My Creative Outlet

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-31T18:20:00.003-05:00

My resolutions for this year are

1- to bust at least half of my yarn stash
2- to finish up all my UFOs
3- to make Christmas gifts for everyone
4- and to try to write in my crochet journal at least every other day, preferably every day

Doily

2008-12-12T15:10:00.006-05:00

Finally starting to feel like crocheting again. In the spirit of the season, I whipped up this festive little doily for "Moses" my new Croton 'Bush on Fire' plant. Yes I named the plant :) It only took me a few hours in spite of the fact that I kept ripping out rows I didn't like so I could try something else. I just made it up as I went along. All the crochet pattern books that I have and of course I don't use any of them. But to be fair most of my craft books are still boxed up.
Sorry there is no pattern. At least not yet. Maybe I can try to write it down later if I have the time. I used some scrap gold metallic thread to try to stay in keeping with the holiday season.

I'm back...

2008-12-03T19:37:00.004-05:00

Wow such a long time since I've been here. Seriously thinking about starting this up again or at least trying to crochet some. SO much has happened recently. I can't seem to get my bearings. Feel like everything is out of control. Got married in June. Bought a house in August. Got pregnant in September. Pretty much going to be a necessity that I quit work this coming June when the baby arrives. Otherwise I'll pretty much be working just for the daycare fees. Beginning to feel very overwhelmed and more than a little depressed. I need something else to concentrate on other than panicking over the way my life has turned upside down. Think crocheting is a good outlet and this will keep me accountable in a way. Sat down this past weekend and crocheted a doily for the new plant on the kitchen table. Felt pretty good while I was working on it but didn't have much sense of accomplishment. Think I'll post a pic.

Finished a Few and Started a Few

2007-05-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

ORANGE TIDY TOTE *pic coming soon*
Bernat Softee Chunky Twists "Tangerine Twists"
Pattern from www.bernat.com/home from their limited time "Home" collection advertized in Family Circle Easy Crochet Magazine Spring/Summer 2007
Hook G
You can never have too many crochet bags! The perfect size to carry my current WIP.

SPARKLING ROSE SHRUG
Patons Brilliant Yarn "Sparkling Rose"
Pattern from 4 Stunning Crochet Shrugs
Hook F
Yah! Hobby Lobby finally replenished their Patons Yarn Section! So it's finally finished in all it's glory!

BLANCO LACE

Sinfonia Yarn "Blanco"
Pattern is my own design!
Hook G
Just something I whipped up one weekend. I had just an vague idea of what I wanted it to be when I started. Just made it up as I went along. Not too shabby, huh?

A ROSE FOR MOM SACHET
Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Thread
Pattern from Crochet! Magazine May 2007
Hooks 5 and 7
Of course, I had to make my wonderful mother something for Mothers Day. Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

I've been wanting to try some different types of yarn for some time, so a lot of my recent projects are more of "testing of the yarn" projects.

The Patons Brilliant yarn... I like how both the Abydos Vest using Patons "Gold Glow" and the Shrug using Patons "Sparkling Rose" turned out. Both are very pretty. And very glittery. :) The yarn does seem a bit scratchy when worked up tightly though. Definitely like it better when worked up loosely as in the previous Abydos Vest pattern. Using a H hook made a big difference in the feel of the finished outfit. I love how stretchy the finished items are.

The Bernat Cool Crochet... Absolutely love this yarn. Wish it came in a more variety of colors. It's so soft and would make lovely baby stuff. I'm on a cotton kick, now that the weather is warmer and acrylic is just too warm to wear right now. ;)

Bernat Softee Chunky Twists... Love the way this yarn looks. Definitely can see some future projects for this yarn. Love how bright the colors are too. Love how the crocheted bag turned out.

J&P Coats Royale... A cotton size 3 thread. Next WIM project is a bolero made in warm teal.

Abydos Vest

2007-04-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to taking a pic of the "Abydos Vest" I crocheted last month. Pattern was from "Amazing Crochet Lace" (there are some absolutely gorgeous patterns in this book!) and done in Patons Brilliant Yarn.

It was a little tighter than I would have liked but I really love this yarn. I'm in the process of crocheting a shrug from "Four Stunning Crochet Shrugs" in Patons Brilliant 'Sparkling Rose'. The yarn crochets fairly easily for how it's woven (not sure if thats the correct term for it). The way the fibers are wound makes it very elastic but doesn't make it too difficult to crochet with. The "Abydos Vest" was crocheted loosely using a H Hook and the "Sparkling Rose Shrug" is being crocheted a little tighter with a F Hook. Both ways work up very quickly and easily.

I tried to pick a small project for the few balls of the Patons Sparkling Rose my fiance gave me for Easter, but I miscalculated slightly ;) on how much I would need and now Hobby Lobby is out of stock of the sparkling rose at the moment and I need one more ball to finish the last sleeve on the shrug. It's driving me crazy being so close to finishing and not being able to wear it. It's so pretty... At least so far it is.

April Crochet Projects

2007-04-26T14:13:00.000-05:00

Didn't get as many projects completed this month mostly 'cause they were more involved/ time-consuming items. But here we go...

Wanted to make a few summer tops to wear this summer. So far I've completed the Striped top from Drops (pattern can be found at www.garnstudio.com ). I used some of the Sinfonia cotton yarn I was gifted for Easter. I love the feel of this top it's so very comfortable.

Also finished "Romance in White" from the Easy Crochet Magazine p.42. Used the yarn the pattern called for: Bernat Cool Crochet. The only adjustments I made to the pattern was to use a white ribbon for the "drawstring", instead of crocheting one. The ribbon and little pearl buttons were the perfect touch.

They both worked up quickly and I really love how they turned out.

Quizzes

2007-04-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

PERSONALITY QUIZ -

Your score on this personality test was 69%

Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural lead, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

Personality Quiz
Take More Quizzes

The Blue Sweater of Evil...

2007-04-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

After it has destroyed yet another lovely evening of pleasant crocheting in a long, drawn-out fiasco of destroyed lovely evenings, the Blue Sweater of Evil has been delegated to the Not-Right-Now (NRN) correctional institution for an undetermined amount of time.
After multiple accounts of frogging, and many mis-trials due to insufficient evidence, it's petty misdemeanors have escalated into the final criminal act of having the long sleeves attached wrong side out! The ensuing flurry of cussing caught the attention of the FBI (Frogging Bureau of Investigation) which resulted in it's aforementioned incarceration.
It was reported last evening by the local TV stations that the Blue Sweater of Evil was frogged. This information was premature and incorrect. After serving its term in the NRN correctional institution it will be released to hopefully live a life of productive usefulness. However, this will remain to be seen.
;)

I've Been Crocheting Like MAD!

2007-04-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

I ordered enough yarn online to make two sweaters and a bag a few weeks ago, but the some of the yarn was backordered. Since it wasn't going to be delivered in time for Easter weekend, of course I had to make a trip to Hobby Lobby on Saturday. Had to have something to crochet during my time off ;) I contained myself and just bought enough for a cute little dress.
And low and behold, I woke up Easter morning to a giant basket of yarn! My fiance has never actually bought me yarn before now. He's definitely a keeper!
And the yarn I ordered online came today!
I've been crocheting like mad!

Cute Idea

2007-04-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

I had a cute idea for a sweater done in mini granny squares, but it is giving me fits trying to develop a pattern to match what I saw in my head. I've frogged it so many times. Don't want to scrap it, but I just can't get the sleeves to do what I want. I love how the body of the sweater turned out. It's perfect. Just can't seem to get the sleeves how I imagined them. I hate not to use the extra skein of yarn that I bought a few days ago specifically so I would have enough yarn to do long sleeves. Especially since that was the reason I was making the sweater in the first place - to use up some of the yarn from my stash. Now I'll have more yarn in my stash than I did before I started this sweater. Hmmmmm...

Well, one way or the other it's going to be declared finished this weekend. Even if I have to leave it sleeveless. Which is looking more and more likely :)

March Projects Completed

2007-04-04T20:01:00.000-05:00

Ok... Finished the Bernat Sweater. Absolutely love how it turned out! It's so soft and feminine. I used a hook size larger than I should have because the yarn was just too aggravating to crochet with a smaller size. Kept snagging and separating, so the stitching ended up being much looser than the pattern was supposed to be. But I think it was an improvement since the sweater ended up being so soft. The pattern I used can be found here - Flirty Top. I even had enough leftover yarn to make a little matching purse! I still need to sew in the lining before posting a pic of the purse, but it is absolutely adorable.

Also completed an Abydos Vest from the book I just purchased called "Amazing Crochet Lace".
I used the yarn called for in the pattern: Patons Brilliant Gold Glow and it turned out amazing. This was the first time I've crocheted with this yarn and I would have to say it was the coolest yarn I have ever worked with. It is just so soft and stretchy. Will take a pic of the finished sweater ASAP.

This is the the trial run of the same Abydos Vest pattern which I did in Caron Simply Soft. I think I might like this one even more than the Patons one :) Didn't want to mess up my nice Patons yarn if I needed to frog very much :). Didn't need to, but you never know. The patterns you think are going to be hard are sometimes the simplest to pick up on, and then the ones you think are going to be a breeze, you never end up figuring out. Oh well...

Finished Some New Projects in February

2007-03-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

Finally finished the Pineapple afghan for my fiance. The edging for the pattern was a pain. Never could get it to come out correctly so after frogging it repeatedly I decided to adjust the stitches. Anyway, it's close enough to the pattern. I think it turned out well enough...

Also took some time out to crochet some Valentine related items, including a few doilies for my sister's birthday.
A few doilies for myself...

and my sister...

and a scarf for me!

In an effort to wittle down the massive amount of yarn I have, I went through my stash. Some of the yarn I can't even remember what projects I had planned for it when I originally bought it. But the ones I can remember, I'm going to try to complete them -if I can still find the patterns.
I did make a scrap afghan with a matching butterfly pillow from my stash of baby yarn. It worked up fairly quickly and used up almost all of my loose baby yarn. Yay!

And I started the blue sweater that I had bought a few skeins of Bernat a few years ago and never got around to making. Hopefully I'll finish it this weekend so I can wear it next week. If the weather cooporates.

Roasted Veggies and Feta Stuffed Chicken

2006-09-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Tried a Roasted Vegetable recipe from allrecipes.com last night for supper with the steak and biscuits. Only used half of the red onion, but it turned out wonderful - definite repeat!
Tonight's experiment consisited of Feta Stuffed Chicken. The chicken was a little tough. When I try the recipe again I'll put them in foil and pound the chicken breasts flat before stuffing them. Maybe that will help some. The garlic penne pasta was good. Kind of hot but good. It didn't reheat very well though; got tough. I didn't have any sundried tomatoes, so I'll try this one again when I have all the ingredients on hand. Loved the grilled squash. Definitely want to try on the grill, but even cooked in the skillet they were full of flavor.

UFOs- Unfinished Objects

2006-08-29T09:28:00.000-05:00

Been trying to go through all the crochet projects I've started and never finished and to decide whether they are worth finishing. I have a lot more than I first realized. And a lot more yarn for projects I never started too. The majority are simply projects I was working skein by skein and need more yarn in order to complete them. The "convenience" of working with no-dye lot yarn.
Other projects I just got tired of and never got back around to finishing. Or like the Christmas sweater I started last year and the season passed before I could finish it the first time around. I've gained a little weight so hopefully it will still fit when I do finish it. If not it will make a nice gift this year.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

2006-08-29T08:42:00.000-05:00

Tried the Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe from allrecipes.com for dinner last night. Wonderfully simple recipe. Took me almost no time to prepare. The flavor of the chicken was sweet with just a little kick. Definitely a repeat meal!
I'm having the most fun cooking with this website. It has plenty of simple recipes without odd ingredients that regular, non-gourmet people (like me) have never even heard of. In spite of this, the dishes are full of flavor so that even a finicky eater such as my fiance enjoys them.

All Recipes Website

2006-08-23T14:01:00.000-05:00

Joined AllRecipes.com which has loads of excellent recipes and an easy-to-use search engine with lots searching options. You can search for recipes by ingredients, by type of dish (appetizer, entree, etc.), by nutritional elements (if you are on a certain type of diet), or by time needed to prepare and cook the dish. Or you can just browse through the many recipe collections. If you are stuck for meal ideas there is an entire section devoted to "recipes of the day", "recipe roulette", and "meal idea categories".
Once you have decided on your main dish you can then search for a side dish or dessert which will compliment the recipe you have chosen. A very convenient feature.
Another helpful feature is the shopping list generator which will compile an printable ingredient list for the recipes you have choosen.
Last night I tried the BBQ Rib-eye recipe. It was marvelous! The best steak I've ever cooked. Even my fiance loved it!

S.C.A.R.E. - South Carolina Awareness and Rescue for Equines

2006-08-18T10:49:00.000-05:00

Make a difference in the lives of abused or neglected horses by volunteering or making a donation S.C.A.R.E. - South Carolina Awareness and Rescue for Equines.
A friend of mine who is getting married this year gave me a very wonderful idea. Instead of wedding gifts, I'm considering encouraging our guests to make a donation to S.C.A.R.E. or a similar charity organization. Especially since we are not really lacking in any of the household necessities. We have both been living on our own for quite a few years and therefore have all the "stuff" we need.
Since my love for animals is such a large part of my life, this would be a very thoughtful "gift" for my friends and family to give us on the most special day of our relationship together. However, my fiance doesn't love horses as much I do :) so maybe he can choose a more appropriate charity or organization to which he would prefer donations to be made in his name. This would also give the added bonus of allowing our guests a choice of charities to which to make their donations.

Celestial Seasonings Teas

2006-08-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

Celestial Seasonings has a great line of teas. I love their Cinnamon Apple Spice Herb Tea. They have a whole line of holiday teas which would make excellent christmas presents.

Sims2DNA Cheat and Guide to Pleasantview Townies

2006-08-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

I finally found this post on the BBS. Should prove useful to my genetic experiments, much easier than trying to guess by sight. Also found a guide to the precreated townies which should save some time too. - Spotter's Guide to Pleasantview Townies

*************
The SimDNA cheat: See Genetics from inside the game! -notovny
There's a way to do this, allright. There is a cheat in the game that will let you do so. However, it's not a cheat that's normally active. There are two steps to this process: 1. Create a userStartup.cheat file containing the cheat boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true2. Start up the game, enter a house and use the cheat simDNA (firstname)

Step 1: Create a userStartup.cheat file.
A userStartup.cheat file is a file that contains lines of text that are effectively entered into the cheat window at the earliest possible time... during game startup. Even before the game loads neighborhoods. There are many things you can do with a userStartup.cheat file: You can edit it to put in any cheat that you would normally enter as soon as you open the game, so that you don't have to type it every time, or to make aliases to commonly-used cheats, so you can enter them in much shorter forms.
Create a userStartup.cheat file by opening up Notepad or WordPad. Once you've got a new document in it, enter the following line:
boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true
Now save it as userStartup.cheat to the directory My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Config .
When next you start up the game, and every time you start up the game with that file, the cheat will be active., with all that entails. If you're not comfortable with running the game with the debugging cheat active, you can shut it off by entering boolProp testingCheatsEnabled false once the game starts up. Step 2 will still work if you do this.
Step 2: The simDNA cheat.
This will only work if you followed Step 1. Entering the debugging cheat at any other time, even on the neighborhood screen, doesn't enable this cheat.
Once youve followed Step one, you can use the following cheat on any lot to check a Sim's DNA:
simDNA (firstname)
Replace (firstname) with the first name of the Sim. For instance, you can check Daniel Pleasant's DNA by typing "simDNA Daniel" at the Pleasant Household, when he's home.
The simDNA cheat will allow you to check the DNA of any Sim who is on the lot at the time you enter it; You can use it to check the DNA of visitors as well. It doesn't show stats or aspiration, just the genes that Sim is carrying for hair color, eye color, and skin tone.
Edited for accuracy, 6/22: If there are multiple Sims on the lot with the same first name, the cheat will show them all. If the Sim has a two-word first name, like General Buzz Grunt, youll need to surround it in quotes. as in simDNA "General Buzz"
The result will be like this:
http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/6899/dna015wd.jpg(edited 6/19 because tinypic lost my picture)
The game will list a pair of genes for Eye Color and Hair Color.. In each pair, the first gene listed is the one that the Sim will show in the game. The Sim carries both genes, and has a 50% chance of passing either one to his offspring. Next is listed the Sim's skin tone, and the range of skin-tones that Sim could have inherited from his parents.
After that is a list of dominant facial features the Sim is carrying. I'm really not sure how to read that.
But it works. It really does.
Special thanks to:LarryHookins, for giving info on the use of userStartup.cheat files and MaxoidTom, for mentioning this little tidbit in this post at ModTheSims2

Edit: This is a wonderful cheat! Now I have all the correct DNA stats for each of my sims. Let the genetic experiments begin! :)

Crochet Tops

2006-08-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

I got two new crochet books about a week ago: Cool Crochet and So Simple Crochet.
Stopped playing my sims long enough to make a trial run of a cute little halter top (Natalie p.96 of Cool Crochet) over the weekend (8-11 to 8-13). Need to take pics. The beads along the bottom were a nice touch.
Trying the pattern now in Cherry Red Lion Brand Microspun (might be too thick) but my favorite yarn store was closed the only day I could manage to squeeze in my yarn shopping :) Going to see if I can buy some more DK yarn later if this turns out to be too thick.
Edit: Finally got around to finishing the red halter top. Looks great! Due to the thickness of the yarn, I ended up using a F hook instead of the E hook that the pattern called for the halter and edging, and substituted a G hook instead of the D hook for the lacy trim. (8-13 to 8-24)
Need to buy some larger red crystal beads in order to finish the trim.
Also have another idea for an original top I want to try. Finally worked it out in my head enough to draw it out. I think it will work now without too much tweaking. Might need to find a more "stretchy" stitch for it though. Not sure.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

2006-07-03T17:14:00.000-05:00

This was a endearing book full of quirky characters that were so odd that you just had to love them. The last chapter was the perfect ending to the most heartfelt story I have read in a long time.
The majority of the storyline is comprised of flashbacks as a ninety year old Jacob Jankowski remembers his life after he accidentally joined the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth during the early part of the Great Depression. When the young Jacob loses his parents in an automobile crash, he discovers that due to his veterinarian father's soft heart toward animals his father has been treating the town's creatures without pay for quite sometime. The bank forecloses on the farm soon after the funeral so Jacob is suddenly without his parents, the family farm, or the family business. Shocked and depressed, Jacob starts walking until he's exhausted and starving. Jumping a train in desperation, he soon finds himself traveling with a derelict circus.
Water for Elephants is the story of a young man's life journey, of his adventures with a scavenger circus, and of the friends he makes along the way - a dwarf named Kinko, an elephant named Rosie, and a chimp named Bobo.

The Lake House

2006-06-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

The Lake House with Keanu Reaves and Sandra Bullock is definitely a movie to watch if you like romantic movies. The storyline is loosely based on the short story "The Love Letters" by Jack Finney and it's a remake of the foreign film Siworae / Il Mare. This is not the only movie made on the idea of love spanning time. Others include Moments of Love, The Love Letter (based closely to Jack Finney's story), Frequency, and 'Somewhere In Time'. Finney's short story, which was also made into a movie (The Love Letter), is something I would enjoy reading and watching. I'll have to find a copy of it at some point.
Basically, the storyline of The Lake House is about two people who are living in the same house two years apart. They fall in love and are trying to find a way to meet. The only way they can communicate is by leaving each other letters in the mailbox of the Lake House. It's very touching and romantic. I loved it!

The Sims 2

2006-06-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

The new expansion pack is to be announced and released soon! Can't wait to have something new to play - it was beginning to get boring. Though the new challenges I've been trying have livened things up a bit for my sims :) The EP's definitely going to be Pets. I had hoped the last expansion would have been the pet one instead of business (although the business one was actually quite fun) so I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this EP for the past year.

Da Vinci

2006-06-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

I finally started reading The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown). It's actually much better than I thought it would be. Wanted to finish reading it before I watch the movie. There's no hurry now though, since I decided to what until it comes out on dvd. I'm really enjoying it, but then I LOVE mysteries. There is so much controversy surrounding the book I wasn't sure if it was worth even bothering with, but my sister and mom read and enjoyed it, so... and I'm actually enjoying it more than I first thought. It is very well written - the characters are quite believable and personable. Without intending to the reader begins to feel for each character and wants each of them to find their way in life and of course to solve the mystery surrounding the Holy Grail.
The clues and puzzles involved in the storyline remind me of my childhood. My siblings and I were forever creating treasure hunts and mysteries for each other to solve. We would leave clues with codes and secret messages that when solved led to another clue and so on. It was the most fun. I wonder of Chris would solve one if I left a coded message for him? Maybe if I think of a simple on and just leave it for him to find. That would be fun to leave each other encoded messages especially since I already leave him little notes when he has to work alot. It sounds kind of corny but it was the most fun I had growing up. If I ever do have children I'm going to do what Sauniere did for his granddaughter, Sohpie, and leave clues for them to follow. It's fun as well as educational. Makes you think and look at things from different perspectives. But then I always wanted a "Cheaper by the Dozen" type of family. That's one of the reasons I want to learn Cherokee (besides the heritage factor). It would be neat to write in a language that no one else could read.

Books I've Read Recently

2006-06-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

BOOKS I'VE READ RECENTLY
.	.	.
New Moon Stephanie Meyer	.	To be released in August. Can't wait!
Water for Elephants	.	Looked like a good read.
Da Vinci Code Dan Brown		Finally getting around to reading this. Want to finish before I watched the movie.
Twilight Stephanie Meyer		Execellent vampire story. Meyer has a very original view of a topic that has become stale.
Secret Supper Javier Sierra		Excellent mystery set during the lifetime of Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Power of the Human Mind

2006-06-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

Found this on the BBS for the Sims2:

"The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rseearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!"

It's that so cool?

Iris Festival

2006-05-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today was the Iris Festival at Swan Lake. We had a great time and I took loads of pictures.
All I bought was a cd to add to my collection of Native American music - "The Indian Soul: Quilla" - Richard Maldonado. I love native flute. It's so calming and relaxing to listen to. Besides it makes me feel closer to my roots. Exposure: f/7.1 at 1/320 second
I removed the color from this photo to emphasis the constrast between the black swan and the water fountain. I love how this one turned out. I wasn't sure since it was the first time I had tried to create a certain effect with moving water. The resulting image is very close to the what I was aiming for. A smaller aperature was used in order to focus the individual droplets of water creating a nice effect. Exposure: f/4.0 at 1/640 second
This shot was a complete accident. I was focusing on the bird beside this couple when he ran her off into the pond.Exposure: f/4.0 at 1/320 second
The parade consisted of quite a few horses. This was a particularly hyper creature who was quite spooked by all the people and noise.

thread scarf and poncho

2006-05-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

I started a scarf to match the poncho I am currently crocheting out of Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet thread color # 250 Mexican.

Scarf

The idea for the Poncho I got from a Faded Glory one that I bought at Walmart last year. I changed a few things but the basic form and the stitches are the same. The Scarf design was my own idea. Since I didn't add the yoke to the poncho as in the origial design, I wanted to have something extra to dress up the neckline of the poncho. And so the scarf was born :)
The scarf was easy enough. I finished it in 4 days worth of spare time. (May 22-25) I'm glad I finished it in time to wear Saturday to the Iris Festival. I would have liked to wear the poncho too but I don't think I'm going to make it in time. Oh well. The poncho is taking a little longer than I first thought it would. Mostly because I keep getting sidetracked by other crochet projects. And getting my camera didn't help with my spare time either :)
I have way too many crochet books full of patterns that I want to try. And still every time I go to a bookstore or craft store I always find at least one more that I just have to have. I'm never going to be able to actually find the time to make all the things I want to. But I'm going to keep on trying anyway :)

Twilight

2006-05-24T12:25:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I read another good book recomended to me by a coworker - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The storyline is basically about a teenager who inadvertantly falls in love with a boy in her high school biology class. He (as well as his whole family) turns out to be a vampire. The characters and story are very well developed. It was a very enjoyable read.

Button, button, who's got the button?

2006-05-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

I've been working on some buttons for my sites. Here are a few that I've completed so far:

Sites Dedicated to my Photography HobbyMy Photography Website

I have my own photograpy website - Jaime's Photography - which is dedicated to my photography hobby. This interest of mine was recently jumpstarted when I bought a Canon 20D, a camera I have wanted for quite a few years.

My Photo Gallery at DPForums

I'm a member of the DPForum (Digital Photography Forum) and therefore I have a gallery of images to be critiqued on their server.

Sites Dedicated to my Life and Friends

My Personal Photo Scrapbook

The scrapbook started as an offshoot of my wedding website. I'm considering replacing it at some point with a photo hosting server (I'm leaning toward smugmug.com). For now though my personal photos will be located at My Scrapbook.

My collection of slides at Slide

The slide of photos on my profile page is from my collection at slide.com - Pics4Isabel.

My profile at MySpace

My profile at myspace.com and the location of my blog Isabel's Thoughts. This is not frequently updated but is a good compliation site for my interests and hobbies.

My profile at the Sims2.com

My profile for the Sims 2 PC game site. This is the best computer game! Occasionally, I'll add a snippet from one of my numerous families' lives to my blog on this site. Recently I started a new challenge for one of my neighborhoods (I'm calling it the "Real-Life Challenge"). Also wanted to try my hand at uploading some of my lots and sims.

My blog at Blogger.com

And last but not least, the button for my main blog - My Creative Outlet - a compliation of my thoughts and my creative hobbies. This blog will be updated more frequently than any other of my sites so check here for what I'm currently up to.

Sites Dedicated to my Crochet Hobby

I've decided to start work on the website for my crochet business. It will be a while before it's completed, but it's coming along nicely. The crochet website - Crochet by Isabel - will be the future site of my crochet business. The main items for sale will be baby things: baby afghans, layette sets, etc. Eventually I will also sale other creations designed by myself such as scarfs and ponchos. This is not currently functional but plans for it's completion are for the near future.

Crochetville - Another forum I enjoy perusing is Crochetville.org

I also noticed that the menu bar I coded for my photography site acts sort of weird in Internet Explorer if the browser text size is set to medium or larger. It works OK if you shrink your browser's font to the smaller sizes. I haven't decided how I want to go about fixing this yet. It works just fine in Firefox so I will probably leave it as is for the moment. At least until I have time to recode the menu. I guess I'll have to go back to menu buttons afterall :(

the secret supper

2006-05-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been reading The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra . It's set during the time period of Leonardo da Vinci. If you enjoy historical fiction and mysteries you should really check it out. It's a great book. I'm only about a third of the way through but I can barely stand to put the book down :) The book is full of puzzles the characters are trying to solve as well as a murder of the Don's wife that they are trying to solve.
The writing style is different than most modern books since the story is told by an Inquisitor of the Roman Church and therefore is written using a higher vocabulary in order to reflect the time period. In spite this the words flow together and make the book easy reading. I'm really enjoying it.

shades of purple

2006-05-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend didn't pan out like I expected. There was not much time for myself since we had out-of-town family drop in for the weekend unexpectedly. But I did manage to find time to take a few pics during my Mother's Day visit to my mom's.

These photos were color manipulated in Photoshop in order to give them all a bluish-purple tint. This was done in order to accent the texture of the subject of each image rather than to emphasize the ordinary aspect of each image, i.e. they are merely a close up view of the various rocks in my mom's flower garden. I also wanted an underlying color theme for the portfolio - shades of purple.

MySpace

2006-05-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

I created myself a myspace account - mostly so I can keep up with my friends at work. It seems to be all the craze now and I was beginning to feel left out. :) I also created a slide.com account so I could add some pics to myspace.
I also added the cascading attribute to the menus in my photography site today. It wasn't as difficult to do as I first thought it would be. It was extremely aggravating to make it compatible with the graphics already in the web pages, but it looks OK now. Haven't decided whether to add the cascading menu to every page or just the main pages, but either way I have the html to add whenever I like, which is a great relief.

the house

2006-05-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

I was playing around with photoshop last night. Trying some of the features that I haven't used before and learning what effect some of the functions have on various aspects of each image. This was the best outcome I had. Just wanted to share :)
Also, as an update, I finally figured out how to add a horizontal menu bar to the top of each page of my photography website. It doesn't cascade yet like I want it to, but at least the menu now takes up much less space since it's not a vertical column of buttons. The html code had an added bonus of automatically doing away with the annoying blue border around the photos in the slideshow. Yah!

Abstract Photos

2006-05-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

I wanted to try my hand at some abstract images. Here are a few of my first attempts. Any comments are appreciated.

I removed the color with photoshop in order to accent the shapes and lines present in each photo and so the coloring would not distract the viewer from what I wanted the main focus of each image to be- the abstract nature of each of the objects. The black and white format also helps to accent the light and shadows, giving each image more of an abstract feel. Pots
Exposure: f/5.6 at 1/800 second Hinge
Exposure: f/13 at 1/50 second Harrow
Exposure: f/11 at 1/100 second Tractor
Exposure: f/9 at 1/160 Gourds
Exposure: f/6.5 at 1/800 secondScrew
Exposure: f/9 at 1/200 second

Children

2006-05-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

The children are the best part about my job. They have such a fresh perspective on things that adults take for granted. It's so much fun to watch their reactions when they discover something new. One little girl is so cute; she entertains herself every week by trying to catch the light reflecting in the linoleum floor while her mother checks out her books.
I had someone ask me today "When's the baby due?". It just stung a bit since I know there is a good possibility that I can never have children and I do so want them. Evidentially when I told her that I was getting married she naturally assumed that was the reason why. Go figure. Not that I would get married simply because I was pregnant. In my opinion that is not a good reason to get married. Life and marriage is hard enough even when you do love the person you are spending your life with.
That was a little off topic :) The children's storytimes are about to start for the summer so we have a lot more babies and small children being brought to the library. One little boy, he's only a year old, loves the big stuffed Clifford in the children's department. The first thing he wants to do everytime he comes in is to see Clifford. If his mother goes anywhere else first, he screams until he gets a glimpse of Clifford, then he's ginning from ear to ear again. It's amazing how they remember things like that but he never forgets to visit Clifford.

New Homepage Layout

2006-05-03T22:36:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to adding the links to the slideshow on my photography site. Now you can click on the photos in the slide and be linked to the appropriate webpage. Much more convenient. And I've added a section for the newest photos uploaded to the site so everyone can see what's been recently added without searching through the entire site.

window to the soul
This gorgeous horse belongs to my sister. Sequoyah Slew is an appendix-bred Paint, that is, she is a quarter horse/ thoroughbred cross.
The subject of the image is the eye of the horse and the expression held in the her eye. The eyes are often referred to as windows of the soul and looking into the eyes of a horse can often determine their moods and feelings just as it can with humans.
Using the rule of thirds, the focus of the image is concentrated on the lower right point which rests directly over the pupil. The image could be improved by increasing the depth of focus. The eyelashes are not as sharp as they could have been. However, the hairs on the forehead are very sharp and help to create the intended overall outcome for the image.
The close cropping and depth of focus simplify this photo of the horse's eye without any other manipulation needed.
The reflections in the depths of the pupil of the eye draws the viewer into the photograph and holds their attention.
Canon EOS 20D Camera; Exposure: f/11 at 1/80 second
To view a larger version of this image, click here.

Updates

2006-05-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

The Easter photos are posted to the scrapbook.

I've also finished uploading the photos from Easter to my photography site. I haven't analyzed all of them yet but they can at least be viewed now. Just click on the links for each theme to go to the thumbnail pages. From there, the larger photos can be viewed. Since this is a learning process, I've decided to add the aperture and shutter speed to the photos posted on my photography site in order to enable better critiquing of each individual image. This is an ongoing learning experience for me so any comments or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

More Pics

2006-04-30T09:54:00.000-05:00

Max and I spent yesterday at my parent's farm trying to find unique things to for me to photograph. My favorite pic is this mockingbird hopping out of a little bush. I just love how fast my 20D Canon can continuously shoot. My old camera could never have reacted fast enough to capture this shot. The money I spent for the Canon was definitely worth it.
Been working on sorting through my photos from Easter weekend so I can finish adding them to my two websites. I ended up with quite a few nice ones. Hopefully I can finish posting them today. I've finished sorting through the pics for my Fiance's Dad's Easter egg hunt and burnt multiple copies to CDs to hand out to his side of the family. Now I just have to do the photos for the CDs for my side of the family and decide which photos that I want to post to the websites and I will be finished.
I feel sort of guilty since I havenÂt done any wedding planning, added anything new to our wedding website, or even done much housework since I got my new camera. I've been concentrating too much of my time on my photography, and as much fun as this is, I really have actual work that needs to be done. I guess it will all get done eventually though, so no worries :)

Southern Flower and Plant Festival

2006-04-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

I repotted my Aloe, but haven't decided whether I want to move it back outside since the weather has gotten warm again. I might just leave it inside this year. I've gotten kind of use to having a little green in the apartment. I can't wait until we can decide on a house so I can have a garden again. My patio at this place is only so big. Although I could do what the German couple beside us has done. Their patio looked like a jungle last year. I don't know how she fit all those plants in her apartment over the winter.
My mom, sister and I went to the garden show at the farmers market last Saturday and I bought two strawberry pots and a few herbs. I figured this way I could have more different types of plants in a smaller space without having a million different little pots to keep watered. The very first garden I had as a small child was a little herb garden in the corner of my mother's flower garden, so this has brought back lots of good memories.
My fiance should be happy with this arrangement too. He loves to cook and now he has all the fresh herbs he wants at his disposal.

Slideshow

2006-04-27T18:57:00.000-05:00

I’ve added a slideshow of the photos from my portfolio to the home page of my photography site! Eventually, I want to create links from each photo in the slideshow so you will be able to click on a photo and go to the corresponding portfolio page in my photography site, but that will be for later. Right now it’s just a showcase of my photography. It took me a while to figure out the Javascript, but it seems to be working for the moment :)

a state of relaxation

2006-04-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

The elephants were always my favorite animals during my childhood visits to Riverbank's Zoo and nothing has changed over the years. They are amazing creatures with so much character.

The image of the elephant trunk slightly curled is the subject of this photograph. Because of the curled nature of the trunk, a line is created for the viewer's eye to flow around the image. The horizontal lines also lend a relaxed state of balance, creating an image of a creature at rest.

The excellent focus of this photo brings out the detail in the rough texture of the elephant's skin and the bristly nature of the fine hairs on his trunk. The zoom lens enabled this shot to be taken at such a distance without losing the detail of the texture of the skin. Furthermore, the sidelighting helps to emphasis the cylinder shape through the shadows cast on the right side of the trunk.

This image is simplified by the depth of focus and the tight crop which leaves only the trunk itself for the viewer to focus their attention. The red clay ground in the background of the image compliments the deep colors of the elephant's skin tone. However, the greens of the pine on which the elephants were snacking, slightly detract from the subject but add extra context to the image.

I was very pleased with how this photograph turned out. It captured the sought after relaxed nature of the elephants.

To view a larger version of this photo, click here.

sometimes

2006-04-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

sometimes,
when the rush hits, the
overwhelming sense of being
Lost,
of losing the sacred part of me -
overpowers.
They look but don’t see
the quiet,
hiding under the jumbled
emotions,
too afraid to brave the outside.
I look into his dark eyes,
the lone eyes seeing past the
confusion,
helping me find my way
back,
keeping me Here.

Max

2006-04-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

I’ve been kind of depressed all day today. Even being at work and away from all that’s going on really didn’t help any, at least not as much as it usually does. I’ve been home by myself with just my little dog for about an hour now and I feel much better. It’s truly amazing how animals can uplift your spirits. Just sitting in the same room with Max makes me feel at peace with myself. He’s such a sweet little dog and he always knows when I don’t feel well. He wants to just sleep at my feet or in my lap whenever I’m not having a good day. Animals are such precious gifts. It’s beyond me how people can be cruel to them.
I made a pan of cornbread (his favorite) and we’re just relaxing and watching TV. He really is a lot of company. Everyone should have a pet. It would make the world a much better place.

Happy Easter

2006-04-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

Took lots of pictures at both of the family get togethers on Easter Sunday. My niece and nephews had lots of fun egg hunting. This was one of my favorite pics - the boys comparing their Easter eggs after the excitement of hunting the backyard for eggs.
I just love holidays, especially when children are involved. To watch their faces light up with excitement is the most fun. Every hoilday always ends up becoming a major social event for my clan. Getting to spend time with and to talk with family members that I don't see often is definitely the highlight of the holidays, at least for myself.
Hope everyone had a very happy Easter.

Easter Weekend: Trip to the Zoo

2006-04-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

Our trip to the zoo was very successful. I have enough pictures to keep me occupied for quite a few days. I’ve spent most of the afternoon working on sorting through them and adding a few to the website. There are quite a lot left to weed through. I definitely love my new camera but I think I will need more than one memory card. The 2GB card I brought with me was full of pictures after the first 2 hours :) But I’ve already come across a few things that can be improved upon the next time I take a photo trip, so I’m very pleased with the outcome of the trip.

The “Photo of the Month” for April has also been posted to my photography site. If you want to comment on my rendition of this very curious baby giraffe, you are more than welcome to do so.

In addition to the Zoo pictures I also had a chance to upload some of the photos from my visit to my parent’s farm to my scrapbook and my photography website. More to come over the next week or so as I finish sorting pics.

Zoom Lens

2006-04-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures taken at my momÂs farm today. The purpose of these photos were to give me a chance to practice with my new zoom lens before my trip to the zoo tomorrow. It took me a quite a few shots to become accustomed to the lens :)

All of the pics were shot with the fully automatic features of the camera. Hopefully I will be able to use more of the manual features soon. These two photos were taken using the preset action mode.

The horse is my little sister's Paint, Slew. She is an appendix-bred quarter horse with which my sister barrel races. The dog is my mother's pomeranian, Lassie. More pictures will be posted to my scrapbook and to my photography site - hopefully tomorrow.

Digital Photography Forum

2006-04-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

My desire to improve my photography skills has prompted me to join a Digital Photography Forum in order to share my photos with other amateur photographers and to get input on my images. My gallery in this forum can be found through this link. Feel free to comment on or critique any of my images. If you are not a member of the forum you can send your comments directly to me through my website. All comments and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated.

I've been playing with the settings on my new Canon 20D and this image is the outcome. The apeture settings are complicated and it took me a while to get the angle of the shot the way I wanted it, but I'm very pleased with the turnout. The possiblities that this camera has opened up to me has greatly increased my appreciation of photography. My own personal critique of this photo can be found here. This photo also has the distinction of being the first image taken with my new camera to be added to my photography website.

The extra lens EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM has arrived. I have yet to try it out except for a cursory examination. The zoom on this lens is quite amazing - at least to my limited knowledge. My trip to the Columbia zoo on Friday will be vastly improved due to this lens.

Starting a Craft Business

2006-04-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some of the other blogs a few days ago and came across Heidi's Paper Musings. If you haven't seen it you should check it out! In her "about me" she says to "Take a minute and dream a little….about your ideal workplace. What would it look like? Who would you work with? What would you be wearing?" That really got me thinking and her blog inspired me to consider starting my craft business now instead of some time in the future. For the longest time I've wanted to start my own business selling crocheted items like baby blankets/afghans and layettes sets for baby shower gifts, but I never seriously thought about doing it right now! When I thought about it, it was always something I wanted to do someday - very far into the future. I've been wanting to sell some of my work for the past 6 0r 7 years, but it was always something that I thought I would do one day. But why not now? So I've decided to take her advice and start seriously working toward my dream.

My ideal workplace would to be able to work out of my home at my own pace. I'd also like to work with my sister and/or mom or maybe a few of my best friends. To be able to do what I enjoy and to work at my own pace would be definite perks, and a flexible work schedule - to be able to take a day off or work in the evenings instead of the mornings would be so nice. But I'd like to still get to know my customers (love this aspect of my job, especially the little children!)

I raided Hobby Lobby (one of my favorite things to do) and got some soft baby yarn to practice the patterns I'm making up.

So, I started working on creating some patterns for some baby afghans. I came up with a very cute one the other night. And other one which might need some more work... need an idea for the edging. The uploaded pic is the finished pattern for the cute one. I like how the fan edging is turning out. I'm only about halfway done with a completed afghan. It has taken me a few tries to get the effect that I was aiming for but as soon as I'm satisfied I will upload a photo of the completed baby afghan.

New Additions to Website!

2006-04-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

I've added more analyzed photos from Kalmia Gardens to my Photography Website as well as created a link from the About Me page to my Photo Scrapbook.

I really enjoyed our trip to Kalmia. This was my favorite photo from the trip. It was hard to capture this photo but after numerous tries this was the outcome.

Unfurling of the Frond
This unfurling frond was found deep in the woods of the Kalmia Garden Nature Area. Among the numerous trees and flowering shrubs, the simple elegance of the fern catches the hiker's eye.

The subject of the photograph is the new leaf of the fern unfurling into the spring world. The merged colors of the background compliment the bright colors of the fern's new leaf growth. The fine hairs on the stem and leaflets give texture to the image.

As the focus of this image, the new growth of the fern fills almost the entire image. The curvature of the frond encourages the viewer's eye to flow around the image and eventully focus on the tightly curled leaflets at the lower right of the photograph.

The image is simplified by the short focal length used to take the shot, which has caused the background to be completely blurred out. To improve this image the focal length could be widened so as to bring the tips of the fern's leaflets into focus.

While exploring the natural beauty of the earth, simple aspects of nature are usually overlooked for the awe-inspiring, attention-getting plants and the small, simple flora are disregarded.

New Digital Camera!

2006-04-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

The digital camera I ordered from Best Buy was delivered Thursday morning! I ordered a 20D Canon digital SLR. The last few days have been filled with learning all the cool features of my new camera. I've barely scratched the surface of the things this camera can do! I'm going to have so much fun next week :)

The extra lens EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM has yet to get here, but should be here in time for Easter weekend.

A few of the pics I've shot so far with the standard lens Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S zoom lens :

As you can tell Max was getting tired of posing and was getting aggravated with the camera flash :)

Wedding Etiquette

2006-04-03T18:04:00.000-05:00

The engagement announcements I ordered came in over the weekend. I'm extremely pleased with how they turned out. They were ordered from The American Wedding Album. The company did a very good job and the announcements were delivered much quicker than I expected them to be. The announcements still need chiffon ribbon tied around them, which I will order soon. Now I just have to decide if I want to try to address the envelopes with a calligraphy pen, or if I just want to fudge it and write them with a regular pen. I bought a beginner's calligraphy kit and had a fun time trying it, but I would definitely need a lot of practice to have anything I did turn out OK.

Hopefully we'll take our engagement pictures over Easter weekend. I want to include a photo of us in the announcement. I don't know if this is against proper etiquette but I don't think it will matter much. Not much about my wedding is going to be normal anyway. I'm more interested in make our wedding fun and unique rather than following some outdated rules of etiquette.

Photography Website

2006-03-31T23:24:00.000-05:00

I've been diligently working on my photography website and it is just about finished. You can view it at Jaime's Gallery. I still have a few photos left to critique and add to the site but the basic outline is completed. I'll keep adding new photos as I finish analyzing my collection.

Over the past week, I've been watching the boxed sets of Charmed while working on my photography webpage and editing some of my photos. In the episode in season 4 about the muses, the muse that the three sisters are trying to save says something very inspiring.... "Art isn't about perfection, its about expression. The key is simply to love it." I think this describes the purpose of my photography. It's the expression of my feelings and emotions. It's how I see the world around me. Hope you enjoy my site!

After I buy a Canon digital slr (hopefully within the next week or so) I plan to really start improving my photographic ability. Outside input will help me be more objective so any comments on my photos will be greatly appreciated, but please be honest in your opinions. I really want to improve my photography skills so all constructive criticism will be appreciated.

To give a glimpse of what my site is about I want to share one of my favorite pics. This photo was taken quite a few years ago but it since it was one of the first images I composed successfully, it is still my favorite even after all the other photographs I have taken since then.
A mockingbird hanging out in an oak tree is not an uncommon occurrence in the country, but this little guy was extremely friendly and let me get incredibly close to him. He was very curious about the camera and posed for a long time while I found the perfect angle for the photo.

I wanted the subject of the image to be simply the bird and his calm curiosity of his surroundings. The diagonal limb of the tree adds a bit of tension to the image. It's almost as if the bird could fly away without any warning. There is slightly more area to the left and top of the image to give the bird somewhere to go in case he does decide to break the tension of the photograph and fly away into the bright summer's sky.

There is nothing in the scene but the bird, the tree, and the sky, so that nothing distracts the viewer from the main subject of the image. The angle of the image is slightly upward further accentuating the fact that the bird's natural setting is detached from ours. He lives his life high above the ground in a tree or flying through the sky and he is only satisfying his curiosity about those living in the world below him before he returns to the sky.

I simplified the image by only capturing the elements familiar to the bird and his natural habitat. The fact that the barn, horses, and collies are only yards away from the tree has no bearing on the image and therefore were carefully avoided when the photograph was taken.

I enjoyed composing this photograph which would not have been possible without the curiosity of this particular mockingbird.

Medieval Wedding Theme

2006-03-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

We decided to go with a Medieval theme instead of a Victorian theme for the wedding so that we can incorporate dragons into the decorations and things. My fiance loves dragons and all things fantasy. I still want the colors to be lavender, yellow, and silver - so I know I'm going to have problems finding purple dragons :) . I'm thinking silver dragons might be more realistic to find, but since I'm going to make a lot of the things myself it shouldn't be too difficult to do.

I don't know how medieval we want the wedding to be - if we want some parts of it to be more traditional or to go all out with the medieval theme. I half wish I had thought about it before I ordered the announcements but I can always reorder them :). I don't want the wedding to seem silly but I definitely want it to be very uniquely ours. Maybe we can do a formal, traditional wording for the announcements and a medieval wording for the invitations, especially since people not going to the wedding might not understand the wording being so different.

Changing themes has kind of thrown me for a loop in a way, because I have all these ideas for the Victorian era which can not be incorporated into the wedding at all now. But I want to involve Chris as much as possible, and make this our wedding and not just mine. So we're going with medieval. It's hard to get him to discuss things with me. He'll either not pay me any attention at all and just agree with everything I say, or he'll act very involved and then when I bring it up again later, he won't remember discussing it with me. It's a little frustrating.

I'm reading The Smart Couple's Guide to the Wedding of Your Dreams by Judith Sherven and James Sniechowski and it has some good ideas for involving your partner in the wedding decisions. One such idea is to make dates to do wedding planning things together. This book is basically a wedding planner that helps couples create a wedding that is an expression of the their relationship together. It encourages you to use your creativity to make your wedding uniquely your own, to make the planning process fun, relaxing and stress-free.

I also found another idea on the net that a couple tried while planning their wedding - the bride-to-be put all of her ideas in a notebook and left it where the groom-to-be could look through it on his own time and add his own ideas. I definitely think this is worth trying.

Ordered Engagement Announcements

2006-03-27T19:38:00.000-05:00

I bit the bullet and ordered some wedding things today. Now I can't keep changing my mind about everything. Something at least has been settled and completed.

I wanted to send engagement announcements out to everyone who will be invited to the wedding. Since it's going to be such a long time until the wedding, I want to go ahead and announce the engagement and not wait for the invitations to be sent. A newspaper announcement will not be enough (though I want to do that also) since a lot of my friends who are being invited do not live in the same city or even the same state. Besides, sending actual paper announcements to everyone will keep them from constantly asking me when we are going to be married and if we have set a date yet. The answer is "No, just a general time period. In the spring three years from now.” I know everyone means well, but damn if it doesn't get really annoying being constantly baggered about something you feel so unsure about to begin with.

So I ordered the Garden Wrap invitation from The American Wedding Album Stationery Company and to go along with the Medieval Garden Theme I choose the Linotext font (which looks kind of Medieval) and the lavender color wrap and purple lined envelopes to match the lavender/yellow/silver color scheme of the wedding. They seem like a very professional company (even sent me a free catalog) so we will see how the announcements will turn out.

I also ordered silver heart-shaped envelope seals with Jaime and Chris written in the center from Your Beautiful Beginnings. Hope those turn out OK too.

I'm kind of relieved I've actually finally accomplished something with the wedding plans. I'm still very nervous about the whole idea of marriage. Guess I just need more time to get use to the idea. I'm very glad I pushed for the long engagement though. I definitely need some time to adjust.

Art's Alive

2006-03-25T18:19:00.000-05:00

My mom, sister and I went to Art's Alive at the local university today. It was really wonderful to spend some girl time with them since I don't get to see them as much as I use to. My mom now has a full time job at a local craft store and my sister is getting her PhD in Raleigh. We had a great time. Art's Alive is an annual event held by the university for the students in the Art program. It allows the art students at the U a chance to display and sell their crafts (pottery, photography, watercolor, acrylic, jewelry, basket weaving, among other things) and a few local vendors to sell their wares also. It doubles as a aid to the local economy as well as helping the students procure experience while still in college.

My favorite piece being displayed was the "Every Artist...Has a Story". It reminded me a lot of Salvador Dali's work. I love his surrealist paintings of the melting clocks, "The Persistence of Memory" being my favorite. Of all the art I studied in school, his is one of the few I still remember clearly. He obviously made a deep impression on me. Most of his paintings are odd or creepy but I'm drawn to them and can barely force myself to look away. I hope that doesn't mean I'm odd and creepy :)

I bought an earring and necklace set made of Dichroic Glass from one of the vendors. The picture doesn't do them justice, but you can kind of see the multitude of colors. What you can't see in the picture is the way the colors change in the light. Dichroic Glass is a type of colored glass which looks iredescent. The jewelry looks very fun to make. Hope I get to try it.

Afterwards, we went to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch and my mom had me try a psycological exersise they did in her art class. It's called the House-Tree-Person Test. Basically you draw a house, tree, and person anyway you want and the way you portray them tells you alot about your personality. It was very insightful and interesting.
For example:
If you draw clouds, smoke, or sun, you have a warm loving personality.
If your person is close to your house, you feel comfortable in your own home.
If your house has lots of windows you are open to the outside world or if you have no windows you like your privacy.
Large or multiple doors indicate you welcome people stopping by at any time unannounced.
The type of tree you draw would indicate what part of the country you feel more comfortable in. For example, if you draw a deciduous tree it could mean you are more comfortable in the South.
A swing, birds, children's toys, and little animals denotes a playful personality.
A detailed face on the person would mean you're very social and need to look good in front of other people.
A path leading up to house starting small and ending large means a closed personality when you first meet someone but opens up to people as you get to know them.
How much detail you went into meant something too, but I can't remember just now what it was. Anyway, it was very fun and I made my fiance take the test when he got home this afternoon. It was interesting comparing our rendition of the house and how our individual views of our lives differed and how similar they were at the same time.

Wedding Plans

2006-03-23T18:51:00.000-05:00

Even though I know I have plenty of time to plan the wedding (May 2009), I still feel overwhelmed. I'll start to make decisions about something only to scrap everything and start over again. The only thing I'm absolutely sure about at the moment is that I want to try to make a lot of the things myself. I love doing crafty things. I just wish I could be a little bit more focused. I do need to start deciding on some part of it pretty soon though, especially if I'm going to make the invitations, decorations, etc.

I definitely want to sew my wedding dress. I've picked out the pattern already. It's Vogue pattern V2717 . I fell in love with this dress as soon as I saw it and I knew that it was the dress I wanted to wear to my wedding. Its a simple elegant style which I think will suit me.

One of the best web sources I've found for wedding planning is The Knot www.theknot.com. If you haven't been to their site, you should really check it out. They have all sorts of advice and resources and ideas. Including an interactive wedding checklist and a guest list manager. It's free to sign up. They even have a section called "the nest" with sources for newlyweds.

2006-03-22T09:12:00.000-05:00

I'm an amatuer photographer among other things. I have always loved walking and hiking, even as a child, so photographing what I encountered in nature seemed like the proper next step. The trick is convincing my fiancé to leave his computer long enough to join me :) My Peekapoo, Max, is a bit easier to convince as long as he doesn't have to sit still for the camera too much. Seriously, I love them both very much and know I’m very lucky to have such a supporting fiancé and such a cute little dog.

I just recently started my own website. Mostly for my wedding plans but also an offshoot for my photography hobby. The photography part is not completely functional, but as soon as it is I’ll provide a link.