The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: Spiced chai black tea.

Watching: I watched the awesome western Tombstone again last night. Always so good! "I got two guns: One for the each of ya'."

Reading: I'm about half way through The Left Hand of Darkness. It's a very serious book, and I might need to read something lighter when I'm done with it.

Listening: Argh, something?? I pressed a button in my car today that seemed to erase the preset stations. Again, argh.

Halloween Happenings: Gabe had a fun first Halloween dressed as Captain Kirk from the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles." Erik wore a Klingon costume and I dressed as a generic space floozie.

I think there's a resemblance!

Space floozie to the rescue!

Etsy Shop Progress: New listings! To see more pictures, details, etc, check out my shop. Here's a sample of what you'll find:

Gabe Nickname: Stinky Pete.

Around the House: Gabe took a two hour nap this morning. I used the time to go bananas with pruning bushes in our front yard. We have what I refer to as a "rhododendron jungle" that we inherited when we bought our house. Picture giant, ridiculous rhododendrons that are overgrown and scraggly. I have fantasies of pulling them out of the ground with a rope attached to the back of my car.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: So this is a page of GIFs of people looking confused. This may be my new favorite website.

Craft Idea: I decided this weekend that I wanted to learn how to arm knit. While searching for arm knitting tutorials, I came across tutorials for finger knitting...and that brought me back. Picture this: A nine-year-old Chrissy is absent from school on a special colonial celebration day in third grade. While everyone was participating in fun crafts and eating old timey snacks, I was home sick. It was a bummer. The situation became far more distressing when I returned to school the next day and EVERYONE EVER was finger knitting. I had missed learning how to finger knit! I remember learning how to pseudo finger knit, but my projects never looked the right way...until now. After watching a YouTube video, I can finger knit like a champ! My evil craft plan is to arm knit with the finger knit yarn--intense--I know.

Third grade Chrissy would be so proud!

What I'm Liking As I Type This: I am going to make myself some delicious popcorn.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

It's sparkly and GIGANTIC.

Beverage: Every time I decide that I'm going to drink more water on a daily basis, I buy another water bottle. This behavior has resulted in a ridiculous collection of water bottles that I have no room to store. Sigh. In keeping with this poorly planned tradition, I purchased a sparkly new bottle.

Reading: I received the fourth and final book from my sickness-induced book buying binge of a few weeks ago: Felt Board Fun for Everyday and the Holidays. This book is great. It not only has templates, but also little lesson plans about how to play with the pieces you make. Also, it is SUPER '80s. The craft and mom nerds in my head are both very excited to begin work on a felt board for Gabe.

Watching: Erik and I have been catching up on New Girl after Gabe goes to bed.

Listening: I started listening to Laura Cantrell's album No Way There from Here. She has a nice folksy-country sound. Her lyrics are well done, too.

Nickname for Gabe: Little Chi-Cha.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: This is an oldie, but a goodie.

Etsy Shop Update: On Saturday, I set up a cray fire hazard photo shoot in my craft room in order to finally take some scarf/cowl pictures. Here are the edited versions of those pictures (of items that I really *really* want to be able to have time to list THIS WEEK):

 

Around the House: I picked up the final materials I need to make Erik's Halloween costume. Also, I cleaned the bathtub. Victory!

Craft Idea: There's yarn everywhere. Enough said.

Things I'm Liking as I Type: I'm really enjoying that Gabe water bottle picture. Heh.

What's keep your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: Pumpkin coffee, cans of seltzer, and *SHOCK* water. Yes, I am making an effort to drink more water.

Reading: I read a little bit in that Passion book I mentioned last week--the one I bought while totally out-of-it. I still don't know why I bought it. One of the other books I purchased during my book-binge haze of last week was Jennifer Hudson's autobiography, I Got This. Yep, the books just keep getting better. I think I bought it because I'm trying to get back into Weight Watchers and she's that company's spokesperson. It's not awful. The writing could be better. I can't fault Jennifer Hudson for that, though--she's a singer, not a writer, by trade.

The scene looked something like this.

Watching: Favorite Once Upon a Time moment so far: Captain Hook's lady love gets trapped by Elsa (ohhhh yessss the show whored itself out to Frozen) in an ice mountain. What does Captain Hook do? He starts chipping at the ice, like an old timey ice truck delivery man, with his hook. It was painmazing (tm) (a combo of painful and amazing) to watch.

Listening: Louis CK on Spotify.

Nickname for Gabe: Cheecherine.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: I love Halloween. These pictures of strange vintage costumes are fantastic.

Etsy Shop Update: I hate to say it, but I'm moving at a glacial pace in terms of getting new merchandise posted. I have it to post, but it's been difficult to find a chunk of time in which to take and edit pictures. My hope is to have some earrings and cowls posted by the end of this week. Fingers crossed. What I really need to do is find a way to not sleep so that I can get everything done that I want to get done. Le sigh.

Around the House: Erik and I ran around the yard yesterday, raking and dead-heading plants. I harvested the last of our tomatoes.

Craft Idea: Last week, I decided to to reorganize and rearrange my craft room. I loved the room the way it was, but I needed more surface area. Basically, my Etsy shop stuff was taking over our dining room and looking messy. Now everything craft-related is in one space. Yay! I ran into a bit of a snafu, though, when I lost use of a bulletin board that is attached to a set of shelves. The shelves (the cube style ones from IKEA) were turned onto their side, and they now host my stereo and several boxes of magazines. I really wanted something to hang over my desk as an inspiration board. As luck would have it, the former owners of our house left a giant cork board in the basement. I decided that I wanted the board to have a decorative element to it. Check out the pictures below to see what I did:

Plain old giant cork board.

Above we have a potato masher. Yep. When my mom came to stay with us after Gabe was born, she decided that she hated this particular masher and bought me a new one. I don't know why she hated it. It was a Salvation Army special, but I always thought it did the trick. I've been holding onto the masher for a project just like this one! Basically, I used the masher like a stamp, covering it with white acrylic paint, and then stamping it onto the cork board to make a brick-like pattern.

Making progress...

And done! I took this picture tonight, so the light isn't great. You get the idea, though. Totally
easy project, and it looks super cute.

Things I'm Liking as I Type: Gabe's asleep, and the house is quiet except for the dishwasher. Peaceful.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

Throwback Thursday Craft-a-Long Presents THE RETURN OF THE SHRINKY DINK

This month's TBT Craft-a-long features none other thank the classic Shrinky Dink. Many children of the 1980s will remember this fascinating plastic that shrinks when baked in the oven. While doing some web surfing, I found this great tutorial from blog PhotoJojo for ink jet compatible shrinkable plastic. I became inspired to experiment with this medium for the purpose of jewelry making. Please keep in mind that if you want to do the Shrinky Dink thang old school, you can still purchase how-to kits like this awesome Monster Lab one that I snapped a picture of while at the craft store. This craft totally holds up and gets a high rating in the instant gratification category.

To begin, I gathered my supplies: Parchment paper, pan, scissors, and ink jet shrink film. You will also need an ink jet printer (not included because it would not fit prettily on my pan).

Once I had my supplies together, I searched the internet for pictures that I thought would make awesome earrings. The directions on the shrink film package stated that the film, once heated, would shrink 50% and, when cooled, would harden and become thicker. (This all sounds kind of dirty to me, but my mind is always in the gutter.) I arranged the pictures and printed a sample sheet on a regular piece of paper. I felt that the pictures, when shrunk, would be too big. So I went back to my computer and reduced their size. The picture below shows an original size and reduced size comparison.

I cut out the printed pictures and chose one with which to do a test run. Following the directions on the shrink film plastic, I warmed up the oven to 325 degrees F. I laid a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, placed the sample picture on that piece, and then laid another piece of parchment on top--like a picture sandwich. I cooked the picture for three minutes. Below, you can see the original picture on the left and the shrunk picture on the right. Neat, right?!

It worked, it worked! I then baked the rest of the pictures. The photo below shows a before and after comparison.

At this point, I realized that I had only printed one half of a set of earrings. This caused me to go through the process of printing and cutting out two more sets of pictures. I decided to bake all of these pictures together, which turned out to be not the best choice.

So, okay. The picture above *looks* fine at first glance. However, baking all of the pictures together seems to have impacted how much they shrunk. Identical images also shrunk to different sizes. In addition, baking all of the pictures together impacted whether or not they flattened in the oven. In the picture below, note how the images on the left are larger than the images on the right. The images on the right were from the original batch. Both of these batches were cooked at the same temperature for the same amount of time.

The other issue I ran into was that of how to pierce holes through the plastic after it had baked. My magical jewelry hole punch caused the plastic to crack and left schmutz on the pictures. Blech.

With a sigh, I decided to reprint, recut, and rebake the images. This time, I baked no more than three images together at a time. I also punched holes through the pictures with a regular hole punch before shrinking them. Bask your eyes upon the results! These images were much more uniform in size and more flat. The regular hole punch worked perfectly.

Once I have sealed the images, I am planning to incorporate them into my jewelry designs. One pair is ready to wear, however: 

Bowie-Jareth earrings FTW! Thanks, shrinkable plastic!

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: New Polar Seltzer flavors have arrived! I picked up a few bottles today, and I can't wait to try the cranberry-clementine flavor.

Reading: I finished reading Cape Cod while staying on Cape Cod. How's that for full circle?! So. What am I reading now? On Friday, in a haze of illness, I ordered three self-help books, an animal sounds book for Gabe, and a book about making felt boards. Ugh. Book buying while sick was not the best idea I've ever had. I ended up with a book called Passion. Seriously. WTF was I thinking? Gabe really likes it so far. Maybe it won't be terrible???

Watching: Started watching The Blacklist as my craft-making-alone-time show. It has an Alias flavor, sans awesome lady spy. There is just a rather annoying lady FBI agent. I'm waiting to see if James Spader makes up for her annoyingness.

Listening: I've been guiltily switching between local NPR stations in order to avoid the fund drive ads. Shame on me.

Nickname for Gabe: Gooferine.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: Heard about this freaky shiz while switching between NPR stations.

Etsy Shop Update: I'm hammering out the final details of how my snuggly crochet apparel will be packaged and shipped. I also had the pleasure of designing a custom earring order this weekend!

Around the House: I reorganized some of Gabe's toys in the living room and moved his exersaucer thinger upstairs. The living room feels much less cluttered now.

Craft Idea: I bought butcher block paper in which to wrap crochet items before shipping them. I decided that I wanted to dress up the paper a little bit by stamping "wear your bliss" onto it. This afternoon, I created a "wear your bliss" stamp from foam letters. I'm not sure if I'll stamp a large area of the paper, or if I'll do just one stamp. I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Things I'm Liking as I Type: We had a good day today.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: G&T with Citadel gin. Dee-licious.

Reading: I am in the home stretch of Cape Cod. I'm trying to decide if I should read another historical fiction novel next, or if I should dive into a fantasy series. All of this might depend upon what is available at the library.

Watching: My guilty pleasure prime time cable TV shows have started up again (Scandal!). I am sorry to say that I continue to watch Once Upon a Time, which is a poorly written and just plain horrible show. While watching it recently, I told Erik, "I want to projectile vomit. But I can't stop watching it." He doesn't really understand this--why would I watch something that's awful? Part of it is that I root for the villains (Destroy, Regina, destroy!) because the good guy characters are painfully saccharine and annoying. A second reason is that the little girl part of my brain has been programmed to want to watch Disney fairy tales. The third reason is that it makes me laugh because, well, because it is so bad (Hey Emma Swan: You're hooking up with a dude who has a big hook hand named CAPTAIN HOOK). Ok, I think I'm done with my TV rant of the week.

Listening (New category!): I do a lot of singing throughout the day for Gabe, but I also try to have him listen to different kinds of music. In general, I am not a fan of children's music because it grates on my brain. HOWEVER, there is a blog called ZooGlobble that reviews kid's music. I've learned about some fun (and not annoying to listen to) children's music artists. Last week, Gabe and I started listening to a band we learned about from ZooGlobble called The Pop-Ups. There is a song on their album, Appetite for Construction, called "Craft Night." Done and done.

Nickname for Gabe: Goofer. The kid is seriously a major goof. I love it.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: I love to look at pictures of abandoned buildings. I think it's because of the creepiness factor. As Halloween is approaching, let's embrace the creepy!

Etsy Shop Update: It's taken me a little while, but I finally put together packaging for cowls and other snuggly items soon to be sold in my Etsy shop. I have also added a few pairs of earrings! Check out  the shop to see what's new. Here's a sample below:

A snuggly cowl awaits inside!

Vintage stainless steel buttons and marble rectangles.

Black, silver, and mother of pearl vintage buttons and silver hoops.

Around the House: I need to clean. My craft room is a disaster area. Also, Gabe has another cold, so that is (not) fun.

Craft Idea: I am preparing to make Gabe's Halloween costume. Here is a hint for what he will be:

!!!!! Source.

Things I'm Liking as I Type: That I was able to type this post in the morning instead of rushing to get it done tonight!

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: Pumpkin flavored coffee is still in the lead with seltzer filling in the gaps. I almost ran away with a pallet of Polar seltzer this afternoon at the grocery store. My plan was to toss Gabe on top of the pallet and then mow down some old ladies to get to the door, but I chickened out at the last second.

Watching: I've put Sesame Street on for Gabe before dinner time the past few days so that I can get food, etc. together. It streams on Hulu, which is handy. On Saturday, Erik was sitting with Gabe as "Elmo's World" started. "Elmo's World" is basically Elmo bopping around in front of a green screen with his friends. It's cute. However, this episode of "Elmo's World" was about skin. Yes: Skin. Kids need to learn about skin. That is useful. Books made of skin that have chats with Elmo are just CREEPY. I yelled at Elmo not to read from the skin-covered book, for fear of his raising the Evil Dead.

See? It's totally the same book! Source

Elmo is talking to the Necronomicon. Source

Reading: I'm halfway through Cape Cod. I'm learning all kinds of history about Cape Cod. For instance, I learned that the descendants of the Mayflower love to have sexy times all the time. Who knew, right?! I now know why my mom "read it twice." Oh, Mom.

Nickname for Gabe: Yo-ChiChi, as in Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by the Flaming Lips. I change up the lyrics to be more applicable to Gabe's life: "His name is Yo-ChiChi. He's a black belt in pooping..." (It's classy up in this house.)

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: Lose yourself to Apartment Therapy's Before & After page.

Etsy Shop Progress: Today I ordered the paper that I want to use to wrap the crochet items I'm planning on selling. I should have some pictures of the packaging next week.

Around the House: The worst of Gabe's cold seems to be over (knock on wood). YAYYYY!!! Also, I made cookies today. They are tasty.

Craft Idea: I've been slowly, slowly working on infinity scarves that I would like to sell in my shop. Here is one that I finished yesterday:

This scarf is made of an acrylic and wool blend yarn that has tiny silver metallic pieces woven into it. 

Things that I'm Liking as I Type: When I'm done this post, I am rewarding myself with tea and cookies.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

Here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: Pumpkin flavored coffee. I ran out of it this morning, but Erik picked more up this afternoon. He is a good husband. (oxox Erik)

Watching: Erik and I began watching Archer a few days ago. I'd started it a while back, but then became distracted by...what? Other TV? Who knows. In any event, Archer is hilarious, raunchy fun.

Reading: Finished The Republic of Thieves. Next up: Cape Cod, an epic novel about two Cape families who date back to the Mayflower. I'm liking it quite a bit so far, as it's satisfying my inner historical fiction geek.

Nickname for Gabe: ChiChi-Bacca. Erik gets the cred for this one.

A mere sample of how you will soon be wasting time on the internet. Source.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: omg THIS.

Etsy Shop Progress: Half of the a-Pair-a-Day earrings have sold! I know! Nuts! I am flattered, jazzed, and excited to fill the shop with many more goods over the coming months.

Around the House: Gabe has been suffering from a cold for the past few days, which has meant limited sleep for the grown-ups of the house. Last night, however, the ChiChi allowed us to get six consecutive hours of sleep! It's amazing the housework you can get done when you're not exhausted.

Craft Idea: Meh. I have not followed through with my image transfer plans. However, I did purchase shrinkable plastic that can be used with inkjet printers. All of those words basically stand for shrinky dinks. My plan is to do a Throwback Thursday Craft-a-Long post next month using said plastic. If you can't wait until then (heh), check out this link from the PhotoJojo Blog for a great tutorial.

Snuggly Leelu.

Things that I'm Liking as I Type: Leelu is snuggled next me me. Also, Bebe decided not to jump on top of the stack of folded towels at my feet. Good choice, Bebe, good choice.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?

The Week in Glue

The Etsy shop has been open for one week, and I've been enjoying every minute of it. Sales have been good, and I have received some helpful feedback. I've continued to work on new pairs to list. Keep reading below and see some sneak peaks!

Other than the shop happenings, here's what's keeping my soul glued this week:

Beverage: I picked up Newman's Own pomegranate lemonade last week--yum! Also, pumpkin beer is now in season--yum, yum, yum!

Watching: I finally got around to watching The Social Network, and now I feel dirty for using Facebook. (Misogyny + Greed = Gross.) Erik and I also watched Cabin in the Woods, which was far more enjoyable than The Social Network. (Classic Horror Themes + Elder Gods = Awesome.)

Reading: Almost done with The Republic of Thieves; just 30 more pages to go. One of the major things I like about the Gentleman Bastard series is its portrayal of women. There is overall gender equality in the world in which the books take place--women do all of the things that men do, and no characters are surprised by that. It's refreshing. Also, women don't have to act like men in order to be taken seriously. That standard doesn't even exist in the books' universe. Again: Refreshing.

Nickname for Gabe: ChiChi Bubba.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: Erik just introduced me to this. Thanks, Commander Riker!

Etsy Shop Progress: Here are some sneak peaks of earrings to be listed this week, as well as an early cowl design:

Sea glass, silver-plated wire, and stainless steel ear wires.

Vintage silver-plated buttons turned studs with added paper detail.

Vintage star silver-plated buttons turned studs.

Vintage white and turquoise button studs.

Oxidized copper discs.

And more oxidized copper discs...

And some more...

What a snuggly cowl! (Also, I feel like there's some crazy Pieta shit happening in this picture,
so I will now make fun of myself with the following two pictures.

Thanks, Ash!

This unicorn is jumping into my ear.

Around the House: We have a bunch of apples that have seen better days, and I'm thinking of making a pie out of them--maybe even making pie crust from scratch! We shall see how the week progresses.

Craft Idea: I'm continuing to toss around the idea of image transfers on earrings, and I experimented a bit with this last week. My experiment failed. BUT. I now have some photocopies, which should work better in the transfer process. Maybe next week, I'll have some new image transfer earrings to list. 

Things that I'm Liking as I Type: Gabe is smiling at me and pounding on the gate across the hall.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?