may colorswap questionnaire

for my colorswapping pal, Valerie and anyone else interested! ***edited to add: Valerie's correct address (umm, I believe it was blank before. ha. doh! sorry, Valerie!)..and the colorswap one, too. so click away, you crazy clickers!! :)

Are you crafty?
yes, I like to think so. I've always loved crafting and making things...drawing...painting...sewing...making jewelry...you name it!

Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and
embellishments?
I sure would!! the more, the merrier! I love vintage buttons and pretty but simple ribbons and such.

Do you dye your own wool?
not yet, but I am itching to try it! it's definitely on my list of future projects.

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?
I don't really scrapbook so much as have tons of photo albums. lol. and I do enjoy making homemade cards a lot, although I rarely ever get the chance to! so...yes & no. although i can't turn down cute supplies!!

What are your favorite scents?
general scents: vanilla, apple
others: Victoria's Secret - Lovespell is my #1. Yankee Candle Co - Midsummer's Night. although they don't make it anymore...Gap's Grass scent has to be my all-time favorite smell. it just smelled like summer. I miss it! pretty much any scent (besides like mashed potatoes or something) that White Barn Candle Co. puts out is dreamy.

Do you like stationary and cards?
this kinda seems like the same question as above...but if it's asking if I love neat papers and letter-writing materials...yes!

Do you like to sew or embroider items?
I do. I am a beginning sewer but I enjoy it. and I'm falling in love with crewel embroidery!

Do you like beads?
I have a whole bead mini-cabinet.. so yes. :) unique, fun, vintage beads are the best. I also enjoy round wood beads a lot...in any color. and really most round beads.

What kind of candy do you like?
the chocolate kind. ha. my favorite thing is dark chocolate! and when I find a thing such as a dark chocolate truffle...umm, I'm in heaven.

Do you like hand lotions or soaps?
I'm more picky about my lotions (I have a dry hand obsession. lol...meaning...i hate to have dry ones!), but I do love Victoria's Secret Lovespell body lotion and I've been dying to try shea butter anything for my legs. something fruity is usually the best choice for me. fruity with a touch of flirty. and soaps...yes please! I love soaps more for their beauty than for their use. so color and shape is what it's all about with me!

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.
yes! for whatever reason, i've gotten out of wearing all that much jewelry lately. but I do love, love earrings. of most varieties. nothing too long & dangly, but I enjoy a good dangle. or a nice simple stud. lately, I've been obsessed with my button earrings (see a few posts below). my pearl earrings are a staple. I love necklaces. usually about choker length. nothing longer than about 16". I enjoy bracelets, but I'm more picky about those and I tend to not wear them as much now either!

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?
I have yet to work on a project that really needed them, but I love seeing all the cute ones out there! I've been really wanting a cute animal or food set of some sort. I don't make them, but it would be another fun thing to try!

Do you collect anything?
I've just recently begun a magnet collection. I've loved magnets for whatever reason for a long while, so I made it into a hobby! :) I also gladly collect yarn. haha. vintage buttons as we've mentioned. hmm.. any cool prints or paper or fabric that strikes my eye.

Do you have any allergies?: Smoke, food, fiber, pets, etc.
it's not been proven, but I swear I'm allergic to smoke. either way, I hate it and it gives me a headache. so..there ya go. lol. oh, I'm also allergic to nickel (like in silver-plated or nickel-plated jewelry). I developed it a few years ago. I still wear earrings that aren't nickel free as long it's for short periods of time.

Do you have any hobbies?
why yes.. lol. knitting, crocheting, sewing, crafting of any sort, reading, listening to music, etc.

Do you like scented or unscented candles?
scented! white barn candle co is my favorite place for really neat candles.

Are you a fiber snob?
to a degree, I guess we all are. we all have our favorites or standards. but generally, I don't rule anything out totally. if something's cute & I'm attracted to it, I'll get it! I'm not opposed to some acrylic...especially when it comes in great colorways! of course, my favorites are not acrylics, but I don't hate. :)

Do you like to play cards or board games?
I do, although we never get to much. cranium is so fun and we've been wanting it for a while. other than that, we just play poker from time to time. (I even have my own set of chips! :))

Do you like neon colors, pastel, light or medium ranges in the color of the month?
no neon!!! lol. and i'm not a huge pastel fan, although i'm not opposed. so anything else is fair game.

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?
why, yes I do like magnets (see above collection question)! key rings...eh, not really.

Do you like picture frames?
oh yes.. lol. simple and unique, vintage, large, multi-framed, etc. i enjoy them. :)


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and now for kicks..some of what's on my playlist @ the moment:

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!

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Happy Tuesday!! (I'll make a real post soon..promise!)

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I have not fallen off the face of the earth...

..in case anyone was wondering (which you probably weren't. lol). I've had a massive stomach flu since some time early Thursday morning...3am, that is. I missed two, count em, two days of work in a row and well...let's just say it's not been pretty. I pretty much didn't leave the bed (you know, except for those lovely runs to the potty place) for 2 whole days. finally today I at least felt well enough to head to target..for an hour. then back home to feel crappy some more. wee! lol. the best thing is..the naseau is gone. I had not thrown up in 12...yes, I said 12...years...and then WHAMMO! it was wondermous, lemme tell ya. that has to be the worst thing ever. how you alchy/partiers do it on a weekly/monthly basis...I have no idea. 5 times...that's all I'll say. 5. and 4 of those times were within about a 10 hour period. yummy.

I'll spare you the gross details, but yeah...yikes. my whole weekend=shot. completely. including my Mason-Dixon knitting meet & greet/book signing at my LYS, Threaded Bliss (check out my sidebar...and scroll to the bottom of you don't see my sidebar...sorry!) last night. yeah. instead, I was laid out in my bed with a washcloth across my face, praying I wasn't going to get sick again. fun times. :( I believe Ann & Kay's next post will be about Threaded Bliss. yeah...just picture me there (as I have...many, many a time). sigh.

and I'm pretty sure all of this is due to a cute little one-year-old red-haired boy we babysat tuesday night. which I would say was worth it (cause I adore the kid), but...yeah, not so much. lol.

anyway, I should be back to my normal self by Monday (I hope!)...just wanted to say if I haven't responded or e-mailed or whatever...there's a reason. give me some time to get back to spiffy.

***my musicswap & postcard pals...I will be sending out your packages on Monday!! please forgive me...they were going to go out on Thursday, but yeah...we know what happened! also, my bf got it too. bah. I know, right? somehow he's 100% already though. grr.

look forward to catching up!

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the invisible sidebar..

it has been brought to my attention (by a miss Heather..thank you!) that my sidebar appears to be missing on certain browsers. I noticed this a few days ago, but was hoping that it was just my super old computer here @ home. alas, that is not so. however, it seems to only not show up on Internet Explorer browsers. every other browser appears fine...let's hope!

I really have no clue why it's doing it. prolly cause IE is the oldest of the old and always has lame stuff happen to it. but I digress...

it's actually not missing, by the way...if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, it's living down there now. I couldn't begin to tell you what's going on. I've stared and stared at the code numerous times and can't find anything wrong. so...to those who use IE or can't see my sidebar, scroll down a-ways...it's there!

hopefully it'll work itself out soon!

i might possibly have the coolest bf in the world...he bought me Mason-Dixon Knitting!! yes..bought. he's encouraging me. rock on. oh and a neat factoid I've discovered while perusing the fabulous, fabulous book...their cowgirl selves were created @ Hatch Show print here in Nashville!! I love that place. if I was @ work, I would find the link for you and put it in here...but being that I never know when this computer @ home is gonna crash on me...I'm frantically typing! if you search on my blog, for "Hatch Show Print" you should find where I linked it in a previous post (and the David Gray poster I have that they did!).

k...good weekend everyone! (again!)

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After-Easter sale on bunnies!!

first of all, I want to address the fact that the remaining bunny pins are now on sale for $6...that's HALF off! If they do well with the sale, then I might bring them back sometime in the future, but seeing that Easter is coming to a close this weekend, I thought it was time to do a sale!! I'm trying to concentrate on some new ideas for the shop, but I want my bunnies to have good homes, too! :) I also have a new version of the Cheli up in the shop..a very blue version! :)




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in other news, my Counterpane bag is coming along quite nicely! it would be coming along even better, except I had to frog half of it earlier this week, b/c I forgot to purl 8 more stitches in a row and when I tried to go back to fix them, i didn't pick up enough stitches on the way back...somehow I was short 3. so...I had to start over! bah! but it's going along once more..yay! I'll post pictures once I'm further along. Oh and it's now an orange color...wee!

I'm finishing up my postcard for the swap this weekend!! I'm mailing one to my swap pal, suzanne, but there is also another someone out there who will be getting one! shh..it's a secret! I wish I could send one to everyone, b/c they're so fun to make, but...ya know. time and all of that. silly time.

I have burned the cd(s) for my music swap and will be finishing that up this weekend too to mail out next week! I'm feeling very accomplished these days. Oh, so to someone who is participating...do we reveal ourselves to our partners ever? or is it secret the whole time? I'm corn-fused.

and now for some photos: some overdue photos, but nonetheless..

my sewdarncute package from miss jenny!
(these are all now my favorite earrings!)





note the earrings:





my package from snapcrafty!!
(how cute is all of this? check out the patches!)



my noni patterns!!
(my next project on the list of many)





and that's the week in review from me! I have tons more to post, but no time! silly time...again! :) feel free to visit my shop!...I would love you forever & ever!

most importantly, have a great weekend!! and to those who celebrate it, HAPPY EASTER!!

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problem: solved!!

I have sooo much to update on here...so much. which will hopefully be done sometime this week. including some sort of an easter sale on my etsy shop..since, you know, they're going like hotcakes over there. heh. <--joke, see. :) i'm beginning to see how hard it is to keep up with all things crafty & world wide web-y when you have a full-time job in the meantime. plus family & friends. plus you time. it's hard stuff! but oh so worth it..

moving on, this will be a short post, but I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who tried to help out my poor, tormented knitting mind last week!! lol. it meant a lot to know there were so many willing to help me out! it makes me almost ashamed to post what my true problem was, but.. here we go.. you know how you're always told to make sure & notice your yarn placement when knitting & purling (ie...in back for knitting, in front for purling)? simple, right? haha.. one would think.

last night, I sat down with Aaron to watch the Sopranos and tackle this Counterpane swatch once & for all. I'd taken a healthy few days away from it and was ready to give it a go. this time, with my oh-so-lovely Cascade 220!! in a beautiful Project Spectrum yellow :) long story short, after two more frogs, I had an epiphany (Eureka!)...I wasn't moving my yarn!! no wonder my knitting kept looking like a giant tangled mess...cause it was!! you don't know how this has improved my mood on the Counterpane. tons, I tell ya, tons. I finally saw some progress on my swatch! it looked like a real pattern and I had no tangles, no weirdo purl stitches. sigh of relief. I did, however still come up a stitch too short on row 7 or 8....but things are looking up and it didn't even phase me! going to swatch for the final...count...final time tonight and get to hopping on my pouch!! wee!!

ignore the fact that it was something I could have figured out and had finished 3 weeks ago. shh...we shan't speak of that.

Happy Monday! I'll update more later in the week!

a quick thank you to miss Anjo (the CraftyModster) for my April Project Spectrum cd (photos later)!! I love it!! and to miss Jenny of SewDarnCute for my cute, cute package of goodies from her shop! photos also to follow later. and we can't forget my snapcrafty cuteness that came as well! last week was a good week! :) and the final end to my end-of-March purchases all over the 'net (so yes, it counts as my stash since I ordered it before April..hehe!).

knitting challenges - me vs. the needles

first, my last post was not just for my musicswap partner...there was non-musicy stuff @ the bottom. shoulda clarified that before, but oh well!! :) can you tell I'm way too excited about this music thing? yeah, i am. OH and how cool is last.fm (formerly audioscrobbler)?? I joined a few weeks ago and just now got around to posting anything about it on here (i think. lol)

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the challenges...and main reason for this post!
I'm having issues. I started the Counterpane Accessories Pouch from Handknit Holidays for the second time last night... and I'm back where I began. I get the first 3 rows fine (row 1 & 3 - knit, row 2 - purl...easy), but I move onto row 4 and somewhere along the lines I get screwy. I lose count of stitches (or, as what happened last night, I somehow gained a stitch...even though I got the pattern right for row 4!!). in both attempts at this Pouch, I've made it to row 6...in hopes that everything will work itself out. this is not the case. I am very frustrated.

so question: when the pattern says things like "repeat from * to last 3 sts, knit 3"... does that mean the pattern in the asterisks should end perfectly and then have 3 sts left? OR does it mean that I just knit till I have 3 sts left?? in any other things I've crocheted or knitted, it means the pattern should end perfectly with 3 sts left.. but perhaps I'm missing something! help! lol.

am I doomed to knit in straight knit or purl forever?? NOOooo...say it isn't so!

I think tonight I'm gonna concentrate on my Project Spectrum postcard...yay! :)

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photos, photos, photos...

headed to the doggy park on Sunday!
(with dad...her favorite spot in the car)


hanging out with her mom
for a bit on the way


at the doggy park, running free


after the doggy park
(and we even got rained out after 10 mins!)


my donut necklace came!!
(is it not adorable?)


my attempt @ recreating the cute packaging
(I was too excited to get a photo before I tore it open!)


a close-up of the donut-y goodness


more vintage buttons!
this time from my mom!


and again..
(these are from miss gadgetgirl)


and these were my favorite ones!!
(how cute is that fabric?)



all righty, well maybe i can figure out this knitting issue I've got. I'm gonna try doing just a swatch of the pattern tonight. and otherwise, I'll continue working on my crochet. at least I have something down! :) thanks for any help or tips you might throw my way!!

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musicswap partner - PLEASE READ!

this is mainly to my mystery music swap partner...in hopes of helping them figure out my musical tastes (if they so desire). probably the best bet is checking out my myspace page. read my music quotes, check out the tune I have on my page and take a gander @ my friends list! another good way to get a bit of a clue is to go to my amazon wish list, where I will hopefully be updating more cds soon (to help you out!).

***edited to add: you can also check out my last.fm account (link below in the top 10 artists). all links are also on the sidebar to the left if you ever need a quick reference!

my weekly top 10 artists on last.fm...



or if you simply want to create a mix for me without all this knowledge, go for it! :) I'm just so excited about getting new musics, I thought I'd lend a helping hand!

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in other news, I have reached a bit of a stand still lately. I've now sufficiently overwhelmed myself with all my crafting ideas/books/supplies, that I do not know where to start! haha. I guess it was bound to happen. I start working on one thing and then get distracted and feel like I should be working on something different. so I've now had to make a list of projects to complete. anyone else ever had this problem?

my little etsy shop is going along...I've got almost 100 views. no purchases yet, but so goes it, I suppose. I'm still a tad unsure on the price ranges. I tried going for a mid-range of sorts, but I really am clueless when it comes to pricing my things @ this point. guess we'll see how things go with time! I'm considering doing an Easter sale on the bunny pins...maybe this would help them to sell? I dunno!

I'm hoping to begin work on my Orangina this week. I also want to begin (for the second time...I had to frog it the first) on my Counterpane Accessories Pouch finally, work on more crochet flower ideas, felt pin ideas, etc. This happening all while I want to get a jump on my Project Spectrum Postcard Swap Postcard and my Music Swap cd. sigh. not enough hours in the day, I tell ya!

a picture-less post...shame on me. haha. I'll have photos soon (before the week is over!). oooh, also i got my custom donut necklace from pancake meow on Saturday evening (i didn't get home till late) and have been wearing it ever since!! I love it, it's so cute! I'm definitely contemplating my next purchase to Miss Leslie. I will have a photo or two of it before week's end, as well! along with even MORE vintage buttons (some from etsy, some from my very own mom!) and some quilted squares that were my great-grandmother's! I told you my supplies were overwhelming me, right? right.

Happy Monday!

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