Halfway to Hipster: Meet my Dear Friend

So, I have this friend, right? That's how all cool stories should start.

But for real, I have this friend.

We met during my first year of college, way back in 2010. A bazillion years ago. I had moved all my stuff into my dorm room in the Fine Arts dorm building, and was ready to make friends and break stuff. Because I'm totally bad-a. I was rooming with a friend from high school, and another friend from high school lived across the hall, so I wasn't alone alone. But my across the-hall friend was a music major, so being an art major myself, we had 0 classes together. And my roommate was planning her wedding which was to take place in July, so she was supah busy! I needed some crazy cool peeps to keep me from lighting things on fire/help me light things on fire. I was on the hunt.

In the midst of the craziness of move in, I overheard some girls talking.

"You SHOULD!! You totally SHOUUULLLDD!!"

"I will. Believe me. Imma put pictures of my cat on EVERYONE'S door."


What? These girls sounded fun! But they were gone before I could tackle them and force them to be my friends.

Cue bus ride across campus.

The first weekend of freshman year at our university was filled with meet-and-greets and parades and orientations and free sno cones. Lots of events. One of those events took place all the way across campus. Buses came and pick us up to take us to the far-away-land of the Convocation Center. While we were all on that bus, I heard a girl say, "No for real, I love my cat. I'm going to put pictures of him on everyone's door."

IT WAS HER.

"HEEEYY!!!" I shouted, "YOU LIVE ON MY FLOOORRR!! I heard you guys talking about cat pictures before and hi. I'm Carolyn."

Because that's not creepy.

Which, I guess it wasn't, because we became very good friends.

Her name is Becca and she is a very awesome glittery fun girl. We had many college adventures during my 2.03 years there. All nighters, Snowpocalypse, climbing onto roofs, milkshakes, shammy shakes, weekend brunches, ya know. The normal stuff. She is super smart, super talented, and super crafty. She stood up for me in my wedding, put up with my constant presence in her dorm room and later in her apartment. She allows me to call her Boochacha, BuchaLucha, Bookah Dookah Doray, and all sorts of other ridiculous names. Even in public!

And guess what? She has a really cool blog.

One of her incredible skills in life is the ability to go thrift shopping and find something super ugly and make it super awesome.

Perhaps you are saying, "But, everyone does that now. It's totally mainstream!! There's a song about it!!"

Well, hush your lil mouth, because letmetellyou, this girl goes above and beyond the run-of-the-mill pinterest farm-type "refashionistas." Seriously! Check out her blog: Halfway to Hipster and see for yourself.

Seriously, I love this girl. I am so blessed to have her as my friend. And to have been able to go thrifting with her in real life. And to watch her draw because....my gosh....that girl has mad skills yo.

Such a blessing to have super creative friends.

Do you have some crazy-cool friends?

Hi Friends!!

Welcome to my introductory post! Drop me a fat beat and we'll get started. No? No? Anybody? Okay. I'm Carolyn Michelle, the nerd behind Last in Line Shop on Etsy. I love yarn. I love crafting. And I'm pretty talkative.

I've had Etsy shops on and off since 2006. I love having an outlet to sell my creative projects. Last In Line is my latest shop. It's shiny, fun, and features mostly crocheted accessories. Lots of narwhals. I've been crocheting since I was 6 years old thanks to a Grandma who finally gave in to my pestering and taught me how to do what she was doing. Besides my Grandma, my mother, younger sister, and aunt also crochet. I love hanging out with them and gettin' crafteh.

Many of my close friends have been forced to learn also learned to crochet. High School friends will remember insane parties at my parents house (dubbed 'Fiber Freaks') at which I taught many people to make things with string. College comrades will recall a weekly meeting group in the basement of the dorm (known as 'Hookers of Yarnia') where the general public got access to yarn and whatnot and were able to learn to crochet, learn to knit, or just hone their craft. Tons of fun.

One of the posters made for Hookers of Yarnia.

I recently learned to knit, so you can be prepared for some crazy ridiculous posts about the learning process. It's been interesting so far.

Awww yeaahhh.

In addition to crafting, I do other things. I'm married to a spectacular fellow who allows one of our rooms to be devoted to yarn and craft supplies. I have a Mini Holland Lop named Arlo. My BunBun.

Widdle Babuuu!!

I've traveled overseas twice, I know how to ride a horse, I speak Spanish (sort of) and know about 100 words in Russian. I love languages, history, tea, and wolves. And reading. And parties. And dresses. I have weird gut problems because I have Ulcerative Colitis and Celiac Disease, both of which are somewhat recent developments. So, I'm adjusting to a gluten-free life. Crazy stuff, yo.

(As a side note, if you have any super-awesome gluten free recipes, feel free to shout out. Because I love to cook and love trying new things. Same goes for places to eat that are gluten free. I love to talk so don't be scared to offer tips at any time.)

I hope you enjoy this lil bloggy adventure and all my random musings. I plan to post regularly about my ongoing craft projects, fiber-related field trips, gluten-free food, and all that jazz. Feel free to chime in with thoughts, tips, questions, or comments.

Yours faithfully,

Carolyn Michelle