crafty_viking

I am a Homeowner! Oh wait I don't think I screamed that loud eough. I AM A HOMEOWNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, we're a little happy to be done with the home buying drama and into the moving drama.

hmmmmm, yeah, pretty much

I met a new friend this week.  I went to Joanns to hit up the 99 cent pattern sale.  I and the woman across from me were both looking at the same vintage apron patterns. We began to talk and ended up chatting at the pattern table for 30 min.  We exchanged emails and have been chatting all weekend.  I sent my first e-mail under the header of "the crazy lady from the fabric store" and as we exchanged e-mails I realized how fun it is to be the crazy lady from the fabric store.  I remember wanting to grow up and be just like my mom's best friend, Neva.  She did all kinds of crafty projects and was about the coolest grown up I knew and now that I'm grown, I can honestly say I've grown up to be pretty similar.  My interests lie in different areas and a small child probably wouldn't be interested in weaving or sewing period accurate clothing but I'm still a crafty person.  It's nice to know I've achieved at least one of my childhood goals.

I couldn't get a camera to work so I scanned these flower pins with my printer. They are folded fabric in an almost origami-ish technique.


( More details under the cut )

It looks like everything has come together.  We should be signing on the house late this week or early next week.

This is now my dream sewing room.  Pretty sure my sewing room will never look this good but at least I have a goal.

Finally got a picture of the aprons I made for my sister and nephew. I had a lot of fun making these aprons. Hers is just a basic apron but I used fun gingerbread fabrics and lined it with green cotton twill since the cottons of the outer shell wouldn't be thick enough for a good apron. I made the gingrebread man apron with brown twill, some rick-rack, and really big buttons. Overall this was one of those fun and light hearted projects that gives you a warm fuzzy feel when done.

I just watched another human being die.  Words Fail. Watch.




Cry, Pray, Yell to the Heavens, Whatever you need to do but please God pay attention.  An innocent girl, most likely one of many, died this week. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

Just practicing my costume illustration by drawing a costume I've already made. Except the real thing has a natural linen underdress but I couldn't figure out how to draw that with the few colored pencils I had so I just made it yellow/gold. I think it looks OK.


(this is a different dress than the one in my userpic)

Some fun outfits I illustrated because I couldn't get to sleep and I wanted to try something a little more contemporary.

The one on the left is an evening dress with a gunmetal/grey top and a flowing black skirt. I think I'm going to have to make this dress.

The one on the left is a red, over the shoulder, bubble dress worn with black fishnets and blue hairfalls. cutesy and subversive at the same time

The second piece of the hopeful outfit for my friend. This is the Cyclas (precursor to the sideless surcote) that could be worn over the finer cote. Inspired by the illustrations in the Codex Manese.

I'm working on learning to illustrate the costumes I want to make in a manner other than stick figures. This is my first attempt. I'm making some garb for a friend of mine and these are my possible underdresses

I'm pretty sure some unknown entity felt the need to screw with my head today.  The day started with hubby getting 24hour duty sprung on him unexpectedly.  So honey's gone from 9am - 9am the next day and since he didn't have any warning I got to run around and get the snacks, lunch, and crap to keep him entertained that we usually prep in advance.  Then we found out that we might have trouble getting the loan for our house because the door between the "mother-in-law" apartment and the main house was sealed so the appraiser is going to count it as a separate apartment and our loan wasn't set up for us the buy a rental property.  So now the closing that was going to take a miracle to pull off in time before just got a new, evil kink in the works.  As if those weren't enough,  then I tried to walk my dog to relieve stress.  Yeah... that didn't work.  The were three neighborhood kids out with thier off-leash jack-russel terrier.  The terrier took an inordinate interest in my dog and was very aggressive.  Since the kids though it was funny and wouldn't do anything about their dog trying to attack mine, I ended up picking my dog up and carrying him up the block so we could go on our walk.  Unfortunately, the kids thought it was pretty damn funny to see their dog trying to attack mine so they, and their dog followed us up the street.  I told them they needed to go home with their dog but they said their mom's didn't want them home until dinner (great parents there).  After traveling a couple blocks with a very agitated dog of my own, an aggressive jack-russel, and three future (or maybe current) juvenile delinquents a block back, I gave up on my walk and went home.  What was supposed to be a stress reliver for me and a nice treat for coach ended up with us both even more stressed and cranky.  And last but not least (because this day just needed one more thing to make it perfect) I've been working on the cursed project that is Wolf's Gambeson.  What I've been able to accomplish so far has looked very nice but it has taken me four times as long as any of the previous gambesons.  Between sewing machine problems stemming from taking my sewing machine up the AlCan in a truck with bad shocks to breaking my last needle in the correct size 30 min after the JoAnn's closed one night I've pretty much had it with this gambeson.  Knowing this gambeson prject is a little cursed I have no idea why I though today would be a good fit for it but I just want it done so bad I tried to work on it anyway.  I got some work done but I can definitely tell my sewing machine needs to go in for service.  Normally I have an almost identical back up but since our household goods aren't here yet I'm stuck with just one.

OK. That was cathartic. 

Sometimes all that pressure just keeps building up inside and you need to let it blow.  I figure, since my Hubby has many of the same stresses pushing as him right now, i shouldn't blow up around him so I think I will just throw my stresses into cyberspace and let them bounce around here for a while.

Since this rant is already ridiculously long I might as well finish it properly.

It seems everyone has a mantra.  Something that by simply hearing or saying it helps you calm down and center yourself.  Mine is the "Priestly Blessing" from Numbers 6.  This would be a beautiful blessing to speak over anyone of any religion at any time.  I just speak it and see those beautiful images in my head and it brings me to my peaceful center.  So here I am speaking blessings over myself, and you if you need them.

The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'

OK, I feel better now.

Today I accomplished my 20 min of walking and then some while wandering at the Anchorage Zoo.  Grandma arrived today and since we had quite a few of the kids in the family with us, and my sister's year long family pass to the Zoo was about to expire we all decided to go to the Zoo.  This has been a family tradition since before I was born into the family so I am quite happy to see it continuing with the next generation.  They've added a few animals since I was last able to go to the zoo and some of the exhibits have been improved (ie the new Polar Bear exhibit is people proof.  No more "stupid tourist snacks" for the Polar Bears)

Yesterday we had honey's 30th birthday party.  I wanted to give him a big party but he's kinda shy so we compromised and had a BBQ at my parents house (we're still in the tiny apartment).  We just had a few friends and family there but it was a really nice party with lots of good food.  My mom even made him a Chocolate with Mocha frosting (and cupcakes with regular frosting for the rest of us).    Having family around is actually pretty awesome.  We don't realize how nice it is to get a call from a mom, sister, or mother-in-law saying "hey I'm in town. wanna go to lunch?" when it's always an option so I'm trying not to take them for granted.  However, after going to many, many family birthday parties this month I've decided that if I ever have a child in June I'm going to pick another month to celebrate their birthday and avoid the birthday overkill that is June. 

Walked 20 minutes today.  I walked to the bank via the long, circuitous, round-about route and it took me about 40 min to get there and back so taking into account the time I actually spent in the bank I still think I walked at least 20 min.

I'm out of shape!  There I admitted it.  I am dreadfully out of shape.  I've never liked cardio and with my joint problems I tend to avoid many of the activities that would help me get in shape cardio wise.  To that end I'm going to start a month long push to work out.  I'm not going to aim big this month because something is better than nothing so I'm just going to aim for something and we'll take it from there. If you happen to read this blog and feel like reminding me of my goal please feel free.


This month's workout plan/goal

1. Walk Off Weight

Best if: You're more than 30 pounds overweight 

Mini sessions build up gradually, burning more calories as you progress while keeping joints pain free. Extra weight puts more impact on your hips and knees, but every pound you drop takes 4 pounds of pressure off joints!

Ensure Success

• Divvy it up
• Research shows that short workouts can add up to the same weight loss and health benefits as one long session, but they feel more manageable, helping you stick with your routine.
• Choose softer surfaces
• In low-traffic areas, opt for the road rather than the sidewalk. Concrete is 10 times harder than asphalt, delivering the most shock to your legs. A smooth dirt trail is your best bet; treadmills and rubber tracks are also forgiving.
• Use good form
• Squeeze your butt with every step to reduce bouncing and jarring. And don't focus on speed yet — keep a comfortable pace throughout these workouts.

Workout at a glance

Week 1

Walk for 10 minutes, twice a day, 5 times a week

Week 2

Walk for 15 minutes, twice a day, 5 times a week

Week 3 and Beyond

• Keep on building
• Increase the duration of your walks to 20 minutes, twice daily, 5 times a week.
• Go a little faster
• After 3 minutes of easy walking, pick it up to a brisk pace (like you're late for an appointment) for as long as possible.
• Inch up your endurance
• Once a week, do one longer walk, adding 5 minutes each time, until you reach 60 to 90 minutes. 

We got the call today that the bank is interested in playing ball on our lovely little short sale home purchase.  What could have taken six months or more looks like it might close before the end of this month.  Send lots of happy thoughts our way as we will be attempting the almost impossible and getting all the paperwork, appraisals, and repairs (if needed) in order in just two weeks to make the bank's deadline.