It’s a party baby

When I heard that my dad could get me a ticket for the special preview of the new Target store, I said, “Hook me up!” My dad’s construction company built the infrastructure of a new area in town where the Target was built, so we got to go with all the other people who helped build the Target. I knew it was going to be cool, but this was cooler than I thought it would be.

Here’s me all excited with our friend Megan, and my step-mom Kim. See that drink in my hand, that yummy lemonade? Ya, they gave that too us, for free!! They also had chocolate fountains, appetizers, candy (!!!), five cakes (shaped like the logo), clowns, and a woman walking around with a Starbucks on her back:

My dad gets a cuppa. Okay but then there is the cool stuff that you just don’t think about when a store is opened for the first time. Every product is in stock in every size and color. Everything is in perfect order, and so so clean. I always wondered if they made clothes in extra small, guess what they do! I’m not really an extra small size any more but it is interesting to note. I went down the shoe aisle, they had my size, in every shoe. Plus, since it was an invite thing it was so not crowded, and plus I knew a bunch of the people. I could have gone really crazy, but since we were there to like talk to all the people and stuff we didn’t shop too long. I got some interesting stuff. An X-Box 360 for Bj (he is so paying me back, or we’re going to sell on eBay, haven’t decided), a cool swimsuit cover up, some metallic flip-flops (on sale for 6.50), Target exclusive RED Peeps (ahhh I love Peeps!), and some Lebron James Lighting Lemonade Bubblicious (it was on sale for 44 cents, and just too funny to pass up). The cutest thing though were these little girls who came up to me and were like, “Look, look, we found these blankets, see they are six cents, and we asked a guy, and he said it was right!” They were these little fleece throws, pink with Xs and Os on them. Sure enough they had been mismarked at six cents, but the clerk backed it up. The joy on their faces was too cute.

My jars ask: “Is this heaven?”

Cabinet
Um, yes jars it is. I spent all yesterday cleaning these things like crazy. Someone asked where I scored them. Well since I am always on the look out I find them everywhere, but usually they are not so clean. That was the case for the box you saw that I got this weekend (found in the attic of an antique store). They can’t be dirty because happy clean ribbon goes in there so I have to clean them. I’ve found the hardest thing to clean is when the rubbers are on the jars for like 50 years and they’ve adhered super strong them. I tackle that with a wire brush. You can buy really clean jars, but I don’t think people would be so keen to spend all that extra money on top of the cost of ribbon for the jar, so I try to get them cheap, then fix them up myself. So how sick is this cabinet huh? It really completes the ribbon room. Sitting on top are a few special/weird shaped jars, extra lids, special ribbon that only goes in the jars, and my completed "Olympic Ring" jars (which I will put on the site later tonight).  Everyone knows I own the Ribbon Jar, right? Because last time I posted a picture of my ribbon someone was like, "man, I don’t even have that much ribbon." And I don’t want someone thinking this is my personal stash. 🙂 I am going to try and do a photo montage thingie for my photo of the day of the whole ribbon room, so look out for it. Oh, and that’s nearly 200 jars there, whoo hoo!

Kay, Snickerdoodles are like, the best cookies  ever. I will so send you a recipe, dude, you can make them all year long!

Free Association Wednesday

                                                               snickerdoodle 

I’m hungry what can I say? Just comment on the first thing that popped into your noggin when you read that. For more help see the first Free Association Wednesday.

                                                               snickerdoodle

Cabinet Making 101


So Saturday Bj and I went on a jar hunt. And I came out with a ton, a ton (well not a ton, 118 to be exact). So I decided the roll top desk in the ribbon room had to go. I wanted to create something perfect for the space. I drew it up on Saturday night, built it last night, and stained it today. It’s brilliant if I do say so myself. Oh I just can not wait for the varnish to dry so I can put all my stuff in it. I am so not good at waiting for these types of things. So I thought while I was waiting I would blog about it first, and get you all excited to see pictures. The place it is going is under the eves of the house so the ceiling is slanted. The wall only goes straight up 33 inches so I made it 32.75 inches, just in case. Which is good because now I think I want it on feet or something. Hmm, they’d have to be tiny feet. So anyway I thought it might be fun to go through the building process.

1) I made a detailed plan, even using algebra (!) in case my material was a different width than I anticipated.
Directions
I did end up changing those dimensions a little bit, the cabinet is now 20 inches deep, and only 48 inches wide. This is due to the material coming in 4X8 feet sheets.

2) Ask dad to help you, as material will not fit so easy in old luxury sedan, and much better in a Yukon.

3) Go to Home Depot and get supplies. Be really girly and get the helper person to do many cuts for me for free. Now that we have acquired supplies we will start to build. Wait…. get out to the car and decide to go back in to get an extra drill bit for wonky screws, just in case.
Recipet

Hmm, still a little wacom tablet retarded after two years. Oh well. Okay so I am going to try and take back one of the cans of varnish and some brushes. My total after that will be 134.33. And if I could take back the “TEMP HDBD” (masonite) I would because I don’t think I’m going to put a back on it.

4) Schlep everything to Dad’s garage and start putting it together. Take apart first side due to lack of following directions and re put together.

5) Order pizza.

6) Take out recycling and garbage.

7) Back to work. Glue and tack shelves to sides with carpenter’s nails. Then screw in with wonky screws. Measure and screw in other side. Strip a few screws and go get pliers to get them out. Finish!!!

8) Clean up and go eat pizza.

9) Hope new unit fits in Yukon. Phew it does, schlep it down the street to my mom’s, rotate cars and put it in the garage.

10) Sleep, but dream all night about putting all the jars away in cool new shelving unit!!!!

11) Get ready for day and grab iron, head out to garage.

12) Iron on little strips of wood backed with cool heat activated glue to cover up where the plywood was put together (I’m not describing this well am I?).

13) Cut excess (actually kinda difficult until I realized it could be cut easily with scissors, see I had to get 7/8″ thick strips, but my wood was 3/4″m annoyingly). And sand like crazy.

14) Breathe in large amounts of dust, but keep sanding because you’re so excited.

15) Clean and varnish, laying on floor of garage, when needed, to get appropriate angle.

16) Open garage and realize you have been inhaling deadly fumes.

17) Do other stuff for 3-4 hours (or if you’re antsy 2.75-3 hours).

18) Try sanding again, like varnish recommends, decide: a) too timely and b) looks bad, so

19) Varnish again!

20) WAIT 24 HOURS!??!?!

21) Wait 5 hours get so bored waiting you have to blog about it.

That’s me right now. Oh, let’s see if it’s dry enough to move inside so it will completely dry fast. Ahhh I can’t wait!!!! (Check my picture of the day for a preview). And if you’re interested in that oak roll top, it’s on Craig’s list baby.

Let’s talk about Socks

Happy Valentine’s Day!


Remember these things? Ya, haven’t worn them once (beside the photo shoot). So let’s talk about socks.

Let’s talk about socks, baby
Let’s talk about you and me
Let’s talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let’s talk about socks
Let’s talk about socks

ah hahahaha, I could keep replacing socks for sex through out that whole song, I’m cracking myself up here, maybe that’s because I’m going insane from my sock fiasco!!!! I mean shit, I go to all this trouble to make my self these awesome soft super custom socks and they don’t even fit, you have got to be kidding me!!! So I took this sock knitting class once. I’ve since decided that the teacher was supremely horrible because she did a lot of the things for us, like picking up stitches, and reading the patterns, instead of teaching us how to do it. Now, I was at the super awesome Weaving Works in Seattle and I told one of the SUPER AWESOME sales woman my dilemma. No pattern seems to fit, blah, blah, blah. She was like so helpful times ten. They have an awesome book/library area. So she gave me some books to look at, but said I should just read them a bit, but probably didn’t need to buy them since I knew how to knit the sock, it was the size that was giving me problems. Then she found this four dollar do-it-yourself pattern thing for me and baby, it rocks! I of course had to get lots of their fabulous fingering weight yarn, so I could make some more. And let me tell you I’m almost done with one sock and so far it fits perfect!

So what to do with these other socks? Well that’s where you come in my dear readers. I want someone to have them who would really like them. The pattern recommends hand-washing, but I think you could machine wash. I’ve hand washed them to block them out. Then let them dry, then put them in the dryer to try and shrink them (did not work). So you could definitely dry them hot. They are meant to be a little slouchy, but I couldn’t get two steps with out them falling down way too much. So I’ve made some requirements since I want these to be worn (after all they are like a frigin 35 dollar pair of socks, PLUS labor). So here are my measurements:

heel to longest toe: 9 inches
ankle: 8 inches
thickest part of calf: 13.5 inches
measurement around thickest part of foot 8 inches
shoe size: 7.5 or 8

If you would like to be considered for adopting the socks (which I will ship out on Thursday as long as I have a few takers) then please reply with your sizes. I think the smallest shoe size would be like a nine or something. And (I’m not saying this to be mean), but a hefty ankle might help too. My ankles are scrawny, and my calf too tiny for these socks. So all your measurements should be bigger than mine. I’m really hoping some one wants these socks. All this work, ahhhh.

In case there are more than one takers with good sizes (to be determined by me) then um… I guess tell me why these socks would be happy on your feet in your home (example: good hardwood floors for sliding).

Rocks and Jazz

Well, I’m back from Seattle. I went there for a little holiday with Bj from Tuesday through Thursday only things didn’t go so well. We kinda had a rough time, and things are really hard between us right now, but we are going to try and work them out. We have been talking a lot and that is one of the reasons I haven’t really posted. After we got back, he came over Friday night and hung out Saturday as well. Saturday night I went to the jazz festival at Willamette. Since Sciarrino works there I got a free ticket. It was really nice to go do something like that. That’s something I am going to work on, getting out and doing more. No mater how busy I get I have to do somethings for me. Then it was Ribbon Jar crunch time. Because orders have been hopping lately I had lots to reorder, and new stuff to find. I was also working on a special treat.

     This year I am going to do Limited Edition jars every month. I know I’m starting a month late, but I kinda thought up the idea a little late. Anyway each month this year is going to be a color. The ribbon for all the jars are going to be the same, and most of it I do not normally carry, so it’s really cool and different stuff. If you got a jar every month this year, you’d have a rainbow, so I thought that would be fun. I only did up 20 of the jars so that I could get some really cool ribbon in there, and I think they are all so cute, what do you think?

I managed to get twenty vintage jars that are all the same size, though they are different types and have different degrees of “vintageness” (well, okay rustyness is more like it). I thought I would let my blog readers know about them first. I am hopefully going to get the newsletter out today, but I have one more roll of ribbon coming first, and it’s supposed to arrive today, but I can’t just wait around my house because…

     I am baby-sitting again! This time just until Wednesday night, for a 15 month old named Karsen, and a four year old named Hogan. The baby girl is more like an infant because she was born three months early, so she doesn’t really walk. Oh these kids are too cute. And is there anything sweeter than a baby falling asleep on your lap? Um, no! It is quite hard though, being a domestic engineer. My arms are so tired already, and it takes a lot longer to get out the door. Oh that and the whole baby waking up at 5:45 thing is going to wear me out! So I’ve got that going on, plus Ribbon Jar, plus relationship issues = busy!!!

Scrapbooking Tag

I just really wanted to say thank you for all the great comments on my "whiny post" (as my mom says). I just felt like I had to get out what I was feeling. I know it’s easy to find me on my blog and who I am and it’s hard because sometimes I struggle with exactly what I should say, but that was something that was definitely eating me up. Anyway thank you. I always love getting comments, and I really took to heart the things you said. Sorry I didn’t reply earlier, I’m actually in Seattle for a mini holiday, but I’ll be back tomorrow before I start another baby-sitting job on Sunday.

Also Shell did tag me so I thought I’d so that now.

What scrapbooking lines/products/etc do you dislike?

I love Ki Memories, Basic Grey, Bazzill Kraft cardstock, ribbon, fabric, old thing, metal, punches. I don’t really like "cutesy" stuff.

What is the hardest thing you have ever had to scrap?

I scrapped my friend Susanne’s passing very shortly after it happened so I could give the album to her parent’s. It was more difficult to go through all the pictures and print them off, once I got into remembering the memories and being creative it was easier. (Here is the album)

What technique do you use more than anything?

Probably tearing paper, it’s just so much easier than cutting!

Ever been published?

Yes once, in the CK annual idea book (2004 I think), and of course I publish myself on my website, hehehe.

What’s the smallest scrap of paper you save?

Pretty darn tiny, especially wordsworth paper, because it’s good to the last drop!

Ever had any scrapbooking-related injuries?

Nothing too serious, but I’m just bidding my time, I’m sure.

Finish the sentence "If I wasn’t a scrapbooker, I would spend my money on….."

Art supplies of some other kind: pastels, paints, mediums, brushes (ahh my weakness!), beads, yarn, etc.

Give us your best storage or organizational idea

Use pretty things, metal, glass, wood. Things that begged to be looked through so that you’ll want to get those supplies out.

You just won a week long scrapbooking cruise for 5. Who’s going with you?

Definitely my mom, Sciarrino, Sue, then I’d have to pick my far away friends so I could see them, Kay, Ceara, ugh, only 5 spots!?!?

After you’ve answered the questions, tag six of your scrapbook buddies

I’ll let you fight it out. hehehe