Green Is The New Black

It's Getting Crafty In Here.

2011-02-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's about to get CRAFTY up in here!

Introducing yet another obsession of mine, turned business:

Check the new website. Check the new blog. This will involve me, making all kinds of great stuff, taking all kinds of great pics, and putting up lots of fun tutorials.

Time to shed the day job, and do something a little more....well, crafty!

EXCITED!!!

New Year, New Nail Color

2011-01-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is important. I usually have 2 or 3 colors that I wear religiously throughout the year.

This is a new year, with entirely new goals.

I need a new color for new creative inspiration.

Teal.

This is Sally Hansen's Fairy Teal.

Also part of my Teal addiction is OPI's Ski Teal We Drop, and OPI for Sephora's Teal We Meet Again.

I have repainted my nails 3 times this year.

In this color.

So far, it's bringing me LUCK!

My Grammy Is 79 Today.

2011-01-16T20:59:00.002-07:00

This woman is hilarious.

When she was in the hospital last year, she had to lay still on her back for 2 days for an angioplasty. On the second day, she says this:

"I been on my back for two whole days and haven't made a DIME!"

She got herself a digital camera, and she yells "Everyone say SEXXXX!" to get us to smile.

She wants to go see the Chip N Dales in Vegas for her 80th. Word.

Love this woman.

This just might be my favorite series of Grammy pics ever.

Making a wish:

BIG breath:

Mission accomplished.

Girls Sushi Night Out!

Happy, Happy birthday, Grammylammy!

Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie (aka Napalm)

2011-01-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Simon made a pot pie for lunch today.

He made it in the mircrowave.

This is the dialogue he had with himself:

"Hm... cook till internal temp is 160. I thought this thing was already cooked?"

"I think I can just use this oven thermometer to measure this thing."

"WHOA, gheezus! 203 degrees?"

"Is this filled with lava? This is going to take forever to cool down."

"Maybe I can eat this tomorrow."

"It's 8 degrees outside - maybe I can put it out there for AN HOUR."

"The SUN is 200 degrees. The sun, and my pot pie."

15 minutes later:

"Holy Christ. This thing is getting hotter. How is that possible?"

"Can you set the alarm on this thing to go in reverse? So it can alarm when it cools down enough to actually EAT?"

"Hey, if your hands are cold, you can come warm them over this hole I just poked in the top. It's like a pot pie geyser."

Ah, the dangers we encounter whey simply trying to cook a decent lunch.

New Years Eve

2010-12-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

So I'm getting all worked up trying to find something to do on New Year's Eve, thinking about how cold it is going to be, how scarce cabs are going to be, how expensive everything is, how CROWDED. Brain overload.

Wait a sec - maybe we need to step back for a second, and let it be. And, I am rather excited to hole up in my house for New Years this year, and we have some lovely plans:

We are making some super delish food.
We are cuddling in PJ's.
We are drinking wine and champagne.
We are - ok, I am - finishing several knitting projects that are going to be much needed in the next few weeks.
We are turning the heat WAY up.
We are watching scary movies so I have bad dreams
We are eating the 6 bags of popcorn we ordered from our nephew for Boy Scouts.
We are going to watch the NYC ball drop for the very first time.
We are snuggling with our pets, such as this fuzzy elf:

We are cutting out all the noise, all the busy parts of our lives, all the stress, and taking a moment to remember to be in love.

I can't WAIT. :)

La Llorona

2010-12-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

OK, let me first apologize to my dad, who gave me this painting, for what follows.

This painting used to belong to my Granny Do, my dad's mother. Dad kept it for me, and gave it to me one night when I was up in the Fort visiting him. I got home late at night, so I set the painting in our stairwell where I wanted to ultimately hang it. I just leaned it against the wall, then went to bed.

The next morning, in the early light, Simon rounds the corner of the dark stairwell, and comes face to face with THIS:

I found it later that morning turned backwords, facing the wall. HA HA HA!

When I used to see this hanging in Granny's house, I just thought it was a cute little girl picking flowers in the sun, with a grove of trees in the background. Simon's interpretation, however, is ENTIRELY different. He sees a girl, crying while gathering flowers on the beach, with a crashing ship on the ocean in the background.

We had some friends over for dinner, and after several glasses of wine, I make them come tell me what they think:

ASHLEIGH: Whoa, that thing is scary.
PAUL: OK, I just got the chills.
SIMON: Told ya.
AURORA: Really?! I just don't see it.

So, Poll Time! Is this painting peaceful, or frightning?

I bet you this photo ends up in the results set when you Google images of La Llorona.

PS - La Llorona is an old Mexican legend that our parents would use to get us to come in before dark. Apparently, this woman drowned her kids to hook it up with some dude, who dumped her after he learned she was psycho. So, she did the responsible thing and killed hersulf. Now, she wanders the plains, wailing, looking for children out after dark to drown. Clearly, Casey Anthony has never heard this story.

Fork You

2010-12-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

I love king crab.

My forks do not.

All my forks look like this.

Not a good presentation for having guests, but I know that each tine was bent into this lovely shape with incredibly love and fury to get that sweet, succulent crab out of its beautiful, pink shell.

Oh crab, I will conquer you.

Charlie Kitty

2010-12-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Charlie likes to sleep in a basket we bought for decorative purposes. Since everything we buy to decorate our house turns into a cat bed. That is the rule when you live with those little furry dictators. It's up high on a built in ledge in our bedroom. He SQUEEZES is fat arse in there, even though the basket is pretty much WAY too small for him. I think he uses it as motivation to get in shape.

Since we are sweet-ace parents, we brush his teeth regularly since he has gum problems, and already had to have 2 teeth pulled. See? I don't need kids - I am getting the same experience with my hairy child, Char Char. ;)

Last night, we had to take the entire basket down (with him in it) since he wouldn't come down. Once on the floor, he still wouldn't get out. I think he was stuck, personally. ;)

Simon held his head, peeled his lips back, I did the torture brushing, and Simon put him back up on the ledge, basket and all.

He slept there all night.

The things we do for the ones we love. :)

Meow!

Pandora has been dying to get up there with him, but she's too small to make the jump. Although, off to the right out of the picture is a dresser, and I came home one day, finding all of the contents from the top of my dresser on the floor, so I have a feeling she jumped to it, slid ALL THE WAY across and OFF the other side, taking everything with her. Instead of trying it again, she just begs Charlie to give her a boost. AW!

Cookie Crafting

2010-12-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

My nephew is 8, which means it is still super cool to make cookies with Auntie. And so we did!

Recipe for dough is called Puffed Heart Lemon Cookies (made cut-out cookies for the first time on V day several years ago, and am stuck on the recipe - yum) followed by a smothering of royal icing. I still haven't mastered this art yet; my cookies are always either too thick, or too thin, but whatever - they look fantastic. ;)

Ghost cookies of Christmas Past:

Put the first batch of finished cookies in the oven so the frosting could dry overnight. Then drank a bottle of wine, and decided to make the rest. Turned the oven on to preheat. Enough said. (fail!)

I meant to take pictures of the finished cookies all decorated by the 8 year old, but we started eating them before I had a chance. Sy only likes the heads. This is how all my gingerbread peeps looked:

Hilarious.

Merry Christmas!

In Case You Missed It...

2010-12-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

...here it is at 2:30 AM MST from my backyard.

Amazing.

I remember when I was very young, there was a solar eclipse, and my parents showed me how to punch a hole through my loose-leaf wide-ruled binder paper, and let the light of the sun shine through the hole and onto another piece of paper. The light that shined on the paper looked like someone took a bite right out of it. I couldn't see it when I tried to look up at the sky (plus I blinded myself - no wonder my eyesight is so jacked), and I was perplexed. And totally hooked.

So I DIDN'T become an astronaut *sounds of smashing dreams*, and instead, became an IT monkey!

THE END!

OK, just kidding - I didn't really want to be an astronaut - flying sucks. But have always been fond of looking up at the sky from the ground.

Ah!

PS - I couldn't even spell astronaut properly - blogger had to spell check it for me. Aren't you glad I am not on the Hubble team right now?

My First Headshots!!

2010-12-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Although I am the master of the headshot in Halo Reach, I definitely have some work to do on actual photography headshots. My brother Drew needed some for his new personal catering biz, Gourmet Pour Vous, so I mustered up some courage and took a few.

Here are my five faves!!

I took these using a Canon 50D and my $100 Canon 50mm 1.8 lens, made some changes in Lightroom, then some sharpening in Photoshop.

Does this kid need a TV show or what? He is way to handsome not to be on TV.

And, I tried to get fancy with a little watermark, too! Gotta work on that one, tho. Ah, so many hobbies, so little time!!!

Waiting Room Knitting

2010-12-01T13:25:00.001-07:00

This might be the only awesome thing about getting stupid allergy shots. Especially since I am allergic to EVERYTHING (but horses - meh), and have to get 2 huge shots in both arms twice a month. Owie. *sniffle*

Since I have to sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes after getting my shots so they can make sure I don't DIE of anaphylactic shock, I get 30 minutes of uninterrupted craft time. Ah! When I am chilling out on the couch with a yarny project, I always have SOME sort of animal wanting SOME sort of attention from me, or a husband who can't find his sneakers because I put them in the fridge instead of in his closet. Yes, that happens.

Since yarn is technically string (cats HEART string) I inevitably get a section of soggy, wet yarn that has been chewed on by a just-out-of-view ninja. Gross.

(Don't worry friends - I wash all my creations before giving them to YOU.)

So here is me, waiting, knitting, sniffling. Making my new Team Scarf in Lakers colors!! Ahem...I mean, for you Nuggets fans out there, it is my Fort Collins High School LAMBKINS scarf!

Anyone else do anything EXCITING besides read the 2 year old issues of Us Weekly in waiting rooms? (Seriously, every issue of every magazine in this joint is 2 years old. Lame.)

Meet Pandora.

2010-11-30T10:34:00.002-07:00

Newest addition to the Sisneros household. :)

Small World. OK, Small Neighborhood.

2010-11-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

We went out. Last night. A Thursday night. A SCHOOL night.

Ouch is the word of today.

I had a sewing meetup with the Denver Sewing Collective. While I was sewing my face off, Simon decided to check out this new bar that popped up in our 'hood called Jake's Food and Spirits. He texted me and said I needed to come over when I was done; there was some peeps I needed to meet.

Simon apparently sat down at the bar, and started talking to this couple, and to make a long story short, they know me from THIS BLOG!

*Hi, Ashleigh & Paul!*

Yup. And I subscribe to her blog, too (Nested). It was like we already knew each other. Instant radness.

Then the tequila shots came into play, and everything was a little fuzzy. I did friggin karaoke, and those of you who know me know I HATE karaoke. Turns out, tequila makes me love it.

I didn't get any pictures of myself last night, but if there was one, it would have looked like this:

BLOGTASTIC!

Wheaties

2010-11-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

What the heck is this crap in the background?

Looks like wheat to me.

I forget to water my plants, and they die, so I don't know about gardening.

Hence not knowing the name of this wheaty stuff.

But isn't it a lovely backdrop?

Word.

Family Photo Shoots are ROUGH, man!

2010-11-11T11:00:00.002-07:00

Not like rough in that I hate doing them - I actually LOVE to do them! I get to act like a complete retard just to get the child (or children) to laugh and smile and all that loveliness. Not like that is different from any other day, but ANYWAY...

The problem is that I like to be super creative, and take pictures like this:

Or this:

Oh, and obviously, since these 2 faves are both in black and white, I love effects, like this:

Or this:

But alas, even though this is the kind of photography I love to create and am drawn to, you can't put this on a dang Christmas card! I meas, seriously, how CUUUUUTE is this picture:

Still, not REALLY a family portrait (although mom's shoes are BITCHIN' in this photo!!). Man, it is HARD to be creative when you need to document that the entire family was together in one place. It's simply not the place for abstractness. Or, on a wedding day - I am sure Brides and Grooms want to look like themselves on their wedding day:

And NOT like a page right out of Polo/Ralph Lauren:

But see, my issue is that I have the MEMORY of this day. I will remember it just like it actually was. Blue sky, her gorgeous yellow bouquet, amazing Vera Wang dress (that bitch), so why can't we have a warm, slightly more surreal, fantastical, I-have-perfect-skin kind of a memory!

I know, family portraits are NOT the time to get crazy. It's more about the family being together in one place, minus juice-stained-shirts, minus the daily stress of getting dinner on the table, minus the whining because dad wants to watch football instead of House Hunters (OK, that's me). So, they are not creative. There are not amazing effects. There is no crazy moment to capture or story to tell.

But, there is LOVE. So, I take a step out of ~~ocd~~ creative zone, tell everyone to smile and looky here, and snap the pic.

Super Duper Cuteness

2010-11-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

I am RARELY in pictures and HATE being photographed for some dumb reason, which is why 98% of my pictures on my FaceBook page are me making a retarded face. Can't be helped.

But, I found one of me I love!

Me, doing one of my favorite things, which is taking PICTURES. Like usual. And, Bryson, on of my favorite subjects, loves to get RIGHT UP CLOSE to my wide angle, which makes for some GREAT shots. David Le snapped this one of me during this family portrait session, and it might be my fave:

Here is the shot I was getting at that moment:

Love!

Ultimate Baby Gift Set, Yo!

2010-11-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

My dear buddy Tami had a baby shower the other day, and was the very lucky recipient of the very first ever Baby Mate.

But, since this was a gift from a friend, I had to go a little overboard. So, in the same adorable fabric, I made her a softy blanky (backed with minky), a bib, and 2 burp rags.

Word.

The Baby Mate!!

2010-11-08T16:21:00.002-07:00

It's FINALLY here!

I am very excited to announce the arrival of our newest member of the Recycle Fashionably family:

The Baby Mate!

I've had several moms pick up a Sweat Mate to hold baby clothing that has been barfed on, pooped in, covered in mud, or soaked in snot. The diaper bags out there these days are DARN cute, and NO ONE want's Capri Sun juice all over their JP Lizzy.

Also, there is an amazing number of mommies using reusable diapers (kudos to YOU!!!) who now have a better option than a grocery bag to carry around soiled diapers! This bag is perfect for containing the mess and the smell until you can make it out of the mall and back home!

Now, in the very cutest baby fabric of them all, we have The Baby Mate - just in time for the holiday season!! *tee hee shameless plug* Available NOW on RecycleFashionably.com. Yay! More fabrics coming soon, too!!

So, if you know a mommy who's couture is covered in chocolate, now you know just what to get her to help her contain the mess. :)

Sushi Brought Me Back To Life.

2010-11-05T15:11:00.000-06:00

I have trouble blogging when things are going badly. I feel like it would turn into a big giant outlet for whining and complaining, so I have just stayed away to spare you. Yes yes, you are welcome.

After losing a cat and losing an aunt, you just don't feel like being very funny. You feel like eating KFC for 2 months which is pretty much what we did while Larry was sick. There was no working out, no folding of laundry, no dusting of ceiling fan blades, no dog walks, no refilling of the toilet paper cabinet, etc.

I think my butt and my couch grew together.

Well, now that I am feeling a bit better and ready to rejoin my life again (still ignoring the ceiling fan blades cuz GROSS), I have all this extra KFC hanging off me, making me tired. Blech. But, I HAVE to get back into the swing of things, cuz the dreaded test is looming.

The Biometric Screening.

I have 2 choices: let my insurance company charge me MORE each month, or go give blood and get my body fat tested so they can tell me what a slob I've been for the past 2 months.

*sigh*

I guess I better choose the slob route. So, today, being more cheerful than a day has been in a few weeks, we chose the healthier SUSHI instead of KFC. Why is a super delish salad or a lemon drizzled salmon just NOT satisfying when yer in the dumps? But somehow, 15 hot wings, french fries, ranch and a giant SODA does the trick? Mmm, hot wings. *wiping drool*

OK, must STOP. Back on track so that I won't get the bad news at my biometric screening that I am gonna have a heart attack at 34.

Watch out, treadmill!

V is for...Vasectomy?!

2010-10-11T13:22:00.000-06:00

OK, this was too funny not to post.

A friend of mine had a baby shower Friday, and Simon came with me to hang out and drink beer with the dad-to-be in the backyard while all of us were cackling in the living room. It was freezing on Friday evening, so the weather forced them inside. They tried to hang out in the kitchen for awhile, but alas, we discovered they were there.

Which means we pounced on them and forced them to play the baby shower games. LEGIT.

Pages with the alphabet are passed out, and we all have one minute to write down something associated with baby for every letter of the alphabet. Ready, GO!

Um, P - Pacifier. O - Onsie. Lemme see....B, Blanket. C, Changing Table! I'm feeling very proud of myself at this point.

One minute is up, and we have about 9 blanks filled in each.

Simon has 15.

What the - ok, you go first, Simon, since you are such a baby expert!!! There is an evil grin on his face, so I am already suspect of what is about to occur.

"A, Alcohol." Eruption of laughter. "B, Bee Bee Gun." More laughter. "C, Candy. D, Donkey, E, Elephant, F, Fire". More laughter. "G, Guns. " Laughter and some tears now. And it goes on like this until all of us are rolling on the floor.

The mom-to-be actually made him finish filling it out since it was so friggin hilarious. Proof:

Dude. I am bringing my husband to all your baby showers, ladies, cuz MAN he is great entertainment. Whew!

Flash, No Flash! (and a baby blanket...?)

2010-10-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

Had a baby shower to attend TODAY, so it would make sense that I made a baby blanket for the occasion LAST NIGHT. Way to think ahead, Aurora.

I found this fabric at JoAnn of all places (which is odd for me since I am a total fabric snob), and I totally dig it. Had some minke from the last blanky I made, so whipped out this little softie for my friend.

Having since gotten my new flash, I went outside to experiment with it! I have an old window shade that I prop over a chair for white background. I always shoot outside (or near a window) to get available light, since it looks so amazing. BUT, having been nose-up in the book "Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography", I wanted to put some stuff I learned to good use.

The picture on the left is what I USUALLY take, which is just available light. The picture on the right is lit by a reflector set up camera left, and I swiveled my fancy new flash to face the reflector so the light would bounce off of it, and come in from the side.

I've always had trouble getting photos of my fabrics to look more 'true' to how my eyeballs see them, and getting them to improve with Photoshop is a joke (since I have no idea how to use it - I started to read the manual, but then wine happened). Super stoked to get my bags out here!

I have been reading about using off-camera flash, or bouncing light off of another source, since blasting something with an on-camera flash usually makes it look like crap. See how there is just a hint of shadow on the right, and its more lit up on the left? Gives it depth. Makes me stoked. Going to the LQ for more wine. Sorry available light, yer out. I'm with flash now. ;)

Sewing Meetup!

2010-10-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

Is this addiction going a little far? I mean, I am not happy to just hole up in my sewing room alone with the cliche cat perched on the desk in front of an episode of Sex And The City playing on the PC? Do I really need 5 other women to encourage my complete avoidance of any sort of evening responsibilities, like laundry and dishes? Instead of feeding pets and husbands, I feed my addiction?

I am not even going to glorify that stupid question with an answer. Duh.

Being as self-absorbed as I admittedly am, I am HAPPY to dump all that stuff on bad-ace Simon, grab my crafty stuff, and RUN!

This is the Denver Sewing Collective, found on MeetUp.com. And they are RAD. I seriously was afraid that I might be the youngest one there, and wasn't sure if we would have any of the same interests, or furthermore, if they would mind my crude jokes and sailor mouth. I'm clearly not your typical sewer with all the F bombs and weekend Halo marathons and way too much wine every night. Then again... ;)

I pretty much laughed my face off. We all did. They are a super legit group of gal pals, and I can't wait to hang again. Maybe next time I'll bring wine. ;)

Squeezed a little Lightroom action in here, too, since I need every excuse to learn as much as possible about post-processing photos. Yet another addiction. *sigh* Sorry for the lack of project pictures here - there was a baby present. That's like a MAGNET for my camera. :)

Bryson's First Birthday

2010-09-28T10:02:00.000-06:00

Well well, just in time for me to bust out my new camera and take some photos!! I'm learning the nuances of this new camera, since it takes photos quite a bit differently than my rebel. Also learning more about post-processing to get them *just* the way I want!

Bryson has the rad'est parents around, and they certainly know how to throw a kid's birthday party for adults. Had the best time, but don't want to eat BBQ for a year (thanks, Danielle, for making me take 60 lbs of it home).

Here is my first go:

So much crisper!! They need a little work, and I need a little Lightroom learning, but I am super happy about these! CUTE!!!

NEW CAMERA!!!!!

2010-09-27T16:41:00.000-06:00

And, of course, a new camera strap! Both pictured here. Made this strap from Environ Mate scraps, and a tutorial from another fave blog, Made By Petchy.

I am LOVING this thing. Canon 50D with a Tamron 2.8 17-50 lens. Getting super excited about using the wide angle, especially for exaggerated pictures (thanks David Le for the tip!) of my poor pets who I totally papparazi'd all weekend long:

I am one happy girl!

Shopping Cart Fancyness!!

2010-09-09T21:47:00.000-06:00

HOORAY!

It has been a roller-coaster ride with this whole shopping-cart deal with our website. Of course, I wanted it to look PERFECT and be SEAMLESSLY integrated and all that jazz. Which means I have to hire someone to do it, since I only have a few minutes a day to spend hacking code and not sewing/working on Oracle databases/drinking wine.

So we get some quotes for a website revamp (cosmetic), and seamless shopping cart (surgical). We get $3500, and I gasp. Then we get $8000 and I choke. I am selling bags at $30 a pop here people, not real estate. The commission just ain't that big. Clearly, we are not ready for that sorta revamp...yet!!!

(Side note: these companies we got quotes from are AWESOME and wanted to do some way-stellar stuff with our site, and I wanted them so so so bad until I realized how many bags it would take me to sell to pay them off. *sob*)

So, Simon suggested we just get the GoDaddy cart (since that is who hosts us), and make it look as close to our website as possible. So we sign up for it, and we hack our faces off, and VOALA! We have a shopping cart! Needless to say, we celebrated by eating pasta once we launched it. If you aren't friends with me on FaceBook and watch me FourSquare in at a restaurant every 10 minutes, you wouldn't know that food is our version of celebration. Throw in a margarita and its a RAGER!

At any rate, we spent countless evenings putting this sucker together, and I must say we are PROUD. We are hoping this encourages people to buy reusable bags now that they don't have to have 6 conversations with crazy ME just to get your hands on one. YAY!

So, head to the website, and click on that fabulous new big fat BUY NOW button! Tell me what you think!

Larry Super Champ

2010-09-07T15:23:00.007-06:00

Well, I am no longer eating birthday cake for breakfast, so THAT's a good sign.

We come home from a trip (I'll elaborate on those later), and find that Larry is not eating or drinking, and looks lethargic. Immediate trip to the vet.

Turns out, he is in renal failure. Lovely. Has 3/4 kidney function left. We thought he was losing weight because we put our fatty Charlie on a diet, AND Larry is super picky, but no - his kidneys aren't processing water or food properly, therefore he is nauseous, has a headache, and has no appetite. Go us.

He is in the hospital for a week. During the day, at Tender Touch, then we transfer him to Access for overnight care. 72 hour drip to flush his kidneys. We spend all our time with him in the back of Simon's truck during the twice a day transfer. First prognosis is that this WILL kill him, but he may have a few months, maybe even a few years left if we care for him properly. OK, I can dig it.

Then, Friday, I get a call from Simon, saying they did the ultrasound, and his kidneys are the worst they have EVER seen in a 5 year old cat: infected, shrunken, puss-filled. Now they think he won't last the weekend. I'm balling my face off as I am driving to the vet from work, trying to figure out how this happened so FAST.

The vet that day was a blur. They put us in the comfort room. Any room in a hospital with big comfy chairs, soothing colors, and grieving pamphlets is NEVER good. He's no longer responding to the treatment; we are sending him home. He needs fluid, she said, twice a day. We are sending him home with an antibiotic. With pepcid. With potassium. Just make him comfortable. We are closed Sunday and Monday, so you have to take him to the other place if he takes a turn for the worse. I ignore that statement - I can't take him anywhere but here for THAT. Ready to learn fluids? It is very easy. All this buzzing around my head, and I can't seem to focus on what she is saying, even tho I know it is important. Larry is dozing in Simon's lap, and she hands me the biggest needle I have ever seen. Just grab the skin by his shoulders, and put the needle right into the pocket. It is SO easy. She almost got punched for saying that, but she is here to help - CALM DOWN.

I manage to take a breath, pretend I am at yoga, and stop the tears. I am shaking. I don't think I can do this, I say. Do you want me to do it? she asks. But I have to do it, right? Yes, she says. OK. Another deep breath. It took me a good 2 minutes to get up the courage, but I did it. I couldn't turn the wheel to get the fluid going I was shaking so bad; she had to help me.

We get him home, and he looks terrible. I cry. After a few hours, he is adjusting; cleaning; drinking; begging for food! I feel better now. This is where the birthday cake begins. I leave it out on the counter, and take a bite when I walk by. Somehow it makes me feel better until I swallow it. Then back to sad. I had it for breakfast with potato chips 2 days in a row.

It took me all day Saturday and Sunday to really get all the tears out, and realize that THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN. And there is nothing for it. I keep saying that to Simon: Babe, there's nothing for it. *insert heart wrench here*

Each time we gave him subcutaneous fluids, I start shaking about an hour before. I know my energy affects him, but I just can't HELP it. Simon is the same way. We DREAD it. You be calm, he will be calm. TELL me how to be calm about this. It is simply horrible, there is no calm in this at all. Simon holds him down. Larry yowls, I poke, we cry. We can never get enough in - Larry struggles so much and the needle pokes him where it shouldn't and he jumps. All the sudden, he is free of the needle, across the room, and fluid is spilling onto the floor. I am going to kill this cat because I can't do this. He is going to die because of me. This is my nightmare.

Sunday night we have a breakthrough. Larry is struggling so much his head comes free of the towel he is wrapped in, but he doesn't jump. The needle is still in, fluid still flowing from the IV bag. No more yowling, No more holding him down. He sits there, growls a little, then starts to rub his face on Simon's chin. We get it in. ALL OF IT, and more!! High fives all around when we are done.

Monday was a dream. Simon is the cat whisperer, and I am the needle master. Larry growls when I pick him up to take him upstairs, but sits nicely in Simon's lap, and seems not even to notice the needle as I push it through the skin. 100ML! Again Monday night. Again this morning. I CAN DO THIS!!!

We all come to an understanding. Me and Simon and our fuzzy babies. This is happening, and we have an opportunity to enjoy being together that many other pet owners don't get. My poor brother Drew just lost his kitty Gaia to a car. And he found him. Right there in the street. No goodbye, no kisses, no cuddles, just pain and loss. WE ARE LUCKY. Monday everything in our house has changed. We feel better, Larry feels better. He is running, catching bugs, stalking Charlie, waking Simon up for food, head-butting our legs, climbing in our laps, sleeping peacfully. Larry is a SUPER CHAMP. He is doing way better than we expected. Toughest cat that ever lived. Try telling him he is sick. I swear he is gaining weight. Probably just my hopeful imagination, but it feels good, so I indulge.

He has already made it past our expectations, and seems to be doing well. It thrills me to think that we might have him a few days longer than expected. Maybe even weeks!! And now, each day past Labor Day is a blessing, and we lap up ever moment and savor it. Putting him down will be yet another heart-wrenching disaster, but that is not now. Not today. Today is for kissing, cuddling, loving. This feels good. :)

Idle Itching

2010-08-05T12:34:00.000-06:00

So I tried to sit and watch a movie the other day with nothing in my hands.

Bad Idea.

Now I'm making this!

At the last Knitting Is Sexy calendar launch, I wore this shawl, which was RAD so don't knock it cuz its called a 'shawl'! No, I am not a granny! Anywho, wanted to make something a bit more modern, and not so last-minute.

Enter my addiction to a French magazine called Phildar. They make yarn and patterns, and I got hold of one of their English versions of the mag to make this little number. Even the translation into English is questionably at times, but I think I got it figured out!

You can see how RAD this sweater is, as is everything else in the mag. Someone tell me why Vogue Knitting has THIS in their fall lineup for August 2010:

I don't care if you put a top hat, bow tie, or a Ferrari with this cardigan. It's still a CARDIGAN. Can you wear a cardigan to a Knitting is Sexy calendar launch? Doesn't that make knitting UNsexy? And, Vogue Knitting is the most fashion-forward knitting in the US. The rest of it is all Christmas sweaters. Come on, USA, you can learn more from the French than just how to make fries.

I think Sy is pretty stoked that I am not talking my face off about photography anymore. It's keeping me quiet. ;)

New Camera for Aurora?!?

2010-08-03T15:28:00.001-06:00

The only thing I have been making in my sewing room for the past 2 weeks is a MESS. Nothing new to report there - just hammering out bag inventory. So, since I don't have a purse or apron or quilt to be obsessed with, it's time to be obsessed with PHOTOGRAPHY. *grin*

Simon must have been out of his mind when he agreed to this, but I get to BUY A NEW CAMERA!!!

I have the Canon Digital Rebel XTi camera now, and have had it for almost 5 years. I LOVE IT. Best money I ever did spend! But, now that I am getting all camera snobby, I get to upgrade my beginner to a Canon 50D! YIPPIE! I am also upgrading my zoom lens to the Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 (fast!) Vibration Control lens. Turns out the zoom lens I have now has LUCITE lenses instead of GLASS. No wonder my crap is fuzzy.

Went to Mike's Camera the other day to buy my first speedlite (flash), and got to play with the 50D, hence my falling in love and begging to have it. NEEEEED it! Gotta wait until October to save up, but I can totally hold out until then. No power shopping at Forever 21 or Claire's Boutique. *be strong*

In the meantime, still using my wonderful Rebel to take the adorable images below of the Metz kids when we were at Stampede in Monte Vista this past weekend. That is an entirely separate story, but I need to finish sobering up before I can talk about it, or I might yak.

MUAH!

Finally, Man Fabrics!

2010-07-28T15:37:00.002-06:00

FINALLY!!!

I am very exited to order some of these fabrics in bulk, and get them on the website. My mom, bless her heart, made ALL of these out of sample fabrics for me to test out so I could decide.

It's going to be SO hard to choose which ones. We plan to make both the EnvironMates and the City Mates in these fabrics, so they have to be SUPER DUPER.

Here are some of the non-manly ones I am testing also!

I Am Not Alone.

2010-07-27T11:56:00.000-06:00

You think that I am obsessed with crafting, eh?

Check out Amy Butler.

I first discovered her through her fabric, which I use in my bags. Then, she starts coming out with a few patterns for adorable things, most of which I have made (see the weekender bag, diaper bag, etc). Then books. Then paper crafts. Then her own line of dishes, towels, bedding. I stopped at books - the addiction was too strong, and I did NOT need another set of dishes, or new bedding.

But now, now I am in trouble, because Amy Butler just introduced her own line of YARN. She admits in her newsletter that she is addicted to knitting (hello!), and has come out with not ONLY yarns, but PATTERNS. How does she have the TIME?????

I know how. Same as I do. You completely ignore the housecleaning, the dishes, walking the dog, the husband, and sit in your own little hole we call The Sewing Room and OBSESS yourself into oblivion.

Thank GOD there is someone else out there like me! Now, if only I could become an ICON like her, and make a zillion bucks....

This, by the way, is Amy Butler's living room (photo from one of her home dec books). I am going to lock her in a closet, take over her life, and live here.

Emmeline Apron

2010-07-21T15:52:00.000-06:00

This is Emily, and this is the Emmaline apron.

I ordered a personalized gift off of Etsy for my girl Emily who just got married in Las Vegas (ps, thanks for inviting me so Vegas could EAT ME ALIVE). Of course, since it is handmade, AND wedding season, it didn't get here in time for the shower, so it's now the wedding gift.

OK, so hm. Now I had a shower in 2 days and no gift. Commence the pattern rummaging!

And I found this little sweet-ace apron! SCORE! I had the entire kit in my pattern box, which I ordered here like 2 years ago during a fit of accidental web-project hoarding: "OK, I need 2 yards of interfacing, *click click*, more drawstring, *click* and WHOA! what is this....its AMAZING! Wait, that one is TOO!!!! *running for wallet*.

I am like this in the mall, too, and Simon has to keep me in check or I would go running and screaming into Claires Boutique after spotting the sequined mesh earrings I saw some idiot on The Hills wearing in US Weekly...

Anywho, here it is, whipped out in a few hours (super easy pattern!!) and modeled by Emily herself shortly after opening it at her shower. The best thing about this apron is it has built in boobs. When you are an A cup, anything with built in bosom is a PLUS! Reversible, even! Damn, why did I give this thing away again??

*cries until someone gives her ice cream*

Vegas is MEAN.

2010-07-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

Wow. So I have been lacking on the blog front in preparation for a dear friends wedding that took place in Las Vegas this past weekend, and I need to go into a coma for at least a week. Turns out, I can't cuz I am the On-Call DBA this week! OH GOODIE!

We flew out on Wednesday evening, and proceeded to overindulge in EVERYTHING: sun, pool time, food, drink, dancing, and of course, gambling. Oh, actually, the one thing I skimped on was SLEEP. Now I feel like a sack of crap. BLECK. It's Monday afternoon, and somehow, I am starting to lose my voice now?!? Tried to have a phone conversation with Bikram Yoga Lexington, and thankfully, she put it off until tomorrow due to time constraints (or maybe cuz she couldn't understand a word I was whispering?!).

It's ridiculous how easy it is to stay up and gamble and drink ALL NIGHT in that place. I go out in Denver, and by midnight, I am ready to hand in my Granny card and go home to bed. Not in Vegas! I turn into an all-out Vodka-consuming maniac that doubles her bet with each passing drink. All the sudden, it's 5AM, and I'm STARVING, so I stuff myself with Steak and Eggs, and GO TO BED. Smartest thing to do when you are planning on being in a bathing suit the next day. To bed by 6, at the pool by 10. EVERY. DAY. I have gained 10 lbs by the scale, but miraculously look the same simply because tan fat looks better than white fat. Thank god for the pool.

At any rate, I am hanging on to life by a thin thread, and will be catching up on past blog posts very soon. As soon as this work day is over, you can find me on my couch sleeping after I eat my entire fridge. *burp*

Honorable Mention in Neighborhood Life!!!

2010-07-07T16:51:00.000-06:00

YIPPIEE!!!!!

We get a local neighborhood newspaper called Neighborhood Life (also knows as Life On Cap Hill), and we are listed as a new business under the Neighborhood Business section!!!

To read it, go HERE, scroll down the website and look for Recycle Fashionably in bold, and check it out! Even though they DID spell my name wrong (and the grammer is a bit lacking - ha ha!), they got the website RIGHT, and that is some great free local press!

WOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Don't Be Scared of the Scarab

2010-06-30T13:14:00.000-06:00

Must give a shout-out to my girl Holly who made this amazing Scarab necklace!!

Got it from her Hollyberry Jewelry Etsy shop. See her super funny blog here. Worn out at the bar, AND at a daytime BBQ. Goes with EVERYTHING I OWN.

I get at least 7 compliments from random people each time I wear it. Not to mention my friends, who told me they are going to steal it from me in my sleep. ;)

Thanks, HollyFace!! I LOVE IT!

Can I borrow your baby?

2010-06-28T14:32:00.001-06:00

Aspiring photographer strikes again.

Took advantage of the fact that Holly Strebel (see her hilarious blog here) was bringing adorable Miss Charlotte to my place for a BBQ, and asked her if I could practice some infant portraits on her child so I could learn.

They definitely did NOT come out like I envisioned (namely because I don't have a light kit or studio backgrounds or any knowledge of how to use a flash), BUT, I was able to capture these two, which are my faves. :)

The picture above is a milestone for me - I am ALWAYS complaining that the contrast with my cheapy lens SUCKS, but it turned out awesome in this one! LOVE that hot pink!

This one I had a little editing fun with:

Two out of FIFTY ain't bad! ;)

Estonian Starflower Baby Blanket

2010-06-28T13:06:00.001-06:00

Whew!

It is FINALLY done! Pseudo code to self:

IF birth_date > (sysdate - 5 months)
THEN project = 'Estonian Starflower Baby Blanket'
ELSE
Bail, and get something at TARGET.

I really thought because it was so small that I could whip it out, but I very quickly learned that lace patterns are a biotch! But, it was super fun to make, I can't lie. Hm, do I go sew bags to stockpile inventory, or do I drink wine on the couch knitting this adorable number while watching a "What Not To Wear" marathon?

Duh!

I woke up the morning I was going to give this to little miss Charlotte at our BBQ, finished it up, washed it, blocked it, and let it dry OUTSIDE since I had like AN HOUR before they showed up. Plus I had to finish pulling weeds, clean up dog poo, trim the yard, do some laundry, etc. I had 2 cups of coffee intravenously that morning and it all worked out fine. :)

Pull The Car Over!!!

2010-06-11T14:37:00.000-06:00

I had to go to (where else) JoAnn today on my lunch hour, and couldn't resist pulling the car over on this teeny little 2 lane road and teetering across dodging traffic in heels to get these photos. I'm not scared.

No idea what kinda flowers these are, but there are FIELDS of them! They are bright yellow, and smell amazing!

I could have sat there all afternoon and watched them; or at least till those crazy thunderheads started pouring down tennis-ball sized hail on me, like the rest of the state is getting. Don't go rafting this weekend, people.

Another big-up to Hipstomatic app for iPhone. LOVE IT.

Minky Blanky

2010-06-10T15:43:00.000-06:00

While I am working on the most complicated knitting pattern for a baby blanket EVER (for a baby that has already been born, mind you), I get an invitation to my cousins baby shower. I am sure there is NOT an expectation within my family to give something handmade, but I am OCD so I expect it from mysulf.

Enter new project. BTW, a girlfriend of mine is gonna kill me cuz she asked me to make her one of these like 6 months ago to give as a gift, which is where the idea came from. I got you on the next one, Em, now that I know how to do this.

So I of course go searching around online to find tutorials for this adorable little blanky, and then edit it to be my own. Made of super softee minky on one side, and a fabulous, modern cotton quilting fabric on the other (sorry peeps, I don't do Winnie The Pooh). I had a hard time keeping my cats off the minky scraps - even those little jerks think its soft. Hm, cat pillow project brewing...

I whipped this sucker out in like 2 hours, which is much more efficient than the 6 million hours I have put in on the knitted blanket. I might just whip up like 10 of these and keep them on hand for gifts, since everyone around me is getting knocked up. Dirty girls. ;)

Girl Makes Granola Without Starting Fire. MIRACLE!

2010-06-09T10:22:00.000-06:00

OK, so I have to apologize for this post, cuz its just friggin boring. I am obsessed with my camera, and take pictures of EVERYTHING, then feel the need to blog about it. This is a blog about CEREAL. Really?!?! Yup, really. Holly, since you hate milk, you can just stop reading now. ;)

PS - I was proud of the 'not starting a fire' part considering I was drinking wine the entire time (evidence in picture below).

Here we go with the excitement!!! My mom made this for us when we were kids to 1.) get us to eat healthy, and 2.) ensure that we crapped regularly, since string cheese and whatever else goes in a child's multh all day long can put a stop to things. Clearly, my mom didn't know the secret that my husband's mom knew about: Pulga. Whatever that is spanish for, you drank it, and 5 minutes later you are crapping your brains out, apparently. This is nicer, and I am sure tastes much better, and there is no violent side effects.

Wow, now we have moved from cereal to poo. I'm guessing that no one is going to make this stuff after I've associated it with poo. Yum!

But, aside from actually being super delicious and full of fiber, it also has an INCREDIBLE SIDE EFFECT: Sells Houses. No joke. They tell you to bake cookies during an open house to make it smell all homey an attract buyers. Cookies my arse. Those things smell like dog food compared to the amazing smell that comes out of your oven for TWO HOURS while this is slow baking. Might be my favorite part of making it. Anyway, this cereal has sold 3 houses for me so far. Works like a charm!

Super-Fancy Home-Made House-Selling Granola

1 container Old Fashioned (not instant) Quaker Oats
8 oz Oat Bran (usually half a package)
8 oz Raw Wheat Germ (usually half a package)
6 oz bag of Sliced Almonds (or other nuts you love)
6 oz bag of Walnuts
6 tbsp Cinnamon
1 cup Oil (I use Smart Balance)
1 cup Water
1.5 cups Honey
2 Packages Craisins

1.) Preheat your oven to 225.

2.) In a giant bowl, dump in the Quaker Oats, Oat Bran, Wheat Germ, Nuts, and Cinnamon. Give it ONE or TWO stirs - anymore than that and the Bran will settle to the bottom.

3.) Drizzle half the cup of oil onto the dry mixture, and stir. Then drizzle the rest, and stir.

4.) Do the same with the water.

5.) Heat up the honey, and do the same with the honey. Cereal will be moist by now, and chunking up a little. Mmm.

6.) Spread the cereal evenly on 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 2 hours on 225.

7.) When finished, pull out of the oven and let it rest for a good 15 to 20 minutes. If you want to keep it moist, get it in a ziplock or a tupperware right away. I like to LOOSELY cover the cookie sheets with aluminum foil and let them dry out a bit overnight so its a bit more crunchy.

8.) Before bagging up, sprinkle each package of Craisins on each cookie sheet. Then, when you put the cereal away, the Craisins will mix in.

My mom used to put a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in there to get us to eat it when we were kids. THAT is good. Any raisins or dried fruit that you like (mm, banana chips) can be added in after the baking is done.

New Obsession: Pet Photography!

2010-06-08T09:47:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, but the subjects are just NOT fussy, are NOT worried about their hair, and snuggle with you when the entire thing is over.

This is Coco, and I'm in love.

She was soo kind enough to let me take her photograph like 200 times in her owner, Feliz's, backyard. And I must say, she did all the work, as you can tell by her fantastic photos! I have 75 out of the 200+ that I took that I cannot part with, so picking the ones below was super difficult.

But, I now am super in love with my 70-300 telephoto lens. I have had it for years, and didn't really ever try to use it - I just used my mid-range zoom all the time. Screw that thing. This focal length is seriously ideal for portraits.

Thanks, Coco, for showing me the light!!

We're TRADEMARKED!

2010-06-07T15:08:00.000-06:00

This is just insane.

The adorable little Sweat Mate started out as a solution for ME and ME ALONE, and then a hobby, and somehow, it has blossomed into an actual business (thanks to my hubby Simon and his entrepreneurial bravery). And a GREEN one at that! This thought usually doesn't phase me, but when I finally received my little certificate in the mail, it dawned on me how far this has gone. I think I screeched in my office when it arrived. My neighbors hate me.

I owe a lot of people a lot of thanks for this, mostly to Simon for keeping me on track AND all his hard work manufacturing these little lovelies. All of our friends have been super supportive, and some of our best ideas have stemmed from suggestions from our little group (hence the name The Sweat Mate - thanks, Benny!).

Being that The Sweat Mate is now for resale in OVER 30 Bikram studios nationwide, I humbly give thanks for all the help I have received. And, even though I almost burned my house down from lack of cooking skills, I quietly thank the universe for putting all my creativity eggs in The Sweat Mate basket. ;)

"Necessity is the mother of invention" -Gulliver's Travels

Probably More Killing.

2010-05-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

I like to pretend I am a sweet wife by doing things like ~~burning~~ cooking salmon, or ~~killing~~ growing flowers.

I'm 0 for 1 so far with the salmon, so lets see how long these flowers last! My worry is the Morning Glory. Stuff in pots I can usually keep alive, but stuff in the ground is pretty much doomed. Then the winds came yesterday and ripped all the leaves to shreds, but I was still happy to find some little tendrils growing up the trellis! I might get lucky with those little dudes - I hope they engulf that trellis like me on fried chicken.

Now that the yard-work is done, time to start getting the camping gear together for this year's Memorial voyage. I feel like I am waiting for Christmas right now, I am THAT excited to go camping. 1 more entire days. Woe is me.

Documented my flowers to prove they were alive, at one point. UPDATE: The lilac in front still lives! DOUBLE UPDATE: The flowers on it are all dead. Forshadowing?!?!

Five Points Jazz Festival

2010-05-25T10:10:00.000-06:00

We moseyed down to the Five Points Jazz Fest this weekend with some friends, and were only there for about an hour since it was EL SCORCHO out on Saturday. But, I was able to stuff a fried shrimp basket down my gullet, and my very first Italian Ice! Mmmm!

Music was awesome, food was awesome, people watching was phenomenal. I was that kid that stared gaping at everyone in restaurants even tho my mom keep jerking my head back towards my plate with one of my braids. Never did grow out of it.

Cats Are Dangerous.

2010-05-21T09:41:00.000-06:00

I am on a blogging-fest right now, and of course, NONE of it is about sewing or bags or crafting, but this story I just have to tell. :)

My husband was in a head-on car accident 15 years ago, which, among other things, left his one shattered leg a bit shorter than the other one. He's a super athletic guy, so it never really bothered him that his hip is out of alignment. But, after 15 years of walking around like that, it's starting to catch up, and affect his lower back.

Anywho, the last time he threw his back out, he was bending over our back stone patio, holding a 50 pound bag of patio sand, when lovely Charlie jumped over the fence. Simon heard him going over, turned to look, and that was that - he was in bed for several days.

So, obviously, it happened AGAIN, but this time the story is EVER so much better. :)

Charlie also has a wee bit (this is sarcasm) of a hairball issue, which causes him to yack on average of thrice a day. Yum. Luckily, he dry heaves for about 30 seconds before blasting, so I even hear it in my SLEEP, which gives me just enough time to wake up, realize that I am NOT naked in front of my 7th grade class, locate a towel, and get it in front of his multh to catch the inevitable mess.

Sunday night, this is what happens.

3AM, I hear the choking sound, groggily look around, and see Charlie heaving on the TOP FLIGHT of the cat climby that is in our bedroom. NOTE: This climby is RIGHT next to the window, and the roman shades are DOWN, and he is FACING THEM. A horrifying picture of cat yack blasting out of his multh (Witches of Eastwick style), all over my roman shade, running down the shade, the wall, onto the carpet, and into the heater vent flashed through my head, and I PANIC.

I LEAP out of bed, RUN to the climby, and grab hold of him to RIP him off the top to put him on the carpet so at least he will yack into one little spot. Charlie, however, has a different idea of what is going to happen here.

As I start to pull him down in the middle of his dry heave, he digs every single sharp nail he owns into the top of that damn climby as I attempt to rip him off the top of it. In total slow-mo, I see the entire cat climby is crashing down with him clinging to the top of it, while YACK is flying through the air with the grossest of ease.

Meanwhile, back at the bed, Simon hears this racket, and, convinced that I am wrestling a rapist (apparently I yelped during this circus act), does a one-move oblique sit-up in reaction to my yelping, and *TWEEEEEEEEEK*!! Hurt his back.

Now everyone run out and get a cat; they are GRRREAT!! ;)

Here is my favorite picture of Charlie, the acrobatic-yack-blaster. THIS is the only reason our pets (I accidentally typed 'pest' here first - ha!) are not out with the trash:

Cute, right?? Ah Charlie, I love your yack-face so!

Spring Feverish

2010-05-20T12:24:00.000-06:00

I am freaking out for warm weather.

Barbecue's, sun, camping, picnics, mountain biking, yard games - you name it, I am already excited for it. We even jumped the gun on Sunday night, and invited 2 friends over for BBQ chicken, potato salad, 7 layer dip; the WORKS. Then, inevitably, it started to cool off as the sun went down. We even bundled up, dude, but decided we were a bit over-the-top and headed inside, vowing that NEXT Sunday would be warm enough for a REAL BBQ.

Seeing as how the campgrounds don't open until Memorial Day AND I am on-call for work this weekend, we will be sticking around the hood and attending the Five Points Jazz Festival. Weather is supposed to be AWESOME, as well as the music and food! There is so much dang history in this neighborhood, and I can't wait to immerse myself in it. That and beer. Mmmm. There is even a photography contest where you can win a Chipotle burrito, so you KNOW I am in for that. Duh.

THEN, starting in June is the City Park Jazz series, which means picnics on Sunday evenings in City Park, sitting super far from the bandstand (we get there late since we spend most of the day ~~on the couch nursing hangovers~~ making bags), listening to the music float over the trees, sipping wine/beer and eating snacks and yacking with friends. Seriously, WHO doesn't love a picnic?? That being said, I NEEEED the picnic items shown below in order to make the most of my experience; don't you think?!

I Burn Stuff.

2010-05-19T10:06:00.000-06:00

I tried to be The Good Wife the other night and make Simon a succulent dinner consisting of Maple Grilled Salmon, Au Gratin Potatoes, and Oven Roasted Green Beans. Seriously, I am BAD at cooking, so I was very excited to have found very simple recipes that were easy to follow, and didn't use big words. For example, the potatoes were SO simple - they came in a BOX! ;) I even put on my ADORABLE Amy Butler apron that I made from scratch, just to look the part. NOTE: after re-reading this paragraph, I realize that this is TOTAL foreshadowing that I am paying more attention to my accessories than the food.

Then it started raining.

OK, don't panic, Simon just bought an indoor grilling dealy that fits over 2 burners on the stove, so I can TOTALLY do this in here. WOO! I busted it out, heated it up, got the rest of the stuff going, put the dry rub on the salmon (mmm), and off I went. Then, it came time to put the salmon on the grill.

This is the part where I learn something the hard way. Shit I put on the grill SMOKES (especially with a dry rub) and I never noticed it because ~~I never grill ever~~ the grill is OUTSIDE. So I pop on that stupid microwave fan clearing my view of the mild smoke (all the while pumping it BACK into the room out of that STUPID, pointless vent above my head), so I continue. I seriously think Simon could see the room filling up with smoke, but wanted MORE to laugh at me cuz I can't even cook stupid fish.

THEN the smoke alarms go off. And, since we have ADT, not ONLY are they all wired together AND all going off at once, BUT, they automagically call the fire department after they have been on for so long. AWESOME.

I grab a chair and my 'in testing' City Mate bag, and begin to fan the holy CRAP out of the smoke alarm that is *brilliantly* right next to the kitchen. I am fanning my ace off, nothing is happening, and the smoke seems to be getting worse. OH RIGHT - THE SALMON! Simon is in the kitchen by now, turns off the salmon, opens every window in the entire house, and FINALLY my fanning is rewarded with the sound of ~~ringing in my ears~~ SILENCE.

The salmon had a nice burnt crisp outside to it, but the inside wasn't even friggin cooked. I nuked mine in that worthless microwave, ate it (the dry rub was actually quite good!), and stomped upstairs to pout by myself, thinking how SAD it was that I have fantastic craftiness skills and NO cooking skills whatsoever. I blame that on my brother - he sucked up all the cooking skills. He is a CHEF, and I can't even cook pasta al dente. I rock.

I found Simon's somewhat-eaten salmon in a tupperware in the fridge the next morning. I am the best wife EVER. ;)

Now, for your culinary delights, some wonderful pictures of what my amazing husband can whip up out of a can of tomato sauce and a slice of bread to make me feel even worse about myself!

*whine*

If he wants to eat, he has 2 options:

1.) Cook it himself, or
2.) Hand me the phone.

I Drink for "Dress for Success"

2010-05-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

If you'd like me to attend and donate to your cause, just serve wine.

My girl January is volunteering her time for the Dress for Success charity, which promotes economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools. Yup, she's rad. PLUS, she made all this crazy awesome food (also a reason I will attend a benefit), including bacon wrapped dates with an almond stuffed in the middle. I had to get on the treadmill for an hour the next day. Mmmmm!

One of the ladies there has been stalking Oprah with *the best* way to tie a scarf, and she taught all of us how. I will only teach you if you promise to do a drive-by on Oprah's house and throw a DVD of the scarf-tying video into her yard. Oprah, if you read this, put my girl on your show or I'm calling Ellen.

I raped my closet for clothing to donate, and we had the BEST turnout of people AND donations: clothes, jewelry, shoes, even makeup! Love my girls.

Kudos to January for setting all of this up, and getting a HUGE donation to a fantastic cause.

Aloha, Grammy!

2010-05-14T10:18:00.001-06:00

Here is my 78 year old Grammy on her VERY FIRST Hawaiian cruise. How AWESOME is that?

We bought her a digital camera for Christmas just so she could take pics on this trip. Naturally, when she came back, she handed it straight over to me to get the pictures off. These are a few of my favorite pictures, as seen through my Grammy. With, of course, one of her, happy as a sea clam.

In Testing: The City Mate!

2010-04-28T11:36:00.001-06:00

So the adorable EnvironMate grocery bags are a super hit (and super cute, I might add!!), but my customers in New York have pointed out that they do NOT put bags of groceries into their carts, and then wheel them out to their car. They WALK. See how much I pay attention to the world outside my backyard?! Gheesh!

Speaking of my backyard, here is my attempting a self portrait to get a good pic of this bag. I just realized I was wearing my Hawaii Hello Kitty T that my Grammy just brought me from her cruise. More on that later!

My lovely mom has made me this sample of The City Mate, which is basically an over sized version of The EnvironMate, meant for a few days worth of grocery shopping on foot. Still lined with plastic to catch up the spills, and still adorable (pictured here in IKEA fabric). I took it to the mall the other day as my shopping bag, and it was a hit there, too! Hm, lined with plastic, oversized - beach bag? Swim bag? Picnic bag?! Endless uses! (PS - that was a shameless plug for an item I don't even sell yet. Go me.)

I'm thinking of changing the dimensions up a bit (it's currently square, which makes it a bit long) to make it more comfortable when its weighted down pretty well. I will absolutely be throwing boxed wine, a blanket, and some snacks and heading over to the park for a picnic this summer. Hopefully the R&D will be done on this sucker soon, and it will be up on the website!

Bringing Back Box Wine!

2010-04-27T12:12:00.001-06:00

This was an Earth Day special at my local liquor store. Made of mostly recycled packaging, recyclable, lightweight (aka less emissions during shipping), and most importantly, more wine than a standard bottle!

These are gonna be perfect for throwing in the old cooler when its time to picnic at City Park Jazz. Hooray for summer!

This is me practicing taking product photos. I read in an interview with a successful small biz, and product photos are MOST IMPORTANT. Mine suck, so I gotta learn. This one was taken in total natural lighting. I need to bust out my reflector next time!

I'll Probably Kill This.

2010-04-22T10:08:00.000-06:00

So I took a picture that proves that it WAS alive, at one point.

There has been a rosebush in our front yard for about 100 years (according to neighbors). It was WAY overgrown, would NOT bloom (not like I know how to prune it or anything), and SUCKED to get anywhere near (I have scars).

So Simon and I chopped that sucker down, dug to China to get the 200lb root ball out of the ground, and planted this lovely in its place. Huh. Wonder how long it will last.

We both grew up with lilacs in the yard, and they ain't lying when they say that smell is rooted to memory. Ah, they smell sooooooo good. I can't wait till it gets bigger and I can cut the blooms and put them all over the house. If it lives past tomorrow, that is.

Happy Earth Day!

Rockies Opening Day

2010-04-20T09:34:00.000-06:00

My super rad husband and his super rad friends have allowed me to tag along with them over the past 4 years for the shenanigans that is Rockies Opening Day. It was traditionally a guy thing until I came along, and since I burp and cuss like a sailor, I was adopted.

We all went to breakfast at 10, and we were on the rooftop drinking by 11. At some point, we headed to the game, which was simply BEAUTIFUL - perfect day for it!!! I ate a Rockies Dog, enjoyed the game, then right back to the bar.

This is the one day a year I pretend that I am 21 again: slamming beers, shots, making new BFF's with the other girls waiting in the hour-long line to the bathroom. Then the very next day, I realize I am 32, as I spend the entire day worthless on the couch, begging for death. :)

Obsession 38: Hipstamatic

2010-04-08T15:11:00.004-06:00

This might be my favorite iPhone app of all time.

Check out the crazy contrast and color saturation in these little photos! MAN they are wonderful! I mean, seriously, I took a picture of my boring house, and look at the COLOR! Great effects!

Hipstamatic. Love it.

Nice Face!

2010-04-06T13:41:00.003-06:00

My idiot friends and I call each other 'FACE' all the time, so when I saw this sucker, I HAD to have it!

I got it from the Mandee Paints Etsy shop, from 'The Compliment Shoppe' section. There are a bunch of adorable little compliments, such as this one saying 'Nice Face!' hand painted on a 4" x 4" mini-canvas, and they hang SO nicely.

I just think this is a killer idea to send off to someone for a birthday or just for a pick-me-up. I got a super sweet little note saying I was AWESOME along with my painting! LOVE IT!

Thanks, Mandee Rae!!

Where The Magic Happens

2010-03-31T15:35:00.008-06:00

OK, its more like a MESS than any sort of magic. Mess and Stress! ;)

FINALLY finished the cover for my giant bulletin board. Cuz of course, if you can sew, you don't just drill cork-board to your wall. It MUST be covered, and it MUST be pretty. Found a tutorial here.

I took some plain canvassy stuff I found a JoAnn, and paired that with a big strip of Amy Butler's fabric from her LOVE line. Sewed it kinda quilt-style so I could add some stitching details, stapled it to a HUGE piece of pin-board (ordered from a local Denver shop that carries crap like that - Homosote works too), and drilled it haphazardly into the wall. Sy made fun of me cuz it is NOT level, but whenever I am in this room, I am drunk-ish, so like I will notice!!

Now all my orders are pinned up nicely and not buried under scraps. And my Knitting Is Sexy calendar was allowed to go up as long as I put up the Laker Girl Calender. Wait - I think I got spoofed on that deal. Huh.

Below are more pics of my cozy office, including the monster Juki, my 'big screen TV' that SATC is always playing on, and my crazy shelf full of inventory! Yes, that IS a Hooters mouse pad, and YES, it's anatomically correct, and YES, that makes it much more comfy than a regular mouse pad.

And, I am excited to say that I am only a few months away from moving that big Juki to the sewing shop so they can make the ENTIRE BAG! That will free up my evenings for more important things, like knitting and martinis!

Now, when I post that I have been ~~drinking~~ sewing my face off, you now know exactly where to imagine me ~~passed-out~~ working!!

The Sweat Mate in Austin American Statesman

2010-03-25T09:26:00.003-06:00

We've been published!

The very first editorial we have been featured in!

Amy Gabriel is a style writer in Austin, and was tipped off by a Bikram yogi who attends Bikram Yoga Davenport, where they carry our bags. She contacted me wanting some info on the bag, and wrote a little editorial (here) about us!

We are so excited that the news is spreading. Imagine how many bags we could save!

Thanks, Amy!!

Environmate Goes On Tour!

2010-03-25T08:45:00.003-06:00

My friends Shawn and Brice recently went to Mexico for vacation, and they took these pictures of my bag there!!!!

It's like the roaming gnome, but WAY better!

Brice was saying that they ONLY took that bag wherever they went, and it worked out PERFECTLY for them.

Thank you both for doing such a thoughtful thing!!! Its a HUGE compliment! Plus, I love hearing how functional y'all think it is! MUAH!

Ripple Scarf

2010-03-23T11:08:00.005-06:00

Blame it on my temper.

I started yet another project that I don't have time for, but it was only because I couldn't find the pattern for it, and it pissed me off! Horrible excuse, I know.

I found this RAAAAD scarf on Ravelry, but the folks that make the pattern are in France, the pattern is in French, and they won't ship it to the US. DAMN!

Fine. Don't share. I'll just figure it out on my own! Enter NEW OBSESSION. I went straight to work checking out the picture and fiddling around with yarn in front of March Madness until I mostly figured it out. The picture of theirs (much nicer) and mine (in green) are below.

Ah, ok, totally satisfied now. Bet you $20 this will stay on needles while I find something else to obsess over. Oh look, beer koozies!!!

Damn You, Carrie Bradshaw!!

2010-03-15T11:41:00.002-06:00

This beyotch looks HOT in everything.

So, here's me again, paying attention to the KNITTING and not the STORYLINE. I do this all the time. The WORST is when I see something I LOVE in a movie theater, and I can't pause to admire the knitting, therefore, I miss all kinds of important stuff and end up confused.

But, I was sewing this time, and watching this series (given to me as the BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER by my mom) as I sewed, since sewing gets boring and SATC is RAD. Plus, I have seen this series at least 3 times, so I know all the shiz by heart. This makes for great sewing entertainment since I can't watch the screen all the time, but I know IN MY HEAD whats going on, and I laugh right along.

Anywho, I put these disks into the PC to watch it there, so I was able to capture this LOVELY sweater that Carrie can somehow pull off!

OK, I will admit that this thing looks like Grandma's Afghan taken apart and made into a sweater, and I would look RIDICULOUS and OLD in it. But she looks fantastic! The modern hair, the scalloped neckline, and the bell sleeves (couldn't capture them in action) - delicious!

Added to my never-ending project list. Humph!

BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS!!!

2010-03-11T13:25:00.005-07:00

So I am doing a terrible job with this nasty thing called 'inventory'. Just when I think I have enough bags, some shop comes along and BUYS THEM ALL UP! *snicker*

OK, so running out of inventory is AWESOME cuz it means people like your shiz, and that is the best compliment EVER. But, it also kinda SUCKS because now I have to sew night and day to make bags FROM SCRATCH, which makes me behind on orders, which makes me drink a LOT of wine, which makes me drunk. And broke.

Anyway. I had ordered 4 bolts of the Wildwood fabric because it's my biggest seller (behind Wallflower, which they messed up in production and it's on back-order from the manufacturer). I get the shipment last week, open it up, and all four bolts are WRONG. So, here is me, ordering fabric at the last minute since my inventory got all scooped up, and then I wait a week to get it, and its all WRONG?!?! OK, this is something I did NOT expect. Nor do I know how to handle. Or deal with emotionally. ;)

So I call the lady at Westminster Fibers, tell her they wrapped the WRONG fabric on the RIGHT bolt (it DID say the right number for Wildwood!), and PLEASE make sure to call the warehouse and TELL them their mistake so they DON'T ship me 4 more of the same WRONG bolts.

Of course, all this week I stressed that I would FO SHO get the wrong stuff, and tried to prepare myself for it.

Then, a miracle happened.

I get the replacement shipment today at work, I open it up...

AND SCREAM!!

Then I clap my hand over my mouth cuz, WAY TO GO, AURORA, scream so all your coworkers come running, see your huge box of FABRIC, and now know that you have your personal stuff shipped to work cuz you live in a not-so-good neighborhood, and your packages sometimes disappear off your porch, like my adorable pillows off my Adirondack chairs. Friggin jerks.

I look inside, and not ONLY did they get the order CORRECT, but they ALSO shipped me the Wallflower that was on BACK-ORDER!!!!! OK, I am a total RETARD for screaming and getting this exited about FABRIC, but seriously, that is a HUGE weight off my shoulders, and will totally MAKE my weekend. All I want for Christmas is the correct goddam order. ;)

Dude, I am freaking out here. I can take these straight to the sewing shop and get bags all made up, have LOTS of inventory, maybe take a night off and go to a movie, and FOR SURE spend all day Saturday drinking Green Beer starting at 10AM and not feel stressed! WOOOO!

OK. Done celebrating. My coworkers made sure I didn't win the lotto, now its back to work for us. *inner grin*

Our First 5K Run!

2010-03-11T11:03:00.005-07:00

So my running buddy is my sweet-ace dog, Jackson. He just had his 6th birthday in January, so he tries to keep in shape in his older age. :)

We try to go running in City Park at least 3 times a week. I have never kept track of how long it takes (not counting the THREE, yes THREE times this idiot has to stop to POOP), or how far I go - I have always just found a route that takes me about 30 minutes so I can get some cardio in AND walk some poop out of the dog. Less I have to clean up in my yard later.

Somehow, along the way, we got addicted to it, and me and crazy dog went running all this winter, too. At our last house, I could start my run out the front door since we lived 5 blocks from the park. Now we live about 12 blocks away, and I HATE running on pavement since I am an old folk and my knees hurt, so we drive. We get to the park at about 5:45AM, so it has been DARK and COLD. We will even go in the snow; that's how dedicated (um, psycho??) we are! As long as the temp is below freezing, the snow doesn't melt and stick to our feet, so we don't get wet.

Anywho, the peeps at work have organized a 5K run for St. Patty's Day, and I got roped into it by coworkers. Thinking it was going to KILL me, I figured I better find out how far I run in the morning, and then I can get an idea of what kind of mess I will be once the damn thing is over.

Dude, I thought I was running like ONE MILE each morning, but turns out, I was just short of running 5K! So I found this sweet map online, and apparently the trail I am running is called the Mile High Loop, and most of the path is exactly 5,280 feet high! And, its a damn 5K loop! GO ME!

OK, so I was cutting off that last bit at the end that runs along Colorado Blvd, but I ran the ENTIRE thing (no cheating!) this morning just so I could say I have officially run a 5K.

Bring it, St. Patty's Day 5K! Bet I will be thirsty for some green beer afterward. ;)

Yogaless, Blogless....Complaintless!

2010-03-04T13:26:00.004-07:00

So I don't have time for yoga anymore. Obviously, I don't have time to blog anymore. And, I choose not to party near as much since it is SO PAINFUL to sew on a hangover. Ug!

But, even though this sounds like a huge list of complaints, I am EXTREMELY excited to make these sacrifices for our little project called The Sweat Mate. *everyone say 'awww!' here*

The popularity of these little guys has really led me to believe that we have a heck of an idea on our hands here. It started out, of course, as a hobby; a way for me to spread my hippie-tree-hugging around for other fellow hippie-tree-huggers. It blossomed into a hobby, then a website, and then into a business.

And now, I am swamped! *cheering*

Simon and I sat down over an Italian dinner and several glasses of wine in January, and decided that this year was OUR year. I don't care if I am sewing EVERY FREE MOMENT I have - my customers love this product, hence I think it is a great idea, and I think it DESERVES some attention. It needs to be nurtured so it can grow, and have the chance to reach its full potential without my lazy ass holding it back!!

There is going to be a point where I am pretty much overwhelmed with the work, and I already have plans to offload it to my LOCAL sewing shop (yay local economies!), and step back and just manage. I've got it all budgeted and planned and discussed. But I've got to push it to that point, and that means marketing to my customers and getting our name out there. So no matter how swamped I am, no matter how many bottles of wine I need to SLAM to get through HOURS of sewing when all I really want to do is get fat on my couch, I will keep pushing myself to my limit for this entire year to get this where it needs to go.

Insert cheer-leading here:
"Be! Aggressive! B! E! Aggressive! Be A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! Aggressive! Be be Aggressive!"

(thank god for spell check - I spelled that word wrong even tho I can cheer it - duh)

I'm not pushing it for the money. Obviously, I would like to be able to quit my IT job (oh, to never be on-call again!!!) and do this full time, since sewing is WAY less stress than this place. Who am I kidding - being a brain surgeon would be less stressful some days. For me, its about the things I am doing for this itty bitty planet.

Yeah, yeah, its SOOO cliche to say 'every little bit helps!' but whatev - I say it anyway. And it's true!! Each one of these babies has the potential to save 1000 bags over its lifetime. We have sold over 1200 Sweat Mates - that is 1.2M bags we have potentially saved from landfills. Even now, as I type that, I can't friggin believe it got to this point, and is growing daily. I can't help but be DAMN proud of that!

Thanks to each and every one of you for buying ANY SORT of reusable bag - mine or not. Sure, it's a small gesture. But it's THOUGHTFUL gesture. It restores my faith that people do believe in giving just a bit to help out this beautiful planet of ours.

Now, I am getting off my soapbox and going back into my sewing room. MUAH!

Dude, I Owe You!

2010-02-26T15:47:00.006-07:00

I have to give a shout-out to William Sharpless Jackson Jr. (better known as Bill) for donating his hard earned cash to the Colorado State First Generation Award Scholarship Fund.

I know you all are just DYING to know how I got so dang brilliant. Well, my mom worked as a checker at a grocery store for 20 years, and couldn't afford to put me through school. She also didn't go to college, so I was eligible for this fancy deal called The First Generation Award.

Then, my mom, sick of the check stand, got motivated to go to school when I did. Turns out, she was eligible too! So we both took advantage of this scholarship, stuffed our brains full of knowledge, earned our degrees, and RAN.

Seriously, if it was NOT for this award, I would not have had the opportunity to go to college, and get as wicked smart as I am. And I have the wonderful folks like Bill Jackson to thank for it!

Below is a pic of Mom, Paul Thayer (First Gen Director), Me, and AWESOME Bill. We had the opportunity to drive him from his home in Denver up to the dinner in Fort Collins, and MAN does this guy have some great stories! Mom and I are going to take him to dinner at The Brown Palace, where he met his wife (now deceased) in 1942!

I hope that, in meeting him, we have proven to him that the money he is donating is indeed going to a worthy cause. I hope that he is proud to be our benefactor.

Now I just need to make myself a success to prove I deserved it! Now, who wants to buy a million Sweat Mate's?? ;)

Junior's Blanklet

2010-02-16T15:49:00.003-07:00

WOW, it might be a miracle. I finally finished a project. :)

This sucker was meant for a Christmas present last year, and FINALLY got to this very patient kid on his birthday. :)

Here is a lovely picture of him wrapped all up in shortly after he ripped it out of the bag, screaming. "My blanklet!! My Blanklet! You finished it!" Yup, can't even sneak that past a kid - even HE knew it took me forever!

Absolutely 1000% worth the work after the big fat hug I got. *melt*

Very First Anniversary

2010-01-26T08:40:00.004-07:00

This first anniversary is a miracle.

Yes, I joke constantly about how we are both still alive, and neither of us murdered each other, but that is not what I am referencing here. Although I did come close a few times. J/K!

We have a crazy story that almost never was. I met this man on January 17th, 2000, on my first day of work at Level 3. That was 10 years ago. We became friends immediately, but there was always something more there, right from the very first moment.

Nine years and two divorces later, two very dear friends married each other on January 23rd, 2009 on a beach in Mexico.

Not only is it INSANE that I get to wake up beside him every single morning, that he is in my life every day, that we get to spend nearly every moment together, but that we were able to actually MARRY each other.

We get up in the morning together, work out together, shower together (ok, stop it, I like to save water, you pervs!), drive to work together, actually WORK together all day, drive home, and then spend the evening together. Yeah, its definitely a miracle we haven't killed each other too (although there are days where we shower in silence, drive in silence, work normally all day as if nothing happened, then drive home in more silence - ha ha!). We spend more time together than any other couple I know - its almost sad! But, I seriously love it. I almost left Level 3 for a different job, but working with my husband is a serious perk!!!

I don't try to pretend that it wasn't a mess that we both went through to be together. But because of that mess, I appreciate him (almost) every day - when stress doesn't make me try to snap his head right off his neck. ;) Being together always seemed out of our reach and, at one time in our lives, we almost walked away from it. But against all odds, we somehow find ourselves here, 1 year to the day that we were married. Seriously: Miracle.

Aurora Mushroom Pants

2010-01-18T16:18:00.005-07:00

See, when you get old, you try to find trends that make you look younger. Not like a mushroom.

Skinny jeans are SO in right now. Especially with boots over them. I'm skinny enough, so I go running to my local Forever 21 (ahem...I'm 32) to get the most adorable pair of skinny jeans. Woo! Then, off to Steve Madden for this GREAT pair of heeled cowboy boots.

I get home, get on my outfit, look in the mirror, and I look like the picture over on the left. I even tried my favorite pair of boot cut jeans, stuffing the jeans down into the boots. Mushroom.

I've determined that my booty is just too darn big.

Don't get me wrong, I love my ghetto booty. A big booty is essential for checking chicks out of the crease in hockey, and my ace has taken some BIG chicks out. I even did squats and deadlifts back then to make that sucker a lethal weapon. Defense! Defense!

It looks damn good in boot leg or flare jeans. But, draw attention to the lack of calves, topped off with bubble butt: Mushroom.

I have had this amazing pair of cowboy boots for a YEAR now, and just can't bring myself to wear them. Every time, no matter what pair of jeans: Mushroom.

If you are a size 7 and wont look like Sputnik wearing them, they might love you more.

Dude, I just don't know.

2010-01-12T15:49:00.006-07:00

Somebody. Stop. Me.

I seriously think I need some drugs. I am obsessed with finding NEW crap to make right when the current stuff I am making (aka the other 22 projects) gets kinda boring (like 5 minutes after I start it). Did I mention I should not even be doing ANY of this since I have bags to sew? I have no idea what the word 'priority' means, clearly.

I am currently working on these super duper rad gloves, since its always cold in the sewing room, which I am always in hammering out Sweat Mates (woo!). Not only will I look SO FANCY while filling orders and rocking out to Lil' Wayne, but I'll be warm!

Then, while being super impatient and freaking out that I have NOTHING to do while watching football one Sunday, I grabbed some scrap yarn and started this little hippo in some sort of bathing suit. Dude, don't ask why. Whenever I need a fast project, it usually has to do with babies. The girls around me are getting knocked up left and right, so I am always stocking up on gift inventory. NOTE: If you are planning on getting knocked up, you might get this. ;) Race for it, ladies!!! j/k

Then there is THIS bad-ace quilt that is just too awesome not to make. Did I mention I am already knee deep in a quilt for my nephew, which, btw, I was SUPPOSED to give him for Christmas, but totally did NOT get it finished? Thanks, ya damned hippo!!! Gheesh.

Last, but obviously not least, is this guy. Dude, do you know how much of the NBA season I can get through making these little hexagon dealies? I already checked out how much yarn I need and its like $120 worth. WTF! That is redonky. But, since I don't even know how to spell wil pwr, I am sure I will splurge. I'll just buy it in small bits so Simon doesn't notice I never pull out my debit card at the grocery store anymore, and all the sudden we have to take the BUS to work cuz I can't afford gas. Wicked sneaky.

Icarus Scarf

2010-01-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

I started this thing LAST year for a Mother's Day gift for my mom.

I gave it to her for Christmas.

It's nice that all my friends think they can depend on me until they read my blog. Yikes!

This is the Icarus Scarf that I found on the other favorite blog, The Purl Bee. I used the yarn the recommended called Silken Straw in some purplish hues (it's my mom's fave color), but it ended up looking sort of pinkish (which is NOT her favorite color) but whatever. That shiz was expensive, and it took me 8 months to make, so LOVE it. ;)

This stuff is amazing yarn. It's made of silk, but its straw-like (is it stupid I am explaining what Silken Straw is made of???) so its a pain in the arse to crochet with, hence the 8 months. But I think it turned out pretty darn smart, and mom sure loved it, which is all I really care about. :)

Granny Square Afghan

2010-01-08T08:51:00.001-07:00

OK, trying to bring this UP a bit here.

*sigh*

Here is my latest project. I made this sucker at the very LAST minute, of course, since I am SUPER DUPER awesome at planning ahead. My 10 year old sister now has her very own room at my dad's house, with a very white comforter on the bed. She FO SHO needed some color in her room, so I busted this sucker out on the couch for several evenings before we went to Costa Rica. I finished it the day before Christmas. Go me.

Found this pattern here on Lion Brand's website. They call this Hither Green Throw, although you can also find it as Boomer Granny Afghan, or Granny Square Afghan. They make this same pattern in different colors and call them something different to make you think they are more creative than they really are. That's my theory, anyway. :)

At any rate, its a dang Granny Square, which is a traditional square. This very blanket, actually, turned me on to crochet and knitting. My Granny Do (short for Dolores) made this very blanky for me in pink when I was a kid. I happened to get a Lion Brand catalog in the mail, saw this sucker, and became OBSESSED (surprised?) with learning to crochet so I could make one. Since my little sister didn't get to spend that much time with my Granny before she passed, I thought it only appropriate that she get one, too. In updated colors, of course. :)

Blowing Kisses

2010-01-07T16:14:00.005-07:00

We all finally said our official goodbye to little Reed.

This was pretty much the worst New Years ever for everyone involved. Despite that, there was a crazy amount of love that stood in that cul-de-sac that day, that Tami and Sloane would otherwise never have known. Although it took a devastating loss to prove it was there, I was so thankful for everyone and their love and energy and prayers and support and thoughts and hugs and tears.

I can only hope that a brighter future awaits my friends. The love and faith they have in life and in each other gives me hope.

May the spot in your hearts for Reed be filled not with pain, but with perpetual love, and fond, fond memories.

Be at peace.

Reed Thomas Stricker

April 21, 2008 - January 1, 2010

Blue Moon

2010-01-04T14:51:00.006-07:00

The moon was blue when I came into this world.

It was also blue when Reed went out of it.

I have always had an odd attachment to this big floating orb, since I was born under a blue moon. Every time there is one, I get incredibly excited, and take a zillion pics that never turn out. But, I got a good one this time, and wanted to make a tribute to it.

Death is a journey that everyone has to go on alone. It gives me much comfort that this beautiful blue moon was watching over little Reed as he made that journey. Now, a blue moon has even more special meaning in my heart.

A blue moon is something that he and I now share, and whenever I look upon another one, I will always think of my little buddy Reed, and smile . :)

A Heavy Heart

2010-01-03T07:53:00.005-07:00

I don't even really know where to begin here, so I will just go for it.

My dear friends Tami and Sloane Stricker lost their beautiful baby boy Reed in the early morning hours of New Years Day.

At this point, I can only regurgitate facts since I am having the worst time processing this. Tami and Sloane are the most amazing people, and it is beyond my understanding how something like this could happen to them.

Reed Stricker was born with a rare DNA mutation called Dravet's Syndrome. This caused him to suffer from seizures on a daily basis. From what I understand, there is little knowledge of how to treat this disorder, and Reed had a difficult road ahead of him. Being only 20 months old, he really had no idea that anything was wrong with him; he DEFINITELY was the flirt of the year!! Happy, bubbly, silly, active, creative, ADORABLE.

On New Years Eve, during a normal afternoon nap, Reed suffered from a seizure that his body could not recover from. In the wee hours of the morning on New Years Day, surrounded by his parents and grandparents, Reed passed away.

It's so very difficult to accept the fact that nature creates some things that just can't be fixed. I always whole heartedly believed that they would find a way to manage his condition. Whenever Tami and I would talk about it, I would ALWAYS reassure her that this was temporary, and even though it is really tough right now, things would get better, and she would BARELY remember this awful time. Now I feel horrible that the future I assured her would come, won't.

The reality of the situation, as easy as it is to ignore it, is that he had very little chance for a normal life. To my comfort, his parents realize that he now does NOT have to go through a childhood where he can't go out and play in the snow with the other kids, or he can't go to the swimming pool to play in the sun. At that point, he would have known that he was different from everyone else. But, at 20 months old, Reed Stricker only knew LOVE.

That is my silver lining. I search for comfort, and find that. Although Reed was my little buddy, and I miss him, my personal pain from this loss is so small and insignificant to the pain I feel for my dear friends who are lost without him. It simply breaks my heart to see them going through this.

New Years will never be the same. Someone in the grocery store yesterday told me 'Happy New Year' and I wanted to punch them in the face. I know time will heal, and we won't all feel like that after a bit, but none of us will ever forget.

To Tami and Sloane: You are the most amazing, dedicated, loving, selfless parents I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Reed could have been born any parents, giving him who knows what kind of life, but he was blessed with the two of you. His happiness and complete ignorance of his condition was solely your doing, and I am in awe of the quality of life that little boy had while in your care.

To Burke: I am going to chase your little butt down the next time I see you and give you a big fat kiss. I know you don't understand why your little shadow is no longer here, and I can only hope that the memories of your little brother comfort you as you grow.

To Reed: My buddy, you will always be my favorite little lunch date! I am deeply honored that I was able to be a part of your life. You have touched so many people, and blessed their lives. You are a brave, brave soul, and the teacher of many things. I will miss your laugh the most. I know that you have found peace, and for that, I am joyful.

Its so incredibly hard to watch people you love in so much pain, and be helpless to console. The only thing that I can do is open my arms, and hug my friend.

And so I will.

Pura Vida: Our Costa Rica Trip!

2009-12-28T10:47:00.003-07:00

I would offer to try and make this brief, but that is like asking the sun not to shine. I'm wordy. I accept it. :)

Costa Rica: Arrival Day

They say NEVER drive in Costa Rica at night. Potholes, lack of signage, etc. So our flight arrives at 3PM, and the sun sets at 5:30PM. But, once we land, we STILL have to get our baggage, go through immigration, customs, AND find a rental car, THEN drive 3.5 hours to our hotel in La Fortuna. Yup, we're gonna drive in the damn dark.

Turns out, its really not so bad as long as you have a brain don't have A.D.D. so you can keep your eyeballs on the road. Plus, it REALLY helps when you have a sweet wife who is a super rad passenger seat driver. ;) After a time, we applied our fantastic I.T. skills, and developed a process: Simon maneuvered the unlit mountain pass-like roads in the dark AND in the fog, while I calmly pointed out the items in the road: "Pothole on the left. Big truck coming. One-lane bridge ahead. Pedestrian on the right. Bicyclist. More pedestrians. Dog. Cattle."

Now, you think I might be exaggerating, but DUDE. Peeps just walk IN THE ROAD. Even if there is a shoulder, which usually, there is NOT. Big work trucks have to drive down the center of the road, and they DO NOT slow down, and we HUG the edge of the road, hoping to not plunge over the side as they NARROWLY MISS us. I can sum up the driving there in one word: INSANE. No lights, no sidewalks, definitely no signs. We got lost (only) 3 or 4 times on the way to the hotel, and each time I asked for directions, they always had landmarks for the turns: "Turn left at the big church" and shit like that. In the dark. And the fog. With road hazards. And dogs and cattle and pedestrians. Did I mention IN THE DARK?

Anyway, it took us about 5 hours to get to our hotel, which was NOT bad - I thought for sure we would get totally lost and end up in Nicaragua, so I was pretty damn thrilled to see the hotel. Plus, they handed us a frozen drink upon arrival, so things were looking good!

Day One: La Fortuna & Zip Lines

As soon as the sun came up the next day, I was out the door with my camera. I am from Colorado, and shit is just BROWN there. There is a rare time in the spring where everything is really green before the sun scorches it away, but its always kind of a dark, piney green. NOTHING like this. I am obsessed with the tropical flowers IMMEDIATLY. And, bananas growing outside our front door? Are you kidding me??

We stayed at Arenal Springs Resort in La Fortuna, at the base of the Arenal volcano. This is now my most favorite hotel on earth. We had a little bungalow, with BIG windows to see the volcano from. We slept in, and then went into town to explore and have breakfast.

After we had throughly pigged out and explored, we went for our zipline tour! Most of the tours were in the morning, so Simon and I decided that, since we had a car, we would sleep in every day, and do our toury-stuff in the afternoon. GOOD PLAN (thanks Uncle Curt). We had the zip lines to ourselves - just us and the guides, who were HILAROUS, and took tons of pics and video. They even showed us some wildlife (aka super freaky reptiles). Totally smoking awesome - super fast cables, and just scary enough to make it super fun!

We ended the night with beers and dinner in town. Greatest first day ever!

Day Two: Hanging Bridges

Again, since this was VACATION, we slept in. It was raining off and on, and we decided to sit on our wonderful porch and read books listening to the rain, and wait till it cleared up. I am telling you, people, rest and relaxation like this will cure ANYTHING!

Once we saw a break in the weather, we got in our sweet off-roading rig, and headed for the hanging bridges (with raingear in tow, of course). This might have been my FAVORITE thing we did. It's this big long rainforest hike, with these amazing suspension bridges across valleys with amazing views, AND you are walking right up there in the canopy! Its supposed to take 1.5 hours to get thru, but I am a lollygagging/picture-taking machine, so we were in there like 4 hours. And, there was NO ONE there - just the 2 of us, with the exeption of a couple we passed, and we exchanged photo-snapping duties. After that, we only saw monkeys! Simon's favorite part was when I jumped up and down on the suspension bridge once we were smack dab in the middle, but he will never admit it.

Right before the end of the trail, we heard this crazy sound all around us (here is where I look for some huge animal charging at us), and we realize it's the rain (I'm a genius)! We slap on our rain gear, and about 45 seconds after we first heard the noise, the rain was on us - it took THAT LONG to seep thru the canopy! AWESOME! Since the rain is like bathwater there (not this freezing drizzle crap known as Colorado rain), we happily marched along, super excited to be caught in a RAINstorm in a RAINforest.

There was a super small restaurant in the parking area, and I ate Casado (typical Costa Rican meal) for lunch, and we watched the rain start POUNDING at the windows. We sat there and talked to the owners for a bit, enjoying a coffee, and watching the rain. AWESOME day!

After that, it was more relaxing on our front porch watching the rain. I must say I welcomed the rain - it forced us to take some much needed downtime.

Day Three: Volcano Lava Flow

More rain. We ate breakfast in the open-air restaurant of our hotel, right next to the rain. It was so fresh and green out there! Amazing!

More relaxing in the room, and finally decided at about 1PM that we would go for the volcano hike regardless of the rain. The worst thing that could happen was we get WET. Big friggin deal. Off we went.

We were the ONLY ONES in the park. Which says two things: 1.) Rain can NOT stop us, you bastards! and 2.) We are the only goddam idiots crazy enough to hike in the rain. The hike only took us about 45 minutes, and as soon as we got out to the lava flow, THE RAIN STOPPED.

It was incredible. It was completely silent, with the entire valley opening up before us, with patches of sun peeking through here and there, reflecting off the lake below, and highlighting the steam rising out of the rainforest. I swear it was a religious experience.

We were in complete aw of the lava fields. "Can you believe this used to be FLOWING down here like WATER?" "Yeah, dude, I can't believe this happened only 10 years ago." And on and on. I am a total geographic nerd - I am one of those idiots that stops at EVERY info sign stuck on the side of the road that tell about some mountain or some valley. Yup, I hold up traffic for shit like that. Blame me.

I just couldnt get over the fact that things were GROWING on the lava stones. Amazing the way nature recycles, eh?? God, I'm such a hippie.

Once we had spent our max 20 minutes up there (which is all they suggest you stay, since it is still an active volcano, AND I didn't want to make the Darwin awards), we started climbing back down the lava flow, and the rain came back. Thank you for the brief moment, Volcano Gods!

As we were hiking in, we had heard a sound that was like a combo of fierce wind in the trees, and thunder. We, of course, thought nothing of it since we couldnt place it. We also heard it climbing back down the lava flow as we were leaving, and we finally made the connection - it was the damn VOLCANO! Then we realized why they had you back your car into the parking lot: so you can jump in, jam on the gas, and get the hell OUT of there when this sucker blows! It gave me CHILLS!

We made it an early night since we had a VERY long drive the next morning to get to Jaco. We were done with the rain, and ready for some friggin sun!!!

Day Four: Driving

We were pretty much used to the crazy driving there now, and Simon was a local: no turn signals, passing people all over the place, blasting through stop signs. I had my camera out like a maniac, except when I saw police - then I hid all signs of being a tourist, as a friend of mine on his honeymoon (can't really hide that you're a tourist when yer wife is blond) got pulled over, and had to give the cop a $40 bribe to NOT get a ticket. Sneaky cops!

We stopped halfway at this restaurant with so-so food, but an AMAZING view. This valley was HUGE, and falcons were ALL OVER the place. It was a nice rest so I could get my land legs back after the last 3 hours of hairpin turns.

More hairpin turns and 2 more hours on the road, and we made it into Jaco! We stayed at the Jaco Beach Best Western since it was cheap, and right on the beach. We unpacked a little, relaxed from the drive, then walked up the beach till we found a bar, me snapping photos all the way. I sat and took pictures of the sunset from my beer, and let the waves lull me into relaxation. After the sun went down, we grabbed some dinner, and went to crash early in our room. That drive was exhausting: 'Pedestrians. Cattle. Dog. Pothole." etc. ;)

Day Five: Hermosa Beach

May I just say, WOW. I had no idea that this place was a black sand beach. Its INCREDIBLE. We slept in, as usual, ate our breakfast at the hotel, then lubed up with sunscreen, and headed down to Hermosa Beach, which is right next door to Jaco Beach, but not rocky, and EMPTY EMPTY EMPTY!

We spread out in the sand, soaked up the sun, frolicked in the ocean (even Simon went in - a bunch of times!), and had a super beachy lazy day. The surfing there is incredible, and you should have seen the waves!! There is NOTHING like lying there in the sand, the sun shining through your closed eyelids, and hearing the surf crashing on the shore. Especially when you're from Colorado. The closest sound we ever hear like that is the trash truck being emptied behind our house on Friday morning. Stupid.

After we were thouroughly sunbathed, we headed back to the hotel for some food. We both had a rude awakening once we got there. I went to take my suit off in the bathroom, and I GASPED at the sight of myself. I was FIRE ENGINE RED. Not Lobster Red like normal sunburned idiots. FIRE ENGINE, folks. We were not even out there that long, AND I was wearing SPF 50! I guess down there at the equator, you need to put sunscreen on every 10 minutes. MY BAD! Plus, you should have seen the sand in my shorts. It was HOT. It was stuck to the creases under my butt once I got the bottoms off, and Simon just laughed his face off at me, claiming I was the SEXIEST thing ever. Well, DUH! ;)

After a nice COLD shower, and lots of lotion later, we went back down to Jaco beach at sunset (we CLEARLY had enough of it during the daylight hours) to take more pictures, and to gather rocks for my beach jar I planned to make when I got home, which later got confiscated at the airport. I SUCK at smuggling.

We went out for a nice dinner, and decided to partake in some Guaro, the local liquor made from sugar cane. We sat and ate and drank and talked out faces off. It helped to drown out the sunburn pain. I wore an orange dress, which looked rediculous on my red skin. I looked like a pitiful, splotchy mess. But I OWNED it. ;)

Here is where I will insert my FOOD collage. Gallo Pinto is the typical food here - rice and beans, with chicken. Or shrimp. Or eggs. Or whatever you want. The entire trip, I ate rice and beans with queso fresco (fresh cheese) every single morning. Then, in La Fortuna, I would eat it again for dinner, with shrimp. Once we got down to the beach, I ate nothing but seafood, tho! We also discovered this drink with 'leches', which means milks (sorry, Holly!), ice cream, and strawberry jelly stuff, called a Churchill. This is my FAVORITE foody discovery from Costa Rica, and we ate them whenever we found them. Which is why there is no pictures of me on here with a bathing suit on. :)

Day Six: Pool

Since we were banned from the beach until sunset (unless we wanted melanoma), we spent today at the pool in the SHADE. It was actualy a SUPER relaxing day filled with reading and frequent dips in the pool to cool our poor crispy skin. We could still hear the ocean in the background, so it turned out to be a great day! Notice, there are no pictures in the DAYTIME. Yup, I banned-out the sun.

Once we lazed the day away, we drove over to Hermosa Beach for sunset this time, planning on stopping for dinner on the way back, plus some souvenier shopping for our friends and family back home. I had the best time chasing the little crabs over the sand, trying to snap their photos, and watching the sun sink into the ocean. It was a bit sad, since we had to get up and leave early the next morning, but I was satisfied, and ready to go home. A passerby snapped a photo of us getting our feet wet in the waves to say goodbye to the ocean. Ah, we will MISS you, Jaco!!

After saying goodbye to the beach, we cheered ourselves up by stuffing our faces with the best yellowfin tuna steaks we ever put in our mulths. Seriously killer. We shopped a bit on our fully tummies, then headed home to pack for our early morning.

Costa Rica: Departure Day

I think I ate extra rice and beans this last morning, just to get my last fill. We checked out of the hotel, then braved the crazy drive back to San Juan. Amazingly, we FOUND our rental car place again, dropped off the car, and headed to the airport. Sad to leave, but good to be headed home.

I miss Costa Rica already. With a 3.5 hour flight back to Houston, then a 2 hour flight to Denver, Costa Rica is SERIOUSLY close enough to visit often, which we definitly plan on doing! This was definitly the top destination I have ever been, and, if my bag biz takes off and I can work from ANYWHERE, it will FO SHO be from Costa Rica.

But inside, safe from the sun. Ouch! ;)

Amy Butler Weekender Bag

2009-12-28T10:15:00.004-07:00

Wow, I have only had this thing done for, oh, a YEAR.

I keep forgetting to take pictures of it, since I am DONE with my obsession making it, and other objects have now taken over my obsessive nature. However, I still LOVE LOVE LOVE this bag, and, as shown here, I use it regularly!

I actually SLOWED DOWN for a bit here on Hermosa Beach in Costa Rica, and was laying on this amazing black sand beach and doing NOTHING but watching the waves and soaking up the sun. I then realized that I had the opportunity to photography my lovely bag! Yes yes, I still owe you the entire Costa Rica blog - I got the pictures all downloaded, and now it will take me a WEEK to write the longest blog you've ever seen.

This is Amy Butler's Weekender Bag, and it is FABULOUS. I pretty much wanted to MURDER while making it - it is next to IMPOSSIBLE to sew all the layers together in a normal persons sewing machine, and after a TON of cussing and LOTS of wine, I finished it! Actually, that is not entirely true - there is a corner that is COMPLETELY not sewn; I just couldn't manage to jam it all in my machine, so I said the F word a dozen times, and left it. But, thankfully, the rest is sewn together so well that you can't even notice, and it does not present a problem. Whew!

I love traveling with this sucker, as it is nice and oversized, and I regularly use it as my carry-on, stuffing the laptop, a book for me and my husband, both of our PSP's (and all the games), my knitting (duh), MP3 player and headphones, wallet, passports, cell phones, and bottle of water all inside, and right within my reach.

The only pockets on this pattern was the 4 on the outside, which RULE, but I also needed some organization inside. So, I added my own - one big zipper pocket and two document pockets on one side, then 3 small passport size pockets (shown) and another document pocket under those. This sucker is HUGE, super functional, and, duh, ADORABLE!

PS - Don't ask me to make you one. I might murder you. ;)

I Am Thankful!

2009-12-01T10:39:00.007-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Monte Vista, Simon's home town. I LOVE LOVE LOVE going there, as you can tell by my previous posts about this place. It's just so darn beyoootiful, plus the family is there, and I love them all like they were my own. :)

His sister Cay put us up for the weekend, and we ALL spent 2 days in the kitchen cooking our faces off. Diana, his niece, even made Apple Cobbler from SCRATCH, dude! Mmmm! Cay made me an EggNog Latte every day, and I am now a ~~big fat pig~~ spoiled brat. ;)

Donnie, the resident MacGyver, who lives next door, provided the outdoor entertainment, which consisted of passing out the brand new puppies (so cuuuuute!), showing off his chainsaw (which WAS awesome, as brandished by Sy's oldest sister), and Junior's brand new 4 wheeler. I almost STOLE that thing to take home, I loved it so much! Alas, I don't think the City of Denver would appreciate me tearing up the public park next to my house with my bitchin' peel-out style! I'll save it for the fields next door to Cay's place, and give Simon another good scare by plowing at breakneck speed through a pile of deadwood! OOP, my bad! ;)

All in all, I felt amazingly thankful for everyone's good health, good company, and abundant food. Considering the shape that some families are in this year, we definitaly felt like royalty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Knitting Is Sexy!

2009-12-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Talk about the ultimate dress-up party for knitting nerds like me!

I had THE BEST time at this function. It was at Strings Restaurant, and the food was amazing. So was the wine. *snicker* I made a TON of new friends, and networked my face off. The sponsors of the event did hair, makeup, and took photos of the ladies who also wanted to show that knitting is sexy! Super fun!

The calendar is AWESOME, btw! And, the proceeds go to charity, which is even more amazing. Who knew crafting could lead to such generosity? Wanna support? Get yours here.

I even got coerced into getting my own picture taken (which I hate), but refused to put down my wine. DUH!

All in all, GREAT party!

The Wonderful Wallaby

2009-11-13T14:31:00.002-07:00

So being on my knitting kick cuz I am so cool, I decided to learn how to knit a sweater. BUT, I didn't want to make one for myself - that might take forever. So I picked the SMALLEST pattern available, and went to work!

Dude, I think this thing turned out pretty dope! Its not super nerdy like some of the things people stuff their poor kids in. This here is my girl Tami's child (adorable!) and he is SWIMMING in it. But, he was a lovely model for me anyway, the sweet boy!

I've never knit a friggin sweater before, so I found this tutorial on how to do the arms, since I read the pattern and had a deer in headlights look on my face. It might as well been written in Greek. I mean, I am pretty smart, but I read it about 400 times and still didn't get it. Whatever, who needs a damn pattern when you have Google!

Colonade Shawl

2009-11-06T11:55:00.003-07:00

Yeah dude, I totally said SHAWL.

Don't cringe - this is a modern twist on the old gramma accessory. I would NOT wear anything that looked gramma-ish, trust me. Unless my view of fashion is totally skewed and I don't look NEAR as hot as I thought I did in this sucker. Eeek!

I found this pattern on Ravelry.com while obsessing over yet ANOTHER project to start (along with 6 others in-progress) since NFL and NBA are in full swing, and I need a little knitting help to keep me occupied on the couch during 6 hours of games. However, the invitation to the release of the Knitting is Sexy Calendar launch party was SUPER motivation to whip this sucker out! Pics from that party to come....

This is the Colonade Shawl by Westknits, and I LOVE IT. I didn't make it quite as long as it is in the picture, and omitted the button so I could use my super rad stick pins (super glued together by yours truly!) to pin them up in a more flattering way.

I am SO bringing back the shawl, yo!!

Octoberness

2009-11-04T09:46:00.002-07:00

October is over already, and I have no clue how it flew by. Time is speeding on toward Christmas, which means I need to start shopping NOW, or I will NEVER make it! Yikes!

Picked a few of my favorite October pictures. The skulls were painted by some tattoo artist friends of mine that work at La Familia and Tribal Rites in Fort Collins. They were auctioned off at a Dia de los Muertos celebration to go toward a scholarship fund. They are so bitchin' I had to share.

Then we had a blizzard, and picked my favorite picture of my dog up to his ears in snow. He went crazy! I also discovered mini loaf pans, and made some banana bread (mmmmmmmmm). Perfect bite size loafs! ;)

Lastly, I think we are the only adults to still take pumpkin carving this seriously. We don't even have kids to do this with, and we STILL have the best time ever. Simon made the best pumpkin seeds from these.

Ah, October!

90 Whole Minutes

2009-10-28T16:04:00.004-06:00

Yeah, I could have done Bikram Yoga in 90 minutes.

What's worse is, for this 90 minutes, I could have cut out 75 bags. I could have sealed 150 liners. I could have strung 85 cord locks. I could have finished all the changes to the website. I could have released my 'Just In Time for The Holiday!' posting.

But NO. I did not do any of those things for this entire 90 minutes. Instead, I sat and STARED. I touched. I feel'd. I squeezed. I caressed. I matched. I re-matched. I picked, then put back, then picked again.

Seriously lame, considering this was NOT shoes or clothes or jewelry or other stuff girls my age are supposed to be into. It was over YARN.

Anyway, if my orders are ever late, you know what I'm up to.

Obsession #17: Pretending to be a Photog

2009-10-23T09:35:00.008-06:00

I love it when I get this lucky.

Some dear friends of mine are tying the knot next year in VEGAS (woo!), and asked me to take some engagement photos of them in City Park. Despite screwing up the white balance and exposure in most of them, I avoided total disaster thanks to Light Room and Photoshop. Good thing I am taking a photography class next month!

I was SO happy that I could do something neato for them - they are two very amazing people, and I wish them nothing but happiness in their marriage!

I really thought this might be a challenge, and I would have to make them laugh, or say crap to get them to interact, but you could just tell they were so excited for the big day, and it just OOZED from them. They were not smiling at some dumb joke I told - they were smiling just to be holding each other so close. MEOW!

Here are some more of my favorite snaps. I mean, clearly, it wasn't THAT hard since they are both so goddam cute. Makes me sick. ;)

Thanks for letting me be a part of this! And thanks for letting me post my faves. :) Big up to Nicole Habel for all her fab photography advice!!

And the VERY FIRST Sweat Mates go to....

2009-10-21T11:06:00.004-06:00

Bikram Yoga The Camp in Costa Mesa, CA!

Patrice Simon is the director there, and they have asked me to participate in the 2009 Regional Yoga Championship as a sponsor! Woo hoo!

After much deliberation, Simon and I decided to send her sacks using the new name The Sweat Mate, and this will be our official debut of the new name! It's even up on her website now (see link above, scroll down)! I am TOO excited!!

I've also put in our first order to the sewing shop with the new labels. Our name change is underway! CorePower, here we come! ;)

Obsession #23: Photoshop Editing

2009-10-16T15:56:00.004-06:00

OK, I wasn't satisfied with the first deal I tried to fix my pics. So, of course, being obsessive compulsive, I set out to BE satisified.

And then I found THIS tutorial.

And I followed it, and it didn't make my pictures look over-saturated or too over-exposed. It made them just right!

Plus, Burke being totally adorable helps, too. ;)

Banana Split Day

2009-10-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

This year, Banana Split day was extra, extra special.

OK, let me explain. Banana Split day is September 25th. We celebrate this super yummy day in honor of my Grandfather Andrew Baffico (looking snazzy here driving his boat in his fave captains hat). Every time we saw my gramps, he would take us for a banana split. Let me tell you, I am the expert on a good split. I've been fed MANY by this man! So has the rest of the family. So now that he is gone, we celebrate his birthday every year as Banana Split Day.

This year, his son Curtis, got married. Before he and his wife Susie flew off to Positano, Italy for the big day, they threw a big party on Banana Split Day. Sy and I flew out to San Diego and met my family for the big event, and had a BLAST. :)

Met my family in La Jolla for a visit to the beach. Ah beach, how I love thee! The sun was behind the clouds the whole time we were there, which was nice, actually, cuz it was humid as heck, and Colorado girls HATE humidity. :)

That night, it was party time! We, of course, had a blast. And then we drank too much and started photobombing. Classic! I did my best to take pics, but the light was so low, and my current lens is not so fab, hence my next blog, which will be me obsessing over a new lens that I would have to cut off my leg to afford. But that's neither here nor there. :)

I'm so happy for Curt and Suzie, and their little one, Jake. Hope you are all having an amazing time in Italy!!!

Lastly, we were able to visit some Fort Collins transplants who now live in Ocean Beach, SD. It was so amazing to meet their newest member of the family. :)

We said goodbye to the ocean (and flipped off the humidity - uck) and headed home.

The only thing missing was Captain Andy. We will forever miss you. Love you grandpa!!

Here We Obsess Again

2009-09-28T16:21:00.005-06:00

Man, I really think that I suffer from ADD but was never diagnosed.

So I am putting off posting (or even taking, for that matter) pics of my new fabulous EnvironMate bags because I DON'T KNOW HOW. So here I go, doing research on strobe flash kits, tungsten lighting, white balance options, photoshop effects, and on and on and on...and now I am so dizzy and confused and frustrated.

Until I found an article that helped me. Dude, if I wasn't sitting here at work, I'd have screamed. I actually put my arms in the air, shut my eyes, and mocked a scream. Ah!

So I have been finding these AMAZING photographers, such as Nicole Hill and Lindsey Lew and Nicole Habel and all their stuff is soooo delicious and yummy and POPS and mine is drab and boring and I hate it all. I was able to find out what sort of equip these guys have, and just ONE lens in their arsenal is like $1200. I think that Sy would divorce me if I had a hobby that cost me that much. I'd have to sell his brand new truck to afford it.

OK, so I own a really old copy of Photoshop, and decided that I would bang my head against my computer screen until I found out how to replicate that pastel-ish, overexposed look that I LOVE LOVE LOVE so much. I tweaked, trimmed, turned, tussled, and finally, FINALLY was able to edit this wonderful picture of my little buddy just to my liking!

The original is dark and drab. The new one pops and has that overexposed look that I can't get manually cuz I use the auto setting on my camera. Ha! Focal point is now her face, and not the shadow she is in. Yesssss! Its not PERFECT like the ones my iconic photographers take, but god dammit, it will do!

Now I am off to search 600 websites for yarn for my next project. I am seriously in danger of becoming a professional hobbyist.

Labels Are In!!

2009-09-28T13:50:00.003-06:00

This is totally becoming real now. The next order I give to the sewing shop will have these fancy new labels on them!

Really, folks, I am TOO excited!!! Now we can go BIG BIG BIG! ;)

Cowl Obsession Fulfilled!

2009-09-23T12:41:00.007-06:00

OK, I actually stuck with an obsession long enough to finish a project. Although I didn't have a choice, since I finished it on a 4 hour drive and it was the only project I brought with me. But its DONE and I LOVE it!

Despite being called 'granny' during the entire trip by my husband and his buddy, I finished off A Noble Cowl just in time for fall. Its been freezing here the past 2 days, so I have been showing it off. Thanks to Sy for the pics!

It's big and super droopy, so its PERFECT for pinning. After deciding to make this project, I of course became obsessed with pins and found several on Etsy, including this super sweet octopus pin, which has now spawned an octopus obsession, but that's info for another post. :)

Introducing the NEW EnvironMate!!

2009-09-21T14:08:00.003-06:00

I still have work to do with these pics before I can post them on the website (like, learn how to TAKE them properly), but here are the FAB new fabrics for the EnvironMates!

These are delicious home deco fabrics from Amy Butler (of course - I'm obsessed with her) and Anna Maria Horner (ok, I'm obsessed with her, too). I have tested this fabric for an entire YEAR on my own personal grocery bags, and they hold up AMAZINGLY. These bags are gonna last me forever, I swear.

Yum!

Spoiler Alert!!

2009-09-18T14:15:00.004-06:00

So these aren't up on my website yet, but they are so darn cute, I had to gush.

2 GREAT new fabrics from Erin McMorris are going to be joining the Sweat Sack family! I have 2 more on deck, too! Aren't these fab?

Also, I got my newest order of 300 bags from the sewing shop. They turned out FANTASTIC! Look how enormous my inventory is!

Yet, I still have to sew liners in to all 300 bags, so I need to stop blogging and start sewing. :)

Cynthia Nixon, GIVE IT UP!

2009-08-26T14:38:00.003-06:00

So I am hanging out on Saturday afternoon, in BED, KNITTING, and watching the Sex and the City movie (don't you wanna be this cool?), when Cynthia Nixon (aka Miranda) comes on the screen in the most amazing peacock blue cardigan ever to be knit in the history of the earth.

I pause. I rewind. I play. Pause. Rewind. Oops, I'm drooling. I actually get up, and take a picture of it with my phone, and the hunt is now ON.

I think I am the only person that, when watching movies, takes a mental 'crafting' note every 2 minutes: "Ooo, that bag she has is soo cute! I could totally make that!" and "Whoa, cute skirt! I bet that's super easy!" and finally "I have no idea how to knit a goddam sweater, but I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with it, and I will break all my fingers off trying to make it in one 16 hour obsessive/compulsive knitting session!"

My entire browser history contains NOTHING but knitting pattern sites, knitters blogs, and knitters Flickr streams. Just so you can share my enthusiasm for the sweater, here it is:

Oh, the shawl neck collar! Oh, the basketweave pattern! Oh, the flattering shape! Cynthia, PLEASE save my fingers from becoming bloody with obession and just SEND ME THIS SWEATER!

PS - my obsession the day before was cowls. I'm ditching work early today to go get yarn for THAT obsession, albeit a much smaller project. I'll upload pics next week after I bleach out the blood stains.

Amy Butler Modern Diaper Bag

2009-08-19T13:53:00.004-06:00

A girlfriend of mine is reproducing, and I just HAD to make her a sophisticated diaper bag, since she is one super modern mommy! I am in love with this bag. I HATED to give it away.

The fabrics are from Ikea's Gunilla and Patricia line. The pattern is from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones book, which, btw, I am obsessed with. It has all kinds of ADULT type baby stuff - not covered in pink or blue or giraffes or babies. I can't get into that stuff.

Anywhoo, I threw a picture of the bag over my shoulder in there so you can get an idea of the size. I did some web research, and all the other folks that have made this sucker complained that it was WAY too big. So, I brought the pattern to work with me, and spread it out on the copier (while sheepishly grinning as coworkers eyed me learily leaning over the copier with pattern sticking out everywhere), and shrunk it down to 85%. NOTE: I first made one out of scraps at 75%, but it just didn't fit everything needed.

I also made it 1 inch wider than called for, which made for a bit of fussing, cuz then you have to make the bottle pockets wider too, which I FORGOT to do, and ended up having to rip them out. Thank god for wine.

Lastly, I made the long pockets just a bit shorter, cuz they stuck out into the bag so much that you couldn't even put anything in the bottom - it just got stuck in a pocket. Now, they stick out just enough to get into! I also threw together a little Diaper and Wipes case (yes - made with WATERPROOF Sweat Sack fabric in case those darn wipes leak) and a portable changing pad - ALL meant to look like a sophisticated clutch when not in use! Seriously, the only indication that this is a diaper bag will be from the BABY on her hip!

I am seriously thinking of making one of these for me, sans the pockets, for a beach bag. It's just WAY TOO CUTE not to use. Hooray Amy Butler!

Target Bag

2009-08-10T14:34:00.006-06:00

HA HA! Check out number 3 on Target's suggested uses for their bags! Soggy laundry!

Who do I buy off to get them to replace #3 with "Visit RecycleFashionably.com, buy a Sweat Sack for soggy laundry, and never use a plastic bag again!"

I have to admit this IS a nice try, and their heart is in the right place, but their reusable solutions really only suggest you reuse it ONE more time and then put it STRAIGHT into a landfill. AKA fill it with dog poo, and toss it in the trash. I will NOT be reusing it after dog duty, that is fo sho!

I'm just proud that someone RECOGNIZES that soggy laundry is a problem! Go Sweat Sacks! Yay!

Even the Small Towns are Green!

2009-08-10T09:58:00.003-06:00

I thought this was amazing. So we recently went to a small town in southern Colorado for Ski Hi Stampede, which is their yearly rodeo celebration with a carnival, a concert, parade, and lots and lots of booze. :)

So, this might be a skewed impression, but it seemed to me that this place was about 15 years behind the times. Clearly this comes from the isolation preventing influence from any sort of nearby city. But I remember going there for the first time, and being shocked that there was no recycling program, and NO ONE was even concerned about it. Throwing bottles and cans right into the trash is super normal.

As I do every year, I find a nice shady spot on the curb, and wait for the cannon to BOOM out the start of the parade. I've got my coffee and my camera, and am ready to take pictures of the tractors and horses and square dancers.

Each year, the parade has a theme. GUESS what it was this year. You got it: Going Green! WOW, I am even more excited than normal. I see a float with a big horse made out of cans go by, a 'Save The World' globe made from old plumbing parts, and a big windmill labeled 'Wind Energy' roll by. Even the square dancers are in costume - one lady had recycling symbols on her skirt! LOVE IT!

I am just amazed that, even tho 'going green' is pretty darn trendy right now, this small community is now OPEN to the ideas of recycling, alternative energy, and looking after the earth after it never seemed to give it a second thought. Now, for a small isolated town, THAT is progress!

Eco Font

2009-08-05T10:48:00.005-06:00

OK, so MAYBE it's a little gimmicky, but I love it!

This fancy new 'EcoFont' uses 20% less ink than other fonts due to the little circles within the font itself. So, if you have to print, save a little ink and make your cartridge last longer!

"After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well." - EcoFont.eu

You can download it at EcoFont.eu. Pretty slick if you ask me.

The Baby Head

2009-08-03T10:16:00.002-06:00

Now this is just down-right creepy.

So we have a gutter issue, where one of our downspouts is plugged, and water was spilling like Niagra over the side. Simon finally decides to teeter on the top rung of a ladder (with his pulled back, mind you) and reach around in there to see what he can find.

I'm holding the ladder, and he is reaching as FAR as he can on his tippy toes....feeling around in there....and says "Oh man, there is definitely something in here....what the...there's a BABY HEAD clogging our gutter!" And with that, this crazy baby head comes flying down from the top of the ladder and smashes into the ground with a sick THUD.

I'm dying of laughter, cuz first of all, its a DOLL head, but for some reason, Simon called it a Baby Head. I have dust all in my eyes from the dirt that flew off that thing, and can't see, trying to hold the ladder while he teeters back down, all the while jibbing "Baby Head! HA HA HA!"

Of course I had to take a picture of this creepy thing. I can just imagine some poor little girl who used to live here who's mean brother ripped that head off and threw it up there on the roof. We also found an old, broken Crayola marker, so who knows what the heck else is up there!

Lets just hope this Baby Head is happy to be rescued, and not going to CURSE us for removing it from its resting place. *shudder*

The Nephew

2009-07-29T10:21:00.002-06:00

We got to hijack The Nephew for a few days while his mom had some stuff to attend to here in Denver, and I took advantage to get some super cute pictures of him. It still amazes me that I can take him in the backyard, snap some pics, email them to 1 hour photo, and run pick them up. We were able to get her a large framed pic the very next day. We also had a bit of fun with leftover sparklers. Is this kid cute or what??

Ocean Waves Baby Blanket

2009-07-17T15:53:00.004-06:00

This is my most fave little blanky to make for babies. Its super fun, makes SportsCenter much more exciting, and is the perfect size and oh so soft!

I even make the blue one for girlies just because its the OCEAN, and every baby should have an ocean blanket! Although its just as easy to make them in pink hues as well.

I got this pattern off of Lion Brand's website here. VERY easy - my first crochet project ever, and I have been making them ever since.

iPhone Case Tutorial

2009-06-23T14:27:00.003-06:00

Well, well. Now I am addicted to my new iPhone, so OF COURSE, I need to dress it up. :)

I whipped up this little cozy that is actually about the right size for your iPhone with most any hardcase on it. So super cute!

I made it short enough so that your phone, when all the way inside, peeks out the top a bit. Much less fussy trying to dig it out.

I just used some scraps from my grocery bags to make this little guy. Hopefully the little tutorial is helpful!

Have Fun!

1.) Cut out your pieces (listed in inches):

Exterior Panel: 8.5" x 4"
Lining Panel: 12.5" x 4"
Fusible Fleece Panel: 9.75" x 3.25" (smaller so the bulk is not in the seams)

2.) Using a measuring tool, center the fusible fleece panel to the center of your lining panel. Fuse Tips for fusing: use an iron without the steam on for about 15 seconds per area, pressing in small circles.

3.) Lay your lining on the table, fleece side down. Put your exterior fabric on top of it (it will be way too short) with the wrong side up (this way the right sides are together).

4.) Scoot the exterior panel over to one side so that the edges are together; stitch using a 1/4 inch seam.

5.) Now, line up the OTHER sides as well (yes, the top is WAY shorter than the bottom, so this part is a bit odd), and stitch.

6.) Instead of a sandwich, you have more of a fabric loop!

7.) Now, turn this thing inside out so that the WRONG sides are together. When you flatten it out, because the lining is longer, it will overlap on each side. Neato! Now make sure the overlaps are the SAME SIZE, then press the creases!

8.) Turn it back inside out again so the right sides are together. Make sure you flatten it again on the creases you just ironed into it so that the overlaps are still EQUAL on each side. Pin.

9.) Stitch up the long sides, LEAVING A HOLE FOR TURNING ON ONE SIDE, using a 1/4" seam. Don't forget the hole part. It sucks when you do. ;)

10.) Trim the corners.

11.) Turn it inside out! Use the edge of your closed scissors or a chopstick or pencil to push the corners out. Fold in the edges of the hole as best you can to match the rest, and press the entire thing very well!

12.) Topstitch on the edges of the overlapped lining. Details are so nice! :)

13.) I added some quilting-type stitches to add some lovely detail.

14.) Now. Fold in half, matching up the edges. We are now going to sew up the 2 sides. Using your zipper foot, sew AS CLOSE to the edge as possible, but make darn sure you catch both sides with the needle! Do this with both edges.

15.) Clip all your threads, and WAH-LAH! Instant iPhone cozy!

16.) Picasa repeated this pic, and I want to get back to sewing fun things, so I'm not bothering to fix it. :)

Twitter + Sweat Sack = Viral!

2009-06-19T13:37:00.003-06:00

Super neato! I've been 'following' other yoga enthusiasts on Twitter (which is also highly addicting - beware!), and have had some good response to The Sweat Sack!

One lady writes about yoga on About.com, and added my Sweat Sack to the list of her fave yoga products/gifts. Check it out here!

I *heart* Twitter! :)