A Restful Week

We have been having an enjoyable, albeit snowy week here in the midwest. I've been blessed to be able to spend some time with a good friend. Even got to teach her to sew! Yes, that is a chemistry themed apron she is making. Yes, she is making it on a Hello Kitty sewing machine.

Simple pleasures.

One of the cuter moments today: Mr. E fell asleep to the sound of the sewing machine. My gosh, how cute!! It just made my heart melt. I remember doing the same thing when I was a kiddo. Listening to the methodical hum of the machine and drifting to dreamland. So lovely.

I am getting ever-closer to finishing these man-socks. I need to have them done this weekend. They are for my Grandpa and are already an incredibly late Christmas gift. I was so overjoyed when I turned the heels last week. It felt like a mega accomplishment!! Because it kind of was. I guess.

Stay warm friends!! It's cold and snowy all over, it seems!! Stay inside, drink hot cocoa, and craft up a storm.

100th Post and a Sad Story

 So, this is my 100th blog post!! I kind of feel like I need to jam out about this for some reason. Even though my posts have been very very sporadic and I know fo sho I ain't krumpin' yet.

As the title states, I have a sad story to relate to all ya'll out in blogland. Once upon a time I felt really spiffy and on top of stuff. I had all these posts scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving leading up to a grand rendition of #GlutenFreeFriday in which I was to discuss all of the various ways to make your Thanksgiving meal safe for Celiacs. It was all typed and had pictures and a slideshow and a jet fly-over and glitter and yes. It was scheduled. I swear it was scheduled! But then.

Fate.

For some reason I went back in to the post to edit a picture. After editing, the post unscheduled itself and went to draft mode. And I didn't notice until, oh...Thanksgiving Day. Oops. Big old fail. I was so bummed and distressed by this turn of events that I decided I was clearly to distracted to work at the blog until the holidays were behind me.

And now they are. So. Here we go! New year. New adventures. That's going to be my theme for the next year, I think. Trying new things and pushing forward into new realms. Blah blah blah feelings.

In other news, The Narwhal Hat continues to be my most popular pattern in the shop. Who can resist this dapper fellow??

This particular hat was made as a custom order and just finished up yesterday. I really never get tired of making these for people. They are so fun. Even though my shop only had instant download patterns right now, I am always open for custom orders of finished objects. 

Oh, another sad thing: Sewinique Boutique is no longer opened on Etsy!! My label maker that I raved about. Guess it'll be time somewhat soon to find a new one. Shoot me some reccomendations, if you have them.

Pensive about the year ahead, a girl and her Narwhal Hat inspect the snow.

Hope your holiday celebrations were lovely and full of joy. Looking forward to another year of crafting with you!!

Love&blessings,
Carolyn

Autumnal Adventures: My Seasonal Bucket List

I don't think I'm the only person who does this, but I make a mental bucket list of sorts for each new season as we go into it. Autumn, being my favorite season, has the longest bucket list. And so far, (although some of my staple activities can't be done since we live elsewhere) I've been doing pretty good a knocking things off the list this year...

 

 Make a giagantor pot of Chili

It's kind of cheating to count making chili as being crossed off my list, because it's something I don't actually do. Mr. Sailor is a chili-making fiend and refuses to allow me to help. It's "his thing" and I am completely happy reaping the benefits without having to input any of the labor. He even does the dishes after he makes it!! Well, some of them. Regardless, chili-making is only allowed to be done during the fall/winter, according to Sailor. Since he is the Chief Chili-Maker, I can't really argue.

This big pot of yum yums he made a couple weeks ago was a sure sign that, yes, fall had arrived. It's my unofficial official indication of the changing seasons. "Is Sailor in the mood to cook chili? Yes? Must be autumn."

Nature hikes to enjoy the colors

This one we've already done, too, but (like chili-making) it can happen several times through the season. In fact, I want to to happen several times, but if I get at least one good nature outing in, I'm somewhat less put out that there weren't more.

Out here, there isn't too much of the whole "massive riot of color" for the changing trees. I mean, some of the stuff changes colors, but it's not like the reds and oranges and yellows from back home. A fall nature hike here is most likely to include snow, if you go into the mountains like I am inclined to do.

Last Thursday, Ernest and I surprised Daddy by picking him up from work with a picnic already loaded in the back. We drove around some new neighborhoods and headed waaayyyy up into the canyons. We ended up taking a very, very bumpy dirt road up to the tip top of the Alta ski resort. There was a little parking area, and you could look down and see the whole canyon. It was beautiful, awesome, and chilly. But totally worth it.

SNOW!!!

I packed grilled salami and provolone sandwiches (on GF bread, for both of us), pasta salad made with gf corn pasta, garlic hummus and gf pretzels, and sugared raspberries. The icing on the cake? Homemade hot cocoa made with real dutch cocoa and delicious whole milk. I felt so fancy unpacking it all. Sailor was quite impressed with my picnic planning skillz.

Other important things on the autumnal bucket list:

Apple picking (done, a couple times, over at Pyper Jeans)

Apple doughnuts (gotta find GF ones!!)

Carve a pumpkin

Make The Best Ever Pumpkin Cookies

Campfire

 Collect some nice leaves

Decorate porch for fall

Canning and preserving (I could cross this off, but it's never really done)

Make socks

Get Pumpkin Shakes at Culver's 

See a Harvest moon (Coming up!!!)

What do you do each fall?

Hat Month

There comes a season of knitting when drastic decisions need to be made. It's go time. There are only -only- a few months left until Christmas, so it's time to crank out gifts and delightful woolies.

The powers that be (aka me and my dear friend Pyper Jean) decided that September would be hat month. All hats all the time. Only hat related projects were made, and it was glorious. Setting aside an entire month and dedicating it to making one type of thing and one thing only seemed a little crazy to me at first. But let me tell you, it is well worth it.

During hat month, I completed ten hats. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a very in depth look at the hats, because a lot of them (read: all of them except 3) are gifts. The hat above is a gift for my husband. I was so excited to be able to rock out the cables on that one. It's a free Knitty pattern. Knit up with some delicious Alpaca.

My husband is so lucky.

 Like my crock? It's my brown yarn/hat crock. I scored it for $2. Cannot complain. Cannot complain at all.

TARDIS hat, another freebie. This one is for me, so I can show it to you. I'm a bit grumpy about the fact that my colorwork floats are tight and wrinkly. But, it looks fine when I am wearing it. Practice makes perfect?

I can also show you this one: it's a hat for Ernest. Delightful yarn to work with. There's so much more of this yarn in my stash, I cannot wait to use it up. Silk and wool. YUM.

And here's a fun little bonus picture of Ernest and I wearing our hats. Look how cute he is!! Lil babu. I think I'll be making him a million more. I love making the tiny stuff.

So, that was hat month! Next up, socks, headbands, and scarves month. Aka October. Let's rock this beast!! Let me know what you are working on!

A Sweet Little Distraction...

We've been a bit distracted here, with a sweet little bundle of joy! But after four weeks, I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this motherhood thing. I joke, I joke, this is only the beginning. But little Mr. E is just about the best baby ever. I know I may be a bit biased on that topic, but really, he sleeps from 10pm-3am every night. I cannot complain at all. We've been doing some bonding and lots of cuddling and netflixing.

I have to admit, I have the best life. Truly blessed, am I.

Though we (Mr. E and I, that is) are enjoying hanging out at home doing just about nothing, I feel like it is time to reboot the good-old blog machine and share some of our lovely adventures with you all out there in internet land. Be looking forward

Our New Adventure & Apartment Thrift Scores

My dropping off the face of the internet was a bit abrupt, but I cannot bring myself to apologize for it considering all the awesome adventures in real life I've been having with Sailor as we explore our new home. I can, however, try and make it up to you who read this blog with some scenic photos and a peek at our apartment. 

As you may have gathered, we moved Out West. It is quite astounding to my silly Midwestern, flatlander brain to wake up every morning an see MOUNTAINS OUT MY WINDOW. Those of you who live in the mountains may scoff at my amazement, but I cannot help it. If you have lived in Illinois or Wisconsin for any amount of time, you understand the meaning of flat. You can see for miles in each direction. Here the only way I can achieve that is to drive up a mountain. Like, an actual mountain. With snow and stuff at the top. Like....MOUNTAIN.

 Sorry, I'm not sorry for being a tourist. Haha.

My yarn looks so cute all rainbow-ed out on the shelf. I sometimes leave the closet door opened so I can admire it when I walk by. Hahahaaaa.

Since you listened so well to my brief rant about mountains and elevation and my general amusement with geography, here's a little look at our cozy abode.

We moved out here via airplane with four 20"x20" boxes,  one large suitcase, and two carry-ons. Most of my family thought we were absolutely nuts doing this, but can I tell you, it was such a relaxing move. No insane unpacking once we got here! No moving truck to unload!! Just opening the boxes and setting stuff on shelves.

So. Liberating.

I mean, yes, we didn't have a fully equipped kitchen on Day 1. And yeah, we are still missing major pieces of furniture. But being able to just take the essentials on this move really made me realize how much excess stuff we have in our storage unit back in the Midwest. How little it takes to get by and still be comfortable. Quite enjoyable, I think.

So, since we didn't bring any furniture with us (besides the boxes themselves, which have proven to be highly versatile as dining tables, end tables, night stands, and tv stands thus far) we've been hunting around for good deals every chance we get.

Our first priority was a bed, which we bought new the first day. Next, we scored two kitchen chairs for $6/each at the thrift shop. A week later, we got a somewhat matching table for $30 and a very heavy, very boxy TV for $15. Sailor brought his Xbox along, so we've been able to watch some movies on our "ancient" television.

Side note: that table barely fit in our car, even with the legs off. We are convinced that things look smaller in the store. There must be a perception filter or something weird like that. 

As you may notice, we don't have a couch yet. Since we got a nice TV stand thingy (for $15!! YES!!) and have moved the TV from its bedroom perch on a box to it's new position in the living room, I've been getting a bit creative with sitting options. Above is a demonstration of my use of a pool floaty and a crib pad (from the adorable bedding set my mother-in-law sent us for the baby) to make a base on which I pile all the pillows and blankets to make a sort of poof nest. My sister and I used to "make nests" when we were kids, and it seems that the skills are still proving to be useful. 

Our TV and our TV stand. Note the tractors displayed on the top shelf.

 As much as Sailor tries to make me wait a bit until we get the couch before going completely nuts with decorating and "floofing" the apartment, I could not resist these little candle holders. They are just too cute, right? And for $2/each, I didn't break the bank. You cannot deny the nesting instinct!! It's strong!!

There is so much to do and so much to explore out here, it's easy to neglect furnishing the apartment for a while. Maybe in a week or so I'll have more progress pictures to show as far as the apartment goes, but for now, I am just so content with relaxing, meeting new friends, and rambling around this uncharted territory.

An Update and a DIY: What's in the Cards for us?

As you may have noticed, I have been sort of missing in action the last few weeks. Things have been a touch crazy here since Phase #1 of our big move. In fact, they have been so crazy that our entire plan for moving and the whole reason we were going to move across the country fell apart.

Say whaattt?

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt when it all happened. The job Sailor got out West has been postponed until further notice. His employer gave him the choice to wait it out, or say "no thanks" and pursue other opportunities. After much talking and prayer, we went with the latter option. That meant that a) we were no longer moving, b) he didn't have a job anymore, and most importantly c) we would be staying in the area where both our families live. Pros and cons all over the place. And stress. Did I mention I was a bit stressed about all this? I was. Juussttt a bit.

This story has an amazingly happy ending though. Within four days of saying "no thanks" to several months of waiting to move and not having a pay check, Sailor got a job. What. A. Blessing. I cannot stop thanking God for providing for us. I mean, the job market is a bit slim where we will be living now, and he was able to find a job in four days. Four days people!! I've been doing my happy dance for a week now. Booyah!

How well this all worked out makes me feel super silly for stressing out so much. God finds a way to make schtuff happen no matter what. Gotta look through the clouds and rain and prepare for the sun.



Speaking of rain, it was super gross-nasty in the Midwest last week. Nasty rain-snow slush poo winter weather. I am so ready for spring. The last few days though, there's been hope. Sunshiney, slightly above freezing-y hope. But it's supposed to be below zero in a few days again. Gotta take what I can get, I suppose.

Bleck. Rainsnow.

 What better way to cheer the sloopy weather than by making pretty things?? And what better than making pretty things you can send to other people to spread the cheer?? I don't know! What could be better? Nothing, I think.

There is nothing more cheerful than a big stack of mail to send that isn't all bills.

 I've been taking any downtime I've had these last crazy weeks to distract myself with crafting. My sister is giddy with joy that Sailor and I will be in the area so she can throw "a billion baby showers" for Baby Z. Her words, not mine.

With the prospect of many thank you notes in need of being written in the near future, I decided to get a jump on making thank you cards. I promise, I'm not one of those crazy overachievers who creates time-intensive and stunning cards. I make simple cards. I don't know if it even counts as making cards, because really, I just stamp cute stuff on some cards and call it a day.

REGARDLESS. I am very pleased with these ahdorable cards I churned out.

I had all the stamps on hand from various impulse buys at Michael's. Their dollar stamps are irresistible!! Dat hedgehog! Come on. Can you blame me?

I also found the blank cards and envelopes at Michael's. They were sold in sets of 8 for $1.50. I bought two packages of cards with lil word bubbles cut out of them. I also bought a blue ink pad (also $1.50).

So my grand total so far for these thank you notes is: $4.50. Breaking the bank here, yo. That's probably cheaper than buying sixteen thank-you notes, and I got the added joy of designing my own.

I can't get over that hedgie. Sooo cuuutteee.

I am having a very hard time not knowing what gender Baby Z is. I just want to theme all the things. All the baby colors and things and stuff. It's hard to be neutral. -dramatic sigh- At least hedgehogs are pretty neutral, right? The flowers might be a little girly, but it's close enough, right?

Love the cut out! So fun.

 And because doing 16 cards wasn't enough, I had to dazzle up the envelopes too. It's totally legit to have matching cards and envelopes; it makes the card seem even more special!!! I stuck with the same stamps, even though I was tempted to use all the stamps I own on the outside. Gotta practice restraint sometimes.

Gotta have matching envelopes!!

Return address fancy-ness. I feel so posh.

I was surprised how fast I got done with all the baby thank yous. I had some other kind folks I needed to thank for non-baby related things, so I decided to make some other notes to send out. And since I only have black and blue ink, I went with nautical themed thank-yous. It may or may not also be true that I have a ton of nautical stamps. Maybe. Kinda. I have a theme problem. It's a bit of an obsession.

AHOY SHIPMATE!!!

I had to make the cards for these notes, but it was super easy. I snatched some cardstock, measured my envelopes, and went to town. I added graph paper accents because, why not? Plus, the blue lines match my blue ink and matching is best. Always.

One of my fave stamps: "Just a Quick Note"

Again, matching envelopes. I cannot resist the matchingness.

I just love getting and sending mail. I've already used one of the baby notes and three of the nautical ones. I have a hankering to make even MORE cards and just send them to people. If I have your address, beware. Prepare your mailbox for an overload. Hehe.

Do you make cards?
Linkin' up at these fine sites!