the deliberate life

She's Crafty

Every Friday, Kevin and I, and some of our friends go to Hollingshead's, a cute little mom-and-pop deli/bar.  They make the most delicious sandwiches and carry a lot of microbrews. It's very European, or so I've been told. My fortunate friends who have been to Europe have all said it reminds them of their trips to Europe. I'll have to trust them. Everyone knows everyone there. It's our Cheers.

Most of the regulars have their own mugs there, personalized with a label. Kevin's had his for over a year now, so we decided it was time for me to get mine. I don't really have a nickname, so picking what to put on it was quite the struggle. But then, Kevin suggested something, and it was perfect.

See, I told you it was perfect! Not only is it a great descriptor of me, I also tend to put that song on at every bar we go to. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the Beastie Boys.

And tomorrow, I promise to show you proof that "she's crafty."

CHA ... So Far

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't blogged in quite some time. It's for good reason, promise! I've been meeting & greeting and walking & talking at CHA! If you aren't familiar with CHA, it's sort of the end-all, be-all craft event of the year. All of the companies are there showing off their new lines, editors are out there looking for some new artists, advertisers are looking to seal some deals, and some of the biggest names in the industry are there doing make and takes and demos. This is my second year attending, and I still get chills walking through the door. I still can't believe I'm a part of this amazing industry and community.

Speaking of the biggest names in the industry ... I've been fortunate enough to meet a few this year. These people are the rock stars of the art and crafting world, and let me tell you ... I get starstruck. I get nervous and try my hardest not to turn into a bumbling fool around them. I actually have a couple pictures with them, thanks to my ever-so-lovely boss and mentor, Jenny. I  borrowed her pictures and did a bit of manipulation with them so I wasn't outright  stealing them. :)

Oh look. Is that all of us with Kathy Cano Murillo, a.k.a. the Crafty Chica?  I do believe it is! She is just the sweetest, really.  And she has a new book coming out!  She is always a ray of sunshine. Always.

And yes, that IS Shelli Gardner, founder of Stampin' Up! Stampin' Up! is how I got started in stamping, so I owe this woman and her company A LOT. It was such a pleasure to meet her. She is so fun and sassy!

And look! Thomas Mann! I sat and watched him teach Jenny how to saw using a jeweler's saw. He is the Designer Collection in the spring issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry so you won't want to miss it.

And the Elvis of stamping, Mr. Tim Holtz himself. (He has some great new stamps coming out starting February 1st, by the way. Can't wait to get my hands on the alphabet!) We were just chatting about some ideas for showing him in the future in a few of the magazines I manage. I was so glad he was able to take some time out from his busy make-and-take schedule to come talk for a bit.

I don't really talk about work on my blog here, other than mentioning that I'm busy. I think most people who write about work tend to complain about it. As you can see, I have no reason to complain about work. I mean, check at who I got to meet this week! It really is a blessing when you are able to have a job that focuses around your passion. It makes it almost effortless. I mean, things get busy and stressful even, but you don't mind it so much because you love what you do so much. I'm so blessed. Really.

Word.

Being an editor, it's no surprise that I love words. I really do. One time at work, we were sitting around enjoying delicious treats from the talented duo, Kristen Robinson and Ruth Rae, and discussing our favorite words. Everyone seemed to have one word they really liked best, but I just couldn't decide! All I could confess is my least favorite word ... moist. (I hate that word, and apparently it is really quite common.)  I really can't pick just one word. However, I was thinking to myself today words I'd like to be able to use to describe my ... one word descriptions. I came up with three:

That's really all I strive for ... to live a full life ... to live a genuine life ... to live a simple life.

So far, so good!

I'd love to hear how others would like their lives to be described ... Cara?

Christen finally finished what she started. What?

Semi-success! I took my own suggestion last night and painted some bright green faux bois on the wee little plaque, but then today at work I was thinking about it and realized it needed more. But what? Antlers! Like the rest of the crafty community, I love all-things woodland, especially critters with antlers.

Yep, I know it's crooked. Apparently my invisible lazy eye kicked in. Oh well! I still like it. The one problem with the tiny plaques is that they have no hanging apparatus. I'm thinking about getting some thick ribbon and using a staple gun to affix it to the back of it. All in all, I'm happy because I saw it through to the end.

And I got the best surprise in the mail today!

This adorable coffee cozy was made by the super talented Cara. I tried to convince Kevin to bring me some Starbuck's when he comes home just so I could use it, but I don't think that went over so well. Oh well! You can bet I will be getting something warm and delicious tomorrow so I can show off this cuteness.

Kevin's at his monthly homebrewing meeting tonight, so I'm enjoying a little time with myself. I considered going to work out, but I walked an hour at lunch today. So instead I'm curled up on the couch watching some girly things. A little quiet time is nice.

This Could be Fun ...

First off, I love, love tiny wooden plaques. They are just the greatest. They are, in fact, so great that I tend to buy loads of them with no plans for them. I just like them. I know I don't have to justify this to any of you. You all know what that's like.

I still don't have plans for this. I just wanted to paint it. That's about all I had time for tonight. It's something though, right? I hope? I'm considering painting a layer of faux bois on it in green. In fact, I think I'll go attempt that right now.

My Funny Valentine

While I'm not the biggest Valentine's Day fan (Kevin and I usually just make dinner and watch a movie each year.), I do love hearts, and red, so I tend to like Valentine's Day items. Since I had a very busy day, I thought I wound unwind tonight by doing a little window shopping ala Etsy.

I just love this little card from BullFight



And this adorable card from Squeedles.

Whenever I see cards like this, it makes me want to do something with my endless supply of  doodles. Sarah and I were discussing that today. I guess the only question is what?

When Less is More

When I was younger, I couldn't wait for the weekend to come. All week, my friends and I would figure out just what to do Friday and Saturday nights. Up until my early 20s, I couldn't grasp the idea of a weekend night spent at home. Now I cherish those nights.

Nights where I'm free to do as I please are few and far between these days. We have standing plans for Friday nights and Saturday afternoons (which I adore. I love traditions and rituals.), but Saturday nights are usually up in the air. Sure, I do like going out for a good dinner, for some coffee and spending time with friends, but some times I just want to be home. Many times we have friends over, but with that sometimes comes the feeling of needing to entertain.

Lucky for me tonight, Kevin has a couple friends over and they are perfectly content, so I'm free to catch up on my blogs, perhaps read a bit more and even to break out the craft supplies. I'm pretty sure I died and went to heaven tonight!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to scrapbook on a regular basis. Mind you, this involves beginning to scrapbook. Of course, I've done a few pages here and there in the past, back when construction paper and stickers were the norm, but I haven't done anything sense then. So, I give you my first page in my 2009 scrapbook. Nothing fancy, but it doesn't need to be. As long as I do something with the pictures I take, I'm happy.

The angle is bizarre, I know. I couldn't get a picture where the picture didn't have a massive glare, even with no flash. And you have to love the grainy-ness of the picture. Have I mentioned how much I love taking pictures indoors at night? It's just about up as high as it can get on my list of favorite things ever. (Sarcasm noted?)

Since I have stitching on the brain, it was only right to include a little bit of it on the page.

One page down, many, many more to go!

Little Stitches

It feels like I haven't blogged in here in ages. Life caught up with me again, as it tends to the week before shipping magazines off to the printers. I haven't had the time to do anything creative this week, so by the time I got home tonight I was itching to make something ... anything.

Stitching seems to be on my brain these days. I've had some wool felt that I've been trying to use up. I started playing around with it tonight and leaves popped into my mind, so that's exactly what I made. Really profound, I know! Believe it or not, these tiny things took just about forever. In fact, I worked on them the entire time we were watching Death at a Funeral. (Hilarious movie, by the way).

And what will these leaves be used on?

Stay tuned!

Finding Beauty

My professional life and my personal life are really quite different, but go together quite harmoniously. Those around me at work are most likely to see me as a highly-charged and  fast-paced kind of gal. I'm very much all about getting the job done. It's quite in contrast to how I am outside of work. In my off hours, you're likely to find me wandering the shelves of the local library for hours. Or doodling in my art journal all night long. Or most often, I can be found curled up with a good book, reading the night away. Naturally, life does call for the occasional rushing around, but those moments are few and far between for me, thankfully.

However, today as Kevin and I were rushing off to the grocery store, I stopped and spied these beauties. They are right outside our apartment and I never noticed them until today. Up close, the flowers are really interesting, and very delicate ... almost tissue like. While admiring all the flowers, not quite in bloom, I looked down and saw one that had fallen into the weeds, completely bloomed and completely wonderful. I couldn't help but snap a few photos.

It's times like this that make me so happy that I never am without my camera.

I didn't have much time for anything creative this weekend. I was completely engulfed in a great book, The Knitting Circle, which was at least (sort of) about knitting. A wonderful book about how knitting can save you. After reading it, I have a brand new outlook on knitting, which is truly my favorite craft of all.

Let me preface this entire post by saying Picnik was down, and I suck at Photoshop. Actually, I can't even say I suck at it. I don't know it. All I do is press a bunch of random buttons and hope for the best. That's why I like Picnik so much. Cause really ... I take horrible pictures. And I'm absolutely OK with that. Really.

Also, I've never truly embroidered anything before. So, this is my very first piece.

I really just wanted to practice a couple stitches. I got the bright idea somehow to fill in the frosting area with French knots, which by the way, take FOREVER. Especially when you pair it with a gal who suffers from crafty ADD. After three nights of short sessions, I finished.

It isn't too shabby, if I do say so myself. I think I may frame it and give it to my friend Megan, who is in love with all things cupcake. The French knots are a good addition to the frosting, I think. And yes, I was going for the messy, imperfect kind of French knot. (I hope no one in France is reading this and shaking their French-knotting finger at me.)

I went to the library today, so I'm itching to get to my pile of books. It makes me feel good that the girl who runs the check-out desk at the library knows me by name now.