Thursday, February 25, 2010

On my back and unable to craft!

I'm so sad to say I haven't touched anything crafty in so long... last Friday morning, my last day of school vacation, I strained my lower back. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time, and just as annoyingly it happened under relatively mundane circumstances. I won't go into a long diatribe of why it probably happened, other than to say that I'm now damned determined to not let it happen EVER AGAIN. Why? Aside from being all "hurty" (to quote Ralph Wiggum), It's SO BORING TO LAY ON YOUR BACK ALL WEEKEND AND WEEK. I can't walk my dog farther than the complex pool (which is maybe 50 feet from our apartment), and she's going NUTS, poor baby. I can't craft, can't shop, can't do anything, really.

I'm getting close to being 100% again, but this was probably the worst I've ever strained it so it's taking longer to heal, sadly. I'm at the point where I can walk around a little more, but I'm still not standing up straight. It's gone from really painful to really uncomfortable. I probably could have crocheted all this time on my back, but I'm more feeling card-making, haha. That's the craft I can't really do right now, though! Argh! I actually NEED to make a card or two now! xD

So instead I'll share a couple of blogs that are majorly inspiring to me right now! Fair enough, right?

The Sew Weekly - I actually found her via CRAFT Magazine's blog when she blogged her journey to prepping herself and her friends for "A Gatsby Afternoon" (which I WILL go to one day, oh yes...). CRAFT linked her up again as she started this blog, and her love of vintage + her Bay Area references (I'm from the area as well, and miss it terribly) = I LOVE THIS BLOG. It makes me want to get my sewing machine fixed so I can start sewing again, more than any other inspiration - and I studied costume design in college, for chrissakes!

Vickie Howell blog - I have to admit, I know how to knit but I've never been a fervent knitter like other people are, so Vickie was always kind of a "meh" for me. Nothing against her, I just wasn't that into what I thought was her main craft or most of her patterns. =) BUT I discovered her blog today, and it's not all knitting! It's actually full of great craft projects.

Heart of Light - She is life-living inspiration. Not only is she a very talented crafter (I love her rosebuds and wish I'd thought of it first, dammit!), but her postings about the little things she does to make her life beautiful simply fill me with awe and wonderment. She reminds me that life is for LIVING, not existing. At the very least, I'm copying her "Friday flowers" idea... but mine will be Saturdays 'cuz that's when I can get to the Farmer's Market. ;D

Friday, February 12, 2010

V-Day 2010


V-Day 2010
Originally uploaded by mantequilla81

Ahhhh, god bless holidays that give me an excuse to make cards!

Actually, it was last year's V-day that made me interested in card-making in the first place. I was inspired by an online friend's decoupaging of tissue papers on card stock to make Xmas cards, and since I do love to decoupage, I thought it'd be fun to make V-day postcards for my friends and family. I ended up making a few actual cards, too. Here's some of the postcards I made. Crazy how I've been doing this for a year and now I'm totally hooked.

The funny thing is, I still kind of turn my nose up at scrapbooking, which is basically CARD-MAKING on a bigger scale! It's not that I don't like pictures, I just think that most scrapbooking I see tends to be a bit cutesy and cloying, even when done well. I know, I'm a snob. I still like to look at it, but make it? Meh. Maybe I'll change my tune when I have kids, although having a totally cute dog hasn't inspired me to change my tune. O__o

Regardless, I less than 3 (<3) Valentine's day. Not just because I have a Valentine (although yes, I do), but because I love love. I try to act all cool and cynical, but dammit, I'm a big gushy lovebug at heart. Not romantic love, though, just the act of love. I love my family, I love my friends, I love The Hubs, I love my dog (she's so cute OMG, you readers are so lucky I don't turn this into a dog-blog), and I love having a day to shower them with gushy affection. I do hate how this holiday makes people feel lonely, though, but I LOVE having the excuse to make pretty cards for them to cheer them up!

This year, though, I admittedly got a leetle lazy with it and only made intricate cards for certain family members and out-of-state friends. My local friends are getting kitschy school-style valentines when I see them, and The Hubs is getting candy and a printed-out card of a TV character he likes 'cuz I think it'd be funny and he won't expect it. ;D

Actually, now that the cards are made and shipped off, I'm planning on making more love-themed crafts, but they won't be card-related. I've been wanting to try my hand at pocket shrines and altered books for a while, and now I'm going to work on that. One will be for a grandma who has a bday coming up (pocket shrine), I think, along with an order from my mom to make her another neck-scarflette like the one I made Grandma for xmas - apparently Grandma really likes it and wears it all the time, haha. I can't wait to play with them, though, and show you my results!

Happy Valentine's Day! Don't make it about romance, make it about showing everyone you care about that you think they're lovely.