it’s a good day for an adventure

Today was a reminder to take more adventures. I went to Goodwill to get Justin new pants and came home with all of this wonderful stuff too. I’m going to be wearing these slippers til March, and probably spending the rest of winter playing with paint again. Once the battery charger comes for that camera, I’m gonna see if that helps me to take more everyday life photos. This thrift haul was a little bit of magic in the middle of this bleak, ice-covered week we’ve been having. It was exactly what I needed.

a fresh coat of paint

Picked this up at Good Will and gave it new life. The note on the back makes me irrationally happy and is one of the reasons why I love thrifting in the first place. It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do. 

another knit blanket

This blanket was a labor of love. I started it at the beginning of August and finished it over Labor Day Weekend. It's long enough to cover me completely when I lay down on the couch with it! Justin says my blankets need to be wider though, so I'm keeping that in mind for the next one I make. ;)

Yarn is Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the color Hudson Bay. Took 7 skeins total to finish.

a birthday present

new year, new project

When I was at Walgreens a few weeks ago, I picked up this planner. I had grand plans for it. Last night after Justin went to bed, I broke out my glue stick and markers and made this little planner into my next year long project. 

 

The monthly spreads at the beginning is my attempt at being organized. I wrote down major holidays and birthdays in black marker. Everything else—activities, my work schedule, deadlines and due dates will get penciled in as they happen. Ultimately, I want this section to reflect what I did by my next birthday. 

 

After the monthly spreads are weekly spreads broken down into daily bubbles. I'll be using this space to journal what I did each day or what I'm thankful for or just whatever comes out of my head. I want it to be a space for me to write and not feel pressured. 

 

The rest of this little book is blank note pages, an address section and a place to handwrite your usernames & passwords so they don't get lost. The plan right now is to turn this section into a little scrapbook of sorts, with photos and trinkets and memorabilia from different events. 

I'm so excited about this little planner and this method of documentation. I can't wait to see how it looks at the end of the year. 

inspiration, come on down

I follow a lot of amazing artists. I am fortunate enough to even be friends with some of them. And these artist friends of mine? They share a lot of awesome and inspiring things on Facebook. (Which is awesome because then I don't see as many minion posts & recipes nobody is ever going to make.)

The other day, this post was made by someone who I have been following since I was heavily active on flickr in 2009. 

I couldn't hit like and share fast enough. 

I love art. I love other people who love art. I don't necessarily need to succeed in art at this point in my life where I've made it just a hobby, but I love every single point Joel made here. Especially, "Laugh and cry and be angry about it and then scoop up those pieces and make something from it."

That's always been my motivation to make. The emotions. All of those complex, messy and wonderful feelings get to be made into something tangible through art. And then I get to hang that art in my house. Or give it to friends. Or try to sell it so other people can enjoy it. And when that doesn't work, you give it away. Give away your feelings so that other people can experience them too. 

That's what life is all about, isn't it?

overwhelming sense of good

Last night after Deadliest Catch, I had the urge to Make Something. So I busted out my sharpies and the stack of index cards buried in my art supply box and made a little art therapy magic. Because I do believe in magic. And morning coffee. And an Overwhelming Sense of Good. 

summer minibook: july

Remember when I started the summer mini book? Then life happened and August got away from me, and now here we are in February and I'm finally sharing the completed July portion. I loved documenting my summer last year and I'm so excited to start another summer mini book this year.

Supplies used: photos printed through the FreePrints iPhone app, cheap Kmart craft paint, Crayola colored pencils, Dollar General letter stickers & labels, Sharpie, washable markers

the rainbow blanket

It's done. It took approximately 7 months and 3 days for me to knit, cast on through cast off. My goal was to accomplish part of #1 on my birthday list: use up all my yarn stash. While I am not even close to accomplishing that goal, this got me in a better place than I started this year. 

This blanket saw me through the first half of my engagement, and it saw me get engaged in the first place. I drank coffee on the balcony and listened to podcasts while I knit all summer. I worked on it when my grandma was in the hospital being treated for pneumonia. I worked on it when I was down in Burlington for her funeral, needles clacking together to keep my mind off the all-encompassing grief. 

A lot of love has gone into this blanket. A lot of love and a lot of stitching hours and a lot of hand cramps and more than one coffee stain. I always envisioned this being a "back of the couch" blanket and I'm so excited for that to finally happen. 

Last night as I was taking pictures for this post, I sat down by the lake to watch the last of the sunset. It was the perfect way to break this blanket in, I think. Now I need to come up with another knitting project! 

progress > perfection

All photos taken on my iPhone 4s, processed with VSCO app, & uploaded to Instagram March-November 2015. 

summer minibook: june update

June is in the book! And I 150% need to upgrade to bigger book rings asap. I love this little book so much. I love playing with paper and pictures and getting stuff down. Now I just have to finish working on July.