2008 June « life with monkey

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the voices told me to change my shoes

June 22, 2008 at 5:25 pm | In crafts | Leave a Comment

or maybe it was just Craft: that told me to be creative with my footwear.

it all started with that pair of pink chucks i bought on the cheap at TJ Maxx a handful of years ago. they’ve been sitting in the closet for awhile now, gathering dust.

what to do with them? paint? embroider? add some buttons or beads?

and then i remembered that bag of fake flowers sitting in one of the bins in my craft room…

this is why i own a glue gun.

and why i rarely get rid of any of the bits and bobs that fill my craft bins. one never knows when something might come in handy.

all those buttons, a little fake ladybug…

and a little faux butterfly, too.

it’s like i have a little garden on my feet.

and it only took a couple hours from start to finish. not bad!

really short book reviews – part one

June 21, 2008 at 1:52 pm | In books, non-craft | Leave a Comment

today, i finished reading John Scalzi’s The Android’s Dream.

i’ve been reading his excellent Whatever blog long enough that i figured i should actually read one of his books.

i like sci-fi a lot, i enjoy a bit of action and adventure, i thoroughly appreciate smartness (and smart-assed-ness and a boatload of humor) and i like authors who aren’t afraid to use foul language. scalzi puts all these elements together effectively and creatively.

my review: the book is KICK-ASS. ten thumbs up.

tiny little knitting project

June 15, 2008 at 1:51 pm | In FO, crafts, knitting | 1 Comment

garter stitch is my friend. i needed a quick-and-easy belt for a clearance-rack dress i picked up at target (it was missing its belt, hence the cheapo clearance price) and i wanted to make it with items i had on hand.

i started with a ball of lion brand trellis yarn that i picked up on the cheap awhile back, used size 19 needles and cast on eight stitches. rows and rows of knit stitches later, i attached a couple of d-rings and voila!

a belt was born.

the bulk of it was knitted yesterday during a local World Wide Knit in Public Day event (which was very fun, and i can’t wait until next year’s WWKIP!). this little project was no muss, no fuss, and practically instant gratification.

post-weekend wrap-up

June 9, 2008 at 5:27 pm | In crafts, sewing | 1 Comment

i played with denim scraps.

it’s a new rug for the bathroom, about 20″ x 27″, backed with fleece.

and i finished another pair of linen trousers.

i also did a little knitting, but my elbow isn’t all that happy about knitting right now. or computering, for that matter. d’oh!

i’ve been tagged

June 6, 2008 at 6:56 am | In non-craft | 1 Comment

i was tagged by the always awesome Roxanne at Cheetah Velour, sos here’s my first meme for this blog!

Here are the rules: I answer 6 questions about myself. At the end of the post, I tag 6 people and post their names. I then go to their blogs and leave them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read my blog. Finally, I let the person who tagged me know when I’ve posted my answers.

What was I doing ten years ago?

Hmmmm, no surprise – I was doing a lot of the same stuff I’m doing now. Desk jockey, craft maniac, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Still not sure if I’ve gotten that figured out yet.

Five things on my to-do list for today?
Work work work!
Awesome Mexican food for lunch
Got to the post office and see if they really did lose my Flickr print order
Have a date with my husband
Finish reading Tim Powers’ “Earthquake Weather” (if you’re into sci-fi/fantasy stories set in southern California, I recommend him highly)

Snacks I like?
I don’t think there’s enough storage space on my blog to list them all! For a short list, though, I especially like:
Dark chocolate (especially with a glass of port)
Onion rings
Chips (potato, tortilla, veggie, whatever!)
Cookies!
Peanut butter panda puffs cereal

Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
I’d fund art programs for schools that can’t afford it. If any of my friends had a creative dream they wanted to follow, but lacked funding to do so, I’d fund their basic living expenses so they could write that novel or finish those paintings.
Oh, and I could finally afford to buy a house!

Places I have lived?
A stone’s throw from the banks of stinky Lake Michigan
Five different locations in three cities in Orange County, CA

Six people I want to know more about?

http://lilikoiknits.blogspot.com/
http://willowcatstudio.blogspot.com/
http://thisisloveforever.com/blog
http://craftchester.wordpress.com/
http://karinajean.com/wp
http://sheis.youngandwithit.com/wordpress