of our trip. After agonizing over the ones he hadn't purchased for an entire week, we went back through the gas station on the last day of our trip, and found the next souvenir, definately the strangest, and one of my personal favorites... The giant foam tigerhead. It really is an incredible likeness of a tiger-head, for one bought at a gas station. They had a lion too, and now I am kind of kicking myself not for picking it up as well. I don't know if you can tell, but it is really pretty huge, and has proved rather intimidating to Baxter.Really, it kind of scares me too. Did I say top ten? I am a liar. This is Rufus T. Firefly the Horse, my new keychain.And of course, a crocodile can cozy, too. We're developing quite a collection of these. The authentic Arkansas wine there was a gift for some friends, tragically, it was not destined to sit in the cozy.And did I mention...THE FABRIC???? I'll save this for tommorow, but just know, that if it were possible, I'd be jealous of myself. Two words: Paducah, Kentucky.

Back!

We're back from vacation, Thank you all for your well-wishes on the anniversary and everything, we had a GREAT week "away from it all". Tomorrow I will show you all of the wonderful things we found on our trip, but tonight I'm just too tired, and there is something far more important: The cat's made-up 2nd birthday.Oh, Baxter, we don't know exactly when you were born or where you came from, we just know that ever since we first saw you, running away from the people at the Old Navy and hiding in a Target drainpipe, you have had our hearts. We love the way you lick us to wake us up in the morning, how you (miraculously) come when called, how you dip your paws in our bathwater, and knock EVERYTHING off the table. Ok, well, maybe we don't quite love ALL of that stuff, but we find it somewhat endearing. And so, on this random day that we usually do in mid- to late- summer, Happy Birthday. Enjoy your sliced turkey and catnip, and try not to stay up all night.