Gang Aft Agley*

(Part two)

It's been a busy week. My little one is transitioning from a two nap schedule to a one nap. Which means she's cranky as well as stubborn persistent and she's bored with being couped up in the house because of our lovely summer heat. In addition, my husband has been working really long hours, I'm trying to juggle not having a car with multiple errands & appointments, send in a voice over audition, get set for the Fall semester and prepare for both my brother's visit & my Dad's upcoming trip. *deep breath*

Finding time to devote to Craft Adventure Ventures as well as make time to blog about them has really been a trial. For instance I had set a goal that I would finish knitting the scarf, get it cleaned and have it mailed off by Wednesday. By Tuesday night I had managed to mangle the pattern completely and I still wasn't finished with it. I decided to set it aside so that I could finish my brother's gift and then I could tackle either finishing the scarf as is, or go back (pull all the stitches) and fix what I had messed up. Late night knitting doesn't agree with me apparently, at least when there is a pattern involved. Instead of trying to be superwomen and finish all the CAVs in a few months, I'm going to be more realistic about my goals. I have a lot on my plate, it's okay if I only complete one Craft Adventure Venture a week. I'll still hit 52 projects by July 2013, I have to keep that in perspective.

I was able to complete one CAV this week and it's a birthday gift for my Brother. Carrying on with the theme of Murphy's Law, I had anticipated only spending about 30 minutes creating my brother's gift. It turned into a 2 day ordeal because I didn't follow instructions. The good news is that it now counts as a full Craft Adventure Venture, the bad news is that I had to buy new supplies in order to finish the gift.

Project # 4 - Keep Calm T-shirt

I'm sure you've seen them around the internet and stores, the Keep Calm and 'Fill in the Blank' signs and items. While trolling through Pinterest I came across this charming picture. (Sorry, the link doesn't direct to an artist) I thought, that it would make a great shirt for my brother, who is an avid hockey fan and player, and so set out to create said shirt.

(Here's where the 'Keep Calm' thing comes from, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about right now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On.  And I think the first person I ever saw wearing anything with Keep Calm on it was Rupert Grint at a Harry Potter movie premiere, but I digress)

If I had more time I would have tried the screen printing technique I had found on Pinterest, but I knew that wasn't going to happen this week, so I went with t-shirt transfer instead. I have used them before with great success, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards, because I had nothing but trouble this time out.

First snag I encountered was that I really didn't like the way the image from Pinterest looked when I printed it out. It just wasn't interesting enough for a t-shirt. Also I was limited to 8.5x11" which isn't really a very large image. So I created a new image and I liked it. But then I realized that I didn't think the words were quite right for my brother, so I changed those too. But in order to do that I needed a font that looked more like the one used on the poster. (If I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it right) And low & behold I found this site - Free Font - Keep Calm Typeface : http://www.k-type.com/?p=2156. Isn't the internet great? On a small side note, this isn't exactly like the original because the originals were hand lettered, but this is the one that looked the closest to me.

Second monkey wrench in the works was when I learned that t-shirt transfers get old, and when they get old, they don't work as well. It turned out really neat and kind of vintage looking and then I ran my hand across it to fix a small snag and it tore. Not all the way off, but enough that it made a nice big hole and completely ruined it as a gift. (Hooray! Another night shirt, can never have too many night shirts. *sigh*) At this point my choice was, spend hours picking the transfer off the shirt, washing it and trying to use the fabric markers I have to finish the project. Or run to the store get a new shirt & start over.

I went with option two, new shirt (found a much cooler base t-shirt so that worked out nicely) and new transfers. You would think, I would have been more careful this second go round, but again, I didn't fully read the instructions and I printed the image improperly. However, before trying to affix it to the t-shirt I cruised through the guide and realized my mistake. In addition to finding out I had printed the damn thing backwards I also found out that the background would remain white, not transparent like the first set of transfers I had used. Which meant I had to go back and tweak the image again. (If you are keeping score at home, that is now the fourth time the image has been changed. So much for a 30 minute project.)

Even after reading the instructions the shirt didn't come out how I originally thought. Which is fine, because the way it turned out looks more like a vintage t-shirt image. All's well that ends well, I guess. Hopefully my brother will like it and wear it and not be confused about why I even made it for him.

Here's the finished Craft Adventure Venture -

I'm hoping it will soften up a bit more as it's worn & washed.

Another super busy week coming up. School stuff, prepping for a large consignment sale, helping get my Dad ready for his trip, and something else I can't remember right now. I know they say 'The Devil finds work for idle hands', but if he showed up around here, I'd be liable to put him to work.

My goal for this week: finish the scarf. I'd add more to this list, but it's a very hectic week and I'm being pragmatic. If by chance I am able to do more, it's the cherry on the sundae.

That about wraps it up, more fun with time management next week. Oh, and lest you think I have forgotten:

Go-Big-or-Go-Home Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Brownie Porn

1 Craft Adventure Venture brings the count to 48 CAV projects to go!

 
*Actual quote/poem from Robert Burns: http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/32287.html

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

Just a short little note. My lovely toddler has been an ever increasing challenge this week and my brother is coming into to town (Yea!!), so I'm running behind.

I was not able to finish the scarf. In fact, in my very tired state, I actually messed up the pattern. That means I won't be sending it along to the intended recipient. (I'll just have to come up with another project for her. Oh well, it's already over half a year late. What's a few more weeks. *thuppt*)
Note to self for future projects:  If you are very tired, do not knit a patterned piece.

I was able to finish a CAV project despite being tired, distracted and busy. It's a gift for my brother and I'll be posting pictures of it, as well as the now mispatterned scarf on Saturday.
(After we handle removing, checking and possible replacing the starter in my car. Yep, just a little busy.)

Well, I really should get back to baking the 'Go-Big-or-Go-Home, Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies' for my Brother's birthday. (I'll have pictures of them as well. It's too bad the interwebs doesn't have smell-o-vision, cause they smell fantastic!)

GO USA!! I'm not a huge sports fan, but I really look forward to the Olympics. It's going to be a fun couple of weeks.

That about sums it up tonight. Pictures and another blog tomorrow.

A naked blond walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm...

Did you ever have one of those weeks where the starter on your car goes out, your baby gets 3 teeth all at the same time, you have to go to the IRS office, talk to the Financial Aid & Registration people at your school, take your cat to the Veterinarian and complete a craft project for your blog? Really? Oh good, for a minute I thought it was just me.

It's been a really hectic, not always productive week. And I'm fighting a summer cold, so you'll have to excuse me. Not to say I wasn't working on craft projects, I did. I even have the photo to prove it, I just wasn't successful in completing them. I'm still getting the hang of time management with a toddler and I endeavor to improve this issue for next week.

With that said, here is an Update, a Progress report and a Thought for the week.

Project Update -
Last week I showed you the cute box with my friend's birthday present inside. This week I'll show you what I made for her.

She was really happy & reportedly wore it the very next day.

It's a happy little dinosaur necklace!

It took me forever to find the tiny eye screw. I've seen necklaces similar to this at Claire's and Hot Topic, but there is no reason to buy them if you can make one for yourself in just a few minutes. Check coin machines, toy stores and garage sales for mini (hard) plastic animals. If it's not in a color you like you can always paint them, yes, even if it's plastic. Then visit your local hardware store for the smallest eye screws you can find, hit it with a little superglue & voila! You have a nerdy, whimsical necklace. *happy dance*


Progress Report -
I'm working on a loom knitting project. (Loom knitting is fun and easy to learn. And for me, less intimidating the traditional knitting or crocheting.) Like many of my projects for this blog, I am way past the original due date. This one was supposed to be finished and mailed last year before the holidays. I'm only like a half a year late. Sadly, that's a lot better then a couple of the projects out in the craft bin jungle.

It's a scarf. A warm fuzzy soft scarf. Seems a bit silly now in the 105 degree temperatures, but it will be a really lovely thing to have in a few months, I promise. Honestly, I'd be finished with it if I had remembered to bring my knitting with me to the IRS office. (Instead I sat and listened to a very disagreeable old man argue politics with his wife/girlfriend. It was delightful.) I am confident that I'll be able to finish it and have it mailed by Wednesday of this coming week.

Please ignore the mess around my kitchen table, thanks.

I'm just a little shy of half way done. When I finish all the rows, I'll tuck in the loose ends, give it a quick wash and send it to it's intended recipient. Who will more then likely be very surprised to receive it as I'm fairly certain she's forgotten all about it by now. It's the principle of the thing.


Thought for the Week -

I read an article this week about busy-ness. How most people dread 3pm because they only have a few hours left to knock out projects, To Do's, emails and what not before the end of their day. Lately, I have accumulated a large quantity of responsibilities and projects. It feels like as soon as I cross two items off, four pop into their place. The person who wrote the article sited a study that suggests that this busy-ness is mostly self created. That people pack their To Do lists with stuff, so they can feel like they are important. And the point the article was trying to impart is that we, as humans, need down time. Real down time, not TV or Internet time. Time to just clear our heads and make room for creative thoughts, solutions, etc. We need to leave room in our schedules to interact with people as people, not as part of our To Do list.

With everything that I honestly HAVE to do: take care of Bean, care for my cat, maintain the house, produce meals, am I adding things to my To Do list to feel needed or valued? You see, there seems to be an idea that if you stay home with your children, you aren't doing anything of importance. Which, when you think about it, is completely ridiculous. Raising a healthy little human is probably the only true thing of value most people will do in their lives. (And based on recent news reports, it doesn't seem like many people are capable of doing it well.) But because it's not a job attached to a pay stub it's easy for people to belittle and devalue it.

Am I devaluing my own contribution to my family? I don't think I've come up with a complete answer, yet. Like the rest of the things attached to my blog, it's a work in progress. I will say that I made more of an effort to appreciate the time I shared with my daughter today. She was being a bit of a pill, and I had to remind myself that she's growing so fast. In a blink of an eye she'll be headed out the door to school with her own To Do list and I will sorely miss the time I share with her now.

As for school, that is a necessity. We can't make one income work for much longer and in the current job market, I have to have more to offer then what I bring to the table now. I'll do what needs to be done for my family's well being.

What about the blog? I thought about this for a while. Is it really a good use of my limited free time? Here's what I think. A good portion of the Craft Adventure Ventures are gifts for people in my life. In that way each one is a way to connect with someone I care about. I was giddy waiting to see if my friend liked her present and couldn't wait to talk to her when she finally received it. Does that make me feel important? No, it makes me feel loved. And this blog is my way of sharing that love, reminding myself that it's out there and that in my own little way I made someone happy. If you ask me that's better then feeling important. So if the point of the article was to value your connections with people and make time for yourself to just be, I think I'm more successful than I first suspected.

Most Problems Arise from Too Many Choices

I truly can't believe it's been a week. Where ever does the time go?

Part 1 - I Hit A Snag
I was very excited to get cracking on the next Craft Adventure Venture this week. I was creating time to work on projects, getting organized and then.. I realized several of the CVA projects are gifts.

Which is an issue since one of the rules is that I have to photograph my projects as proof that I actually made something. Which wouldn't even matter if I wasn't planning on sharing this blog with others. But you see, I like the idea that there are friends, relations and complete strangers out there keeping me in check. That these companions on this whimsical craft journey are helping to make sure I do what I set out to do.
This blog exists to hold myself accountable for my projects and actual make progress on completing them. Hard to do that if it's just an online journal. I mean, honestly if I was just posting this for my own enjoyment, I'd have already logged off, made myself a chocolate malted milk and plunked my tired butt on the couch next to my hubby for a few hours of video gaming diversion. It sounds terrible, but there is a reason my loving spouse had to threaten my craft supply collection in order to get me motivated. If I had enough gumption on my own, I wouldn't need a blog to keep me on track.

Solution - Place holder photo. Since these are gifts I can take pictures of both the completed item and the wrapped gift. The wrapped gift picture will serve as a place holder until the person has received the item. Then, I'll go back & update the post. Or I'll make a completely separate post for gift items. I'm still working out the kinks. Either way, this is what I have come up with. (If you have a wonderfully clever option besides this one, I would love to take it into consideration. Please feel free to share away.)

Part 2 - Too Many Choices
When I realized that the gifts I needed to make, might not make good CAV projects, I was left with what CAV project to grapple with next. And I discovered, I have too many choices. I seriously spent an entire day running projects through my head. Weighing the pros & cons of each and considering that against the amount of time I could carve out this week to actually work them. By Tuesday night I was completely flummoxed. If I hadn't come up with the photo place holder idea, I don't think I would have an actual project to share this week.

Solution - Don't really have one yet. I'm in the process of coming up with a good way to handle this issue. Luckily for me, in the process of completing my friend's birthday gift, I was struck by inspiration and completed a few small projects in addition to completing the gift. Hooray!(And I got around to repairing a necklace my lil' Beanie broke)

Part 3 - New Rules
In the process of finishing the gift inspired pieces I realized that it wouldn't be fair to count them as whole projects because they literally took me 15 minutes to complete. This led to the creation of the new 60 Minute Rule. (da-da-daaaaa!)

For a Craft Adventure Venture project to count as one (1) whole and completed project - It must take 60 minutes or more to complete. A CAV project that took 30 minutes to 59 minutes to complete will count as half (1/2) of a project. And a CAV project that takes 1 to 29 minutes to complete is equal to a fourth (1/4) of a project.

One (1) 60+ minute project = 1 Craft Adventure Venture completed
Two (2) 30 minute projects = 1 Craft Adventure Venture completed
Four (4) 15 minute projects = 1 Craft Adventure Venture completed

Now without further ado.. Craft Adventure Venture project #3!

The Gift - See how cute that box is. I bet you can't wait to see what's inside.
This one took more time to find the components, than it did to create it. But now that I know where to get all the pieces, I may just make a whole mess of the silly things. 

Completion time - 10 minutes *shrug* Once I had everything it was super simple. And I think SUPER cute. I can't wait to share!

What is hiding in this cute little box?

Fandangle #1
I don't have a link for these projects.
I suggest typing  'Beaded Earring Tutorial' into a search engine of your choice and choose a person who doesn't annoy you. (You'd be wrong to think that was an easy option)
I like Threadbanger and Instructables. Ask.com and Youtube have a bunch of good tutorials, also. It's actual a very simple project, as long as you have a bunch of beads and baubles that you like lying around. Otherwise you may be trapped in your craft store for a very long time. (See Part 2 of this blog)

Completion time - Less then 15 minutes

Available for purchase very soon!

Fandangle #2

Professor Flotsam's

Fandangle #3

Miscellanea & Trinkets

Four (4) 15 minute projects equaling 1 Craft Adventure Venture project. 

49 Craft Adventure Venture projects to go!

Note - The above parquetry will be available for purchase online at Professor Flotsam's Miscellanea & Trinkets very soon.

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there

My 1st Blog post on my 1st Blog!! How exciting. Well, at least for me, anyway. Let's begin at the beginning, shall we..

I'm a new Mom, a budding Voice Actor, a soon to be Student and a Craft addict. I'm a little busy.  I love sewing, cooking, scrap booking, knitting, photography, jewelry making. You name it, I probably have tried it or want to try it or have five projects that need to be finished.

To be honest, it's a little hard to stay on top of it all. And, to make matters worse, I LOVE Pinterest. I'm always finding new and glorious things to make, do, try, cook, sew, doodle, and putz with. I have boxes and boxes and stacks and stacks of projects and 'To Complete' lists. It's getting a little ridiculous. Which brings me to the creation of this blog.

I wanted a way to hold myself accountable for all these projects. I thought, if I have to finish one project a week, I'd start to make some headway and clear out some the clutter. Because, it's everywhere! If don't start working on some of these things and moving them along, I think my loving husband will just start throwing it all a way. If you also share my 'love' (read obsession) of crafting, then you know this stuff isn't cheap and above all else I truly HATE to waste money.

My hope and goal is to complete 1 project a week, for a total of 52 Craft Adventure Ventures! by this time next year. 52 projects. Sounds like a do-able number. (Plus, it's an even number, which I've always had an affinity for. *shrug*) To make sure that I actually complete them, I'm posting my progress HERE.

Now, to be fair, some of these projects are small enough to finish in one day. Others will take more then a week, but I figure if I finish multiple small projects in one week, then the ones that take longer will fill in the gaps and at the end of the year, I'll have finished 52 projects. Or More! But I'm trying not to jump ahead of myself. (It's hard to rein in my enthusiasm sometimes.) 52 projects in 365 days. That's the goal. And this Blog is my way to hold myself culpable for completing these projects.

Here are the rules -

1) I must complete at least Fifty-Two (52) Craft Adventure Ventures before July 7th, 2013. (I should have picked a better date. That one is kind of boring. Anyway, I digress)

2) Posting day will be Friday. Unless something comes up, in which case I will post on the Thursday before or the Saturday after.

3) Projects will be selected from my existing lot of projects to complete. New projects will not count toward my 52 Craft Adventure Ventures but can be claimed as Bonus Quests. (Why? You ask. Well, the whole point is to clear out some of this hodgepodge, not create more chaos.)

4) Photos of projects must be posted as proof of completion.

And there you go The Craft Adventure Venture has begun.

You, dear reader, are welcome to follow along with my projects. It's always more fun to go on a journey with a companion, you know. I'll be sure to post a link to where I found the project,(if I can). If I don't have a link, I'll be sure to give you as much information on where I found it, patterns, etc.

Dun-Dun-Duuuun!! Week 1 Craft Adventure Venture

Bandana Skirt & Bandana Dress
Both of these Adventure Ventures were found on Pinterest.

Bandana Skirt: Vanessa Christenson.com - Bandana Skirt Tutorial (2008)

Skill Level - Beginner if you can cut & sew a straight line, you should be fine.

Cost - Aprox. $2.50

I modified this pattern a little bit because my daughter is younger then the girls this pattern was created for. It took me less then 45 minutes, while my daughter was awake & running around, I might add. It was super easy and inexpensive.
 My only issue was that I didn't measure Bean properly so it's a little bit big for her. It's all good, though. She grows like a corn stalk and she'll get more wear out of it this way.

Lil Bean all dolled up for the 4th of July

Bandana Dress: Momtastic.com - DIY St. Patty's Day Bandana Dress

Skill Level: Beginner - Intermediate. I had a little bit of trouble with the elastic, but if you've ever done your own ruching before you should be fine, as that is the only tricky bit.

Cost - Aprox. $8 (The elastic thread was a little expensive, but you might be able to find it cheaper online.)

This dress took about me 4 hours. Still not bad for a cute little dress. As I said above I had a tough time with the ruching. I think if you have a serger or you've done this before it'll be a breeze. And again I need to make sure I have the correct measurements before I start working. (Measure twice, cut once.)

Rockabilly Bandana Dress.

With both of these projects you a limited only by the patterns offered in the bandana section of the store you shop in. I bought my bandanas at Walmart and they had a lot of cute options.


2 Craft Adventure Ventures down - 50 more to go!