We're having a ball out here!

No, really, we went to a Ball! Brian's unit had a Holiday Ball on Thursday, so we got ourselves all scrubbed, polished, and pressed for the festivities. This was Brian's first chance to wear his snazzy new Class A uniform, and I have to say that I think the new colors (blue and black instead of green) look really sharp.

I tried dress shopping downtown, but the choices were, for the most part, not my style and the size selection was limited to say the least. So, I did what I often do, and decided to just make my dress myself! I took a pattern I used before and made a few tweaks, and came up with this purple satin gown. I even finished it was a day to spare (though I did whip up a little matching zippered clutch about an hour before we left).

I didn't lose my slipper, but I still got the prince in the end. :)

Giving Thanks

Well, it's that time of year again. Cooking for hours, eating too much, rushing to finish up my Christmas crafting. And, of course, thinking on all the things for which I am grateful. Here is a short list (in no particular order):

the first full holiday season with my hubby
family that supports me
friends that keep in touch
dogs that lick my hands
an abundance of craft supplies
opportunites, both present and upcoming
plenty of food

Apologies and updates

First, apologies yet again for a long absence. This Master's program is more work than I expected, but classes are going great! I'm working on two really interesting projects at the moment: one on learning theory as applied to knitting and another on the volunteer management system for Army Family Team Building. Very cool stuff!

Secondly, Momo found a new friend! And so did I! Amanda is another Army wife that I met through a knitting buddy, and her 11 month old puppy Lucy is Momo's new BFF. It is such a hoot to watch these two little monkeys play with each other. And, of course, the extra benefit is that they wear each other out so we get some peace and quiet! Harley tolerated their shenanigans, and even tried to get into the fun while chasing the ball outside.

When she's feeling especially lonely and I'm busy knitting or reading in the nap chair, Momo has taken to planting her face between my feet. It's so cute that I can't even get annoyed at how distracting it is.

On the crafting front, it's been pretty low key since I finished the big red chair. Lots of fun little projects and nothing overly ambitious. I've made a few shrugs for ladies on base, and a dear friend of mine commissioned a knitted work: she wanted an obscenely large knitted diamond ring. I am pretty darn proud of the fact that I designed the whole thing all by myself and that it actually came out the way I envisioned! I must be getting good at this knitting thing...
Here's a shot to give you proper scale for the finished product. That's one BIG diamond! And I got to use my new knitting machine to make the band.

The El Paso Knitting Guild had a yarn swap a while back, and I picked up this beautiful bamboo yarn. It's super soft and looks stunning with the way it patterns. But I'm using a size 3 needle and working these fingerless gloves in all rib stitch, so it is taking FOREVER to finish! At least I'm doing both gloves at one time or I would probably never finish the second one...

Just a few years ago I picked up a pattern booklet from Paton's that included felted Mary Jane slippers. I'm pretty sure I bought it just for that pattern. Well, I finally knitted up a pair and they are even cuter than the picture! I had to make a few adjustments, but they are soft and warm and cute and wonderful! And, yes, I will be making many, many more of these. Christmas is right around the corner, after all.

Apart from all the knitting, I also stumbled across an amazingly clever idea: book purses! Who would have guessed, transforming old, hard cover books into charming little purses. I made a practice run with a Lemony Snickett book, then tried it for real on this book about Texas.

It certainly isn't a "throw everything you might possibly need for a two week trip" kind of purse. But it definitely has some style to it. I have a few other old books I snagged from the Goodwill. Let's see how those turn out...

When we moved to El Paso I had this idea that we'd be relatively warmish when most of my New England friends were shivering in their parkas. Sadly, it seems that El Paso doesn't comply with many of my expectations. This morning as I walked the dogs it was a whopping 34 degrees. In all fairness, it's supposed to get into the upper 60s later today. But still. Grrr.

A comfy spot to study

I'm half way through my first Master's level class, and I'm loving it! I start my first Training Specialization class on Monday and can hardly contain myself. I almost forgot how exciting school can be (I say "almost" because a true nerd never forgets..."

I have found, however, that I need a distinct place to do my studying. My craft table works fine to set up the laptop for research or paper writing, but it's not really comfortable enough for all the reading I'll be doing. The big nap-chair is ok, but being in the kitchen nook makes it a little noisy if the TV is on in the living room.

As I was walking the dogs last week, I noticed that someone had left this beat up, sad old chair on the side of the road to die. Sure, it was in pretty rough shape. But under that battered exterior, I saw potential. So I swung by and tossed it in the car to be given a second (or, judging by the age, a third) chance.
Based on it's condition and questionable origins, the chair stayed in the garage during the deconstruction process.

And there was a LOT of deconstruction! I tore out hundreds of furniture tacks and staples, ripped out bags of ancient batting, foam and fabric, and sanded down really awful finish on the wood. When all was said and done, the naked little chair looked even sadder than when I found it.

But, after many, many hours of love, dedication, measuring, fixing, painting, cussing, and more than one hissy-fit, I now have an amazing new reading chair!!

I even rearranged my shelves to create a cozy study-nook. I couldn't be happier if I were twins!

Etsy is BACK!

After a long absence, I decided to start putting items up for sale on Etsy again. I shut down the old site and thought long and hard about what the new site would be. I found that listing just random things that I've made really wasn't such a great idea. So I sat down and had a think, and came up with a whole new idea.

You Got It Covered!


Yup. I'll be selling things that cover other things. Laptop covers. Checkbook covers. Notebook covers. Coozies for coffee cups. Even stuff to cover yourself, like aprons, hats and slippers. I'll post items I've already made, but I'm also open to taking requests. Here's a sample of a few things that are either already listed or soon will be:

I'm not expecting to get rich here. But if I can raise a little cash to buy more crafting supplies, I'll be one happy crafter!

So bookmark this page and check back often for new covers: http://www.yougotitcovered.etsy.com/.

And tell your friends!

A very exciting announcement!

About 10 years ago I was just moving back to Connecticut after graduating from Piedmont with my BA in Theatre. When interviewing for jobs, people would often ask "So what can you do with a degree in Theatre?" to which I archly reply "I can act like I know what I'm doing!"

All kidding aside, I believe that my Theatre degree really has been quite useful. Technical skills can be taught fairly easily, and technology changes to quickly that knowledge can become outdated as soon as it's revealed. But my Theatre degree taught me how to listen, adapt, interact, and communicate. Oh, and it was a lot of fun.

Now here it is, the fall of 2011 is creeping closer, and I'm 5 months into my job hunt. Thankfully unemployment and Brian's income meets all our needs and a little more, so I'm not panicked financially. But I'm just about ready to climb the walls! For a super-motivated go-getter like me, there is little worse than waking up each morning and trying to find things to fill my day.

Granted, I am making some progress on long-neglected crafts. And the baking endeavors have been fun. But I miss doing something meaningful with my time. I miss getting up every morning and having a schedule of important stuff to check off my list. Somehow, a To-Do list that reads "get up, shower, fill 8 hours, eat dinner, go to bed" just doesn't quite cut it.

So, while I continue my hunt for a job (not even "the perfect career" but just a job) I have decided to take on another project. No, I'm not redecorating the interior of my car or knitting a sweater from dog hair or some other senseless time-filler. I am going back to school!

That's right, I am finally going back and getting my Master's degree!! When I decided not to attend NYU right after Piedmont, I always thought that some day I would go back. But I never really knew what I wanted to study. I briefly considered a Project Manager degree when I was working for GP, but the idea of being responsible for a huge project budget was a little daunting. When I was at CCCS, I considered an MBA, but didn't really like the whole "business" aspect of a business degree.

When we moved out here, I thought to myself "Once I find a job, I think I'll look into getting a Training degree." See, I've realized that I'm really good at training. Whether it was mentoring math in college, providing new user training at Pfizer, or conducting first time home buyer workshops, I have a knack for getting information across to people. This weekend a friend asked me "Why wait till you're working? Why not start now?"

Well, I didn't really have a good answer for her (besides not having income to pay for the classes, but that's what loans are for until I start working). So I did some serious internet research, compared a few different schools, and found out that Capella University has a really in-depth Master's of Science in Education: Training and Performance Improvement program. It's exactly what I wanted to study when I imagined a training degree, and it's more affordable that I would have guessed. Classes start on Monday, and I should be finished in just under two years. WooHoo!

Knitted nummies!

Besides hunting for jobs, trying not to melt in the incredible heat, mushing on two adorable puppies, and making edible yummies for my hubby, I've also been knitting up some really fun foods! A college friend asked if I could make some play food for her kid's kitchen, and I think I have risen to the challenge. What do you think?


And, in the on-going quest to find people with whom I have things in common, I have found The El Paso Knitting Guild! It's a group of about 30 people who share my love of knitting and they meet once a month. I attended my first meeting yesterday and learned some very useful tips about I-cords. I also found out about at least three possible opportunities to sell some of my knitted goodies. That's an all-around win as far as I'm concerned!

Another upcycle project!

You may recall me mentioning a while ago that I was still looking for a chair to go with Brian's awesome new desk. I have been trolling Craig's List and Freecycle, hoping to stumble across something that would go with the 100 year old desk. While Brian didn't mind using my old kitchen chair, I have been wanting to get the trestle table posted on Craig's List to sell, and couldn't really do that until he had a chair. So last week I stopped by the furniture sale on base and found this sturdy, though kinda pathetic, office chair. I knew it wasn't exactly what Brian had in mind, but I had an idea that I thought would please him.

First I had to take the whole thing apart and clean the fabric (although it was dusty, the fabric was still all intact. So I decided to leave it as an undercoat, so to speak, instead of trying to remove it all). Once all the metal was cleaned up, I sprayed it all down with some silver spray paint. You might think that it looks a little like chrome. That, of course, was the idea!

Once all the metal was repainted, I started on the upholstery. I had to make all the piping from scratch because, for some odd reason, no one seems to sell bright orange piping in canvas. Bright orange? Has she gone mad or just color blind? Wait and see...After careful measuring, making paper templates and trial and error, I was able to start assembling the fabric covers. The arm rests needed all new padding, so I manipulated some polyfoam to fit over the metal covers.

Unlike the rocking chair face lift, this project required a lot of sewing, both on the machine and by hand. I would have loved to use plygrip again, but the frame is metal and I would not have been able to tack the plygrip down to anything. As it is, the handstitching on the seams went pretty quickly and looked just as nice. Hmmmm, orange and black? Wonder where this is heading...

Once all the seams were secure, I started to reassemble the chair. This went a bit slower then the disassembly, and I had to take things apart and put them back together again more than once. Lesson learned: take pictures of EVERY PART before you deconstruct!

Once all the bolts were tightened and the chair pads reattached, the chair was finished.

And the best part, of course, is that it is a Harley Davidson chair! I found it funny that the most expensive part of this upcycle was the Harley patch for the back.

Beat up old office chair: $3
Harley Davidson patch: $17
Fabric, piping and foam: $28
Awesome, one-of-a-kind chair for my hubby: Priceless!

I wanted to have the chair done for his birthday, but was a day late. However, I did have his originally planned birthday present done and wrapped with a day to spare!This was my first real attempt at embroidery. Brian already has an awesome embroidered Harley shirt, so I decided to go with the Mustang on this one. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but I am not a big fan of embroidery and probably won't attempt anything else again soon.

A Busy July

What a wonderfully fun and busy month so far! The kids are here for two weeks and, just like in Savannah, I always seem to see and do more when folks are visiting! Unfortunately I haven't brought my camera to all the festivities (missed out on pictures of El Paso's Downtown Streetfest, the Old Ironsides Museum, and Wet n' Wild waterpark), but here are a few pics I have snapped.

I got to see my first Diablos baseball game! I haven't been to a baseball game in ages, and even though Brian wouldn't let me bring my knitting for the boring parts I still had a great time.

And there were fireworks!! We could actually see the fireworks show from the house the night before, but it was more fun to watch in the park after the game.


When the weather is hot, there's no better way to cool down than fresh, homemade ice cream!

I was super excited that K was interested in crafting during her visit. The first project: a teddy bear! This was a pretty ambitious first step and she did awesome.

After the bear she picked out some cheerful pink Batik and made this sling purse.

Of course, I can't spend that much time in my craft room without something to show for it myself. So I made a new bear out of some lingering fur scraps. I know it looks like he doesn't have a nose or mouth, but he does I promise!

I was also feeling the urge for a new purse, so I made this frilly little messenger bag with an adjustable strap. Once the purse was finished, I decided to whip up a matching wallet.

The wallet actually turned out a lot larger than expected. It's almost a clutch purse itself! I'm not sure how this will work out exactly, but I'll give it a shot for a while. (I used a combination of this and this tutorial to make the clutch, in case you were wondering.)

Someone was busy in the kitchen!

Brian took a nice long motorcycle ride with some of the helicopter pilots on Saturday, and I took advantage of the time alone to whip up a bunch of goodies in the kitchen!

I started with some simple boxed pudding for Brian's lunches this week. I love my reusable Gladware containers, especially the handy 1/2 cup, single serving size ones!

Then I moved on to a big batch of yogurt. I used the "keep it warm in a crock pot" method with great results at Dad's last month, so I repeated that here. I found out, however, that my crock pot's "warm" setting keeps the pot about 30 degrees warmer than Dad's! The yogurt is still tasty, though, so no harm.

And, of course, if I made yogurt you know I'd have to make granola to go with it! I used the wonderful Savannah Bee Company Orange Blossom Honey that Robyn gave me and it adds a nice flavor to the snack.


Last week I used my bread machine's dough cycle to whip up a single loaf of wheat bread. I prefer the way the bread comes out when you bake it in the over instead of letting the bread machine bake it, but it was still a little on the dense side. So this time I used Mom's old wheat bread recipe and made the whole thing from scratch. Oh, the smell of fresh baked bread! This loaf has a great consistency, and requires very little kneading. Yum!


And, thanks to the Saporita's for this long ago idea: home made ice cream sandwiches! The grocery store I went to Saturday morning unfortunately did not have chocolate graham crackers, so I had to make due with honey flavored. Spread a little Cool Whip inbetween the crackers and you have a home made ice cream sandwich. I did learn, this time, that they are much easier to wrap if you let them sit in the freezed for about an hour so the whipped cream and harden a bit. I'll be keeping my eyes open for the chocolate crackers for the next batch...

Oh, the cuteness!

I had a surprise visitor in my backyard this morning. As I was watering the herbs and veggies, I heard a soft scraping noise coming from the back wall. Being in new and somewhat unfamiliar lands, I was a bit wary as to what might be causing the noise.

After staring long and hard, I finally located the source: this adorable little turtle!
He was oh so tiny, but very brave. It only took a moment of being handled before he stuck his little head back out and started walking around on my hand. I can only guess that he's a land turtle, since there aren't any lake, rivers, streams, ponds, puddles or leaky faucets around. Any guesses on what kind of turtle he is? I emailed the University of Texas at Austin with a picture, but haven't heard back yet. Update: according to UTA, this is an ornate box turtle.I tried to keep him safely in my herb garden containers until I could establish what kind of turtle he was and where would be the best place to release him. But he managed to escape the garden and is now off on his next adventure! Kinda makes me want to knit a turtle, if I could just find a pattern...


And, just because it's been a few days since I've posted pictures of the girls, here they are keeping me company while I search for jobs. Mo is getting so big so fast that it's hard for me to believe that she's less than 5 months old. Hopefully she won't get as big as Harley!

Focaccia bread!

One of our wedding presents was a Panini press. I experimented a little before leaving Savannah, to moderate success. You would think there's not much to it: bread, filling, press, eat. But the trick is getting a bread that will grill up nicely, filling that will stay in place and heat well, and just enough moisture to flavor the panini without getting soupy. Fresh tomatoes are a no-no, as they just get squishy and slide out. Goat cheese or mozzarella are better than sliced deli cheese. Little things like that. I was thinking about what to make for dinners this week, and decided it was time to give the panini press another go. But instead of buying some bread, I whipped up my very first focaccia bread!

Unfortunately, my potter's instinct took over and I kneaded the dough the way I used to handle clay. This is a bad thing because when you're working clay you are actually trying to get the air out of the clay. When kneading bread, you want to work air into it! Live and learn for next time.

Ingredients:
1 C wrist temperature water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
about 3.5 C flour
dried herbs (I used Italian seasoning)
olive oil (for bowl and brushing on top of dough)

Place the water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then stir until everything dissolves.

Add 3 cups of flour, one at a time, stirring enthusiastically with a whisk. Switch to a wooden spoon then your hands as it thickens. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, adding the herbs and up to a half cup extra of flour to combat stickiness. When the dough is smooth, oil both the bowl and the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and transfer to a clean, floured surface. Adding small amounts of extra flour as needed, knead the dough for about 5 - 8 minutes (until it is smooth and elastic). for the dough into a ball and roll into a 10 - 12 inch diameter circle. Let it rise for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled baking tray and brush the surface of the dough with a little bit of oil and sprinkle more dried herbs on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

What's old becomes new again

I am really truly home now: my craft room is unpacked and set up!! The table is in place, books are on the shelves, and the file cabinets are nestled in the closet. Now I just have to decide which project to start on first. Perhaps something for Brian's birthday...

Just after we got back from Georgia, Brian finally succeeded in getting the Internet connected. We didn't have a desk when the tech came, so Brian improvised with several of my bookcase crates and boards. It was a good short-term fix, but not very comfortable or attractive (not to mention that he was holding my crate hostage and I couldn't get my craft room completed).

To remedy this situation, I started trolling Craigslist and Freecycle to find him a desk. After only a few days, I came across this beat up wooden desk.

I had never heard of Leopold Desk Company, but Brian did a little research (more on that later).

Though it needed a little love, I could tell it had potential. It was all real wood and very sturdy. I dished out $25, loaded it in the Durango and headed home. That night we stopped by Lowe's and picked up sand paper, steel wool and Minwax stain/polyurethane.

First step was removing all the original hardware and sanding. Lots and lots of sanding!

Once I got the old stain off the top, legs and drawer fronts, it was time to test out the stain. We were both a little skeptical of the stain/polyurethane combo. I mean, could it really work as well as the two separate products? The first coat went on and looked promising. A benefit of living in the desert: I didn't have to wait the full 6 hours between coats!

Minwax did not let us down. The new finish looks great, just as good as I hoped. I am so pleased with how it turned out. Now we just need to find an office chair that will compliment it.

Now, a bit about that research Brian did. Apparently the Leopold Desk Company made desks under that name by hand from 1900 to 1937, which makes this desk between 74 and 111 years old. The only thing that is missing is the key to lock the drawers, and we'll be sending the lock off to get new keys fabricated to match. After poking around a bit more, Brian found that desks similar to this one are running around $500. And I only dropped $25 on it. Score!!