Background noise.

Over on My girl Thursday’s blog this morning she and Elicia from LoveElicia asked what crafters/bloggers around the bloggespher like “hearing” in the background while they are crafting or blogging or doing their thing. Do you watch TV or listen to music, craft with you kids playing, at the doctors office?

First off I craft everywhere. I have found it is best for me to take something to work on anywhere I go. Otherwise I fall into boredom and loose my mind. I am also kind of uncomfortable reading books in public, odd I know. I don’t mind knitting, making a friendship bracelet, drawing, or just scribbling in my ideas journal instead.

At home, how I feel that day really reflects what I listen to or watch in the back ground while I am crafting. But most part, I am a watcher. Especially when I am power crafting and pushing through some ordered pieces for my Etsy, as there is so much sewing involved in what I do I like to have some distraction somedays. Other days I like total silence and get into the rhythm of the refrigerator buzzing.

I like to watch family dramas and rom coms. That’s right, that’s my mindless television. I like to be able to follow the plot and get to know the characters without having to watch their every move. Todays advertisements super annoy me, so we don’t have cable and I often stream or watch on Netflix.

While I am blogging its a slightly different story. I’ll usually put on my favorite playlist, something fun and up beat like Blondie or classic Madonna or a brand new album from a band I’ve just heard about. But I also really enjoy listening to supposed “oldies” when I am blogging because it’s comforting and familiar to me. I listen to a lot of Elvis, The Beatles, Yes, The B52’s, The Monkey’s, Pink Floyd. Pretty much everything my parents played in the car when we went on road trips, that way I still have opportunities to belt out the chorus. As belting is key to my blogging experience.

I stream a lot of my music through Grooveshark, but I also have quite an extensive music library that I have built up trading music with people over the years. That’s my favorite way to find new to me music, though lately the internet has become my friend in this venture.

Though sometimes I just like listening to the CBC 1. The talk radio channel. It’s so good.

What’s your noise of choice?

Improv is the best

This week has really been amazing so far. I really plunged head on into my challenge to get out of the house and meet people. 

Back in January, anxious to get involved and to stop spending my days home alone (I am a hermit if you hadn’t noticed,) I started perusing local blogs and community websites trying to find a theater group to get involved in and I came across the Kingston Improv Games website. It seemed like a promising place to inquire about local theatrics because as it turns out it is a regional competition for high school Improv teams. I decided I would ask on their facebook page about something for young adults, and alas no, there was no information to be had…Still time moved on and we fast forward to Monday, this week. I just happened to see in my news feed, oh you know because I did ‘Like’ them on ol’ facebook, that the Improv Games were tomorrow, as in Tuesday. I took a leap and asked if they needed any last-minute volunteers and they totally did.

So I showed up, and I went back last night, and I will be going back tonight and tomorrow, and Saturday for the finals. Yay! I am no longer a hermit, but wait. All these months of hermitdom means nothing but the comfies have come out of the closet.

I can honestly say that I have probably spent the majority of my time since and leading up to Christmas in my pajamas. So much so that my Mother in law got me p.j.s for Christmas because I told her I needed a new pair.

So I have jumped out of the box and I am having so much fun wearing people clothes again and get this, when I wake up I am so excited about my day it’s ridiculous. I  literally dance around the apartment like a crazy person. I know my downstairs neighbors definitely hate me now if they didn’t before. I am also singing in the shower again and full of so many creative ideas that I can’t write them down fast enough. I have DIY’d up a storm slowly changing everything I own into something slightly different that I own.

The only bad news in this is…My camera has disappeared. Just packed up and left on Saturday. I simply took out the batteries to charge them and haven’t been able to find it since. And yall, my apartment is small. So while I have no photo evidence of me stepping out of my box and back into the world. I now have this. I am so happy to have finally just done it. Just gone through with it and stepped out that door. For too long I let winter and being new to town be an excuse for not getting out there and just talking to people. Grant it with this group I probably look the youngest, but am actually the oldest. But they are so much fun and so loving, and accepting of one another, and most of all they have truly created a supportive environment with no pressure. I think it has something to do with being Canadian. They are kind of a super ‘race’ when it comes to kindness and understanding. Really, I grew up in the harsh south and everyday I am amazed up here.

My only hope this little self-experiment is that I can get even more involved in my community. One new friend even suggested volunteering to coach a team sport for young kids. Which honestly had never crossed my mind. I’d never given myself the support to do something like that, but when she said it, it was like for the first time, I allowed myself, to say “You could totally do that, you don’t have to be the authority on sports to do that.” I have made up excuses for too long and now it’s really time to get out there and have an active role in my own life!

Thanks for your ear,
Hillery

5 ways crafting has helped me become a stronger woman

3 things I Love Sunday

Organization:

 From Martha Stewart

 A drawer full of tea cups and beautiful jewelry is my kind of drawer.

Kisses: 

 from  our wedding

One of my favorites from our bridal shoot with Asapsia

This dress:

From Anna Sui’s Fall 2012 Collection.

okay okay, and the tights, and maybe the jacket. And definitely that all of the models were smiling!

Valen-tiny

I love snail mail and was so excited to receive this precious card with goodies in the mail yesterday from my cousin Melissa.

Back in January I rounded up a few of my crafty girl friends to do a swap with me. I ended up having four ladies interested and now is around the time that we should all be receiving our swap envelopes. The challenge was to keep things small and affordable by only creating items that can fit into an envelope and be mailed no hassle.

Melissa is a very experienced swapper and has been swapping for years on craftster. Do you see that adorable personalized artist trading card? Aren’t her embroidery skills incredible? It’s so beautiful and sweet, I just love the tree trunk. I also love the tiny granny square bracelet. The colors are just perfect, I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.There is also the precious tiny heart garland.

When I saw it I knew exactly what to do.

Wear it as a crown. (:

Melissa is just so crafty and her talents are endless. If you are in the Atlanta area, you should totally check out her booth at the Wedding Day Hooray! Craft fair coming up on the 18th, and be sure to check out her adorable etsy shop, the Dot.

As for the rest of my day, I am working on some orders that came in from my etsy shop on Monday. One is for a very dear friend and I am trying to make it extra special. Other than that I am just cuddled up with my kitty, Nori, in my flannels, on the couch watching internet TV while I craft.

For lunch I made spicy peanut chow mein with broccoli and garlic. I also made homemade humus for snacking with date bread as I finally remembered to pick up some tahini at Terra’s yesterday.

My goal for this week: is to take lots of pictures and get a lot of play time with lighting. I do hope the sun comes out to play tomorrow so I can take much better photographs with my silly little power shot. I really need to find the battery charger to my Nikon 5700. It’s a fantastic camera, but I haven’t been able to use it since we moved. I am a master at misplacing important things.

Something new I started this week: Actually doing the 15 minute Body Rock work outs. Once you get over their cheesy photography then you realize their work outs are really good and you don’t need any equipment as they do loads of variations.

Something silly about myself: I really enjoy breaking out dancing to this MC Yogi remix in my living room when I am the only one at home.

I also love my new shoes. A six dollar score from Value Village over the weekend.

I hope you have a lovely day.
Hillery

Tea biscuits and home made strawberry jam.

Over the weekend I attempted to write and test a cookie recipe that had been floating around in my head. After three attempts and 2 pounds of cookie dough I gave up. To get anywhere close to the cookie I wanted I’d have to follow a pre-existing recipe that wasn’t anywhere close to the idea in my mind. It’s kinda the pits really, but alas someday the chocolate covered strawberry sugar cookie will exist.

After running all those tests I found a recipe that I thought I’d like to try for a light breakfasty cookie that would be especially good smothered in butter and homemade strawberry jam.

I based the recipe off this one found here. I only modified it slightly by adding a less flour about two and a half cups (I was using whole wheat instead of white, we really like our fiber!) and I added two tbsps extra butter. This makes for a very mild biscuity cookie. Perfect as a breakfast accompaniment.

To make the jam first put two saucers in the freezer. You will need these for your gel test. Also make sure you are boiling your jars and your lids in a separate pot at the same time. Even if you aren’t planning on processing them in a water bath the jars should be sterile. Then mash your frozen strawberries with a wooden spoon or a mixer. I let my strawberries thaw in my mixing bowl on the counter for about 30 minutes and then used my stand mixer to break them up. If using a stand mixer I suggest starting on a low speed and then move up to four otherwise the strawberries might try to make a run for it. Next add the mashed strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a heavy bottom pot, stir till well combined. Start heating the mixture on a low temperature. I start at about setting two and then slowly work my way up as the sugar melts and making sure to stir periodically. I also never leave the stove.

Once the sugar is completely melted slowly turn your heat up till you get just at a rolling boil. Stirring all the time. Watch as the jelly begins to thicken and make sure it is not boiling too hard. You want it to be at about 280/90 degrees  F and remember the longer you boil the stiffer your jam will be. I like a nice soft jam so I only boil for about 8 minutes or so.

To conduct the jell test simply spoon a little jam onto one of the saucers and set it back into the freezer for a minute. The jam is ready to be jarred when you can run your finger through it with out the jam pouring back in on its self. If it’s not quite there boil a little longer and then test again.

I didn’t process these in a water bath, but simply flipped the jars upside down for the first five minutes after filling which sealed the jars enough for the fridge.

For those cookies roll out that dough and  grab your heart-shaped cookie cutter. I did not have one so I made one by cutting both ends from a tuna can and shaping it into a lop sided heart. I love the character. This cookie would be delightful for a sweet Valentiney, lovey dovey, morning breakfast for you and your beau to share cuddled up in bed. Just don’t work too hard, relax, except the day as any other love filled day, and enjoy it!

p.s. another fun thing to do with soft strawberry jam is mix a little into a glass of milk for strawberry milk or into yogurt. Yum!

One month from today.

In one month from today is James and I’s first wedding anniversary. That puts almost seven and a half years of love behind us. I truly cannot believe it has been that long.

It seems just like yesterday we were having our first date out at Macintosh wild life reserve in little old Whitesburge Georgia and we had our first kiss – I slipped and fell into the Chattahoochee River. James, not knowing I was an excellent swimmer, jumped into save me. We had our first kiss on a rock in the middle of the river. Of course we were soaking wet and smelled like fish, but hey it was still pretty romantic.

Over the next month I have a lot of beautiful things planed as a sort of tribute to our lives together. Today a little montage of ourselves then to now.

James and Hillery circa 2005

At Hillery's Senior Prom 2006

Fourth of July 2007 with pals Lillian and Caroline.

Outside the studio in Peterborough 2008. James is telling me a corny joke.

New Years 2009

At the round house in the lovely January of 2010

Our Wedding March 2011

A week in review February 5th through the 11th

This past week was really lovely. James and I got to spend quite a bit of time with each other and it was just all around a productive week. Here is my last week in review.

1. I sold my first local item from my Etsy Shop to someone in the Kingston area.

2. I wrote my first tutorial ever.

3. I learned something new about photography – using a piece of foam board to bounce natural light from Creature Comforts blog.

5. I also learned that figuring out a cookie recipe that only exists in your mind is really hard, requires lots of patience, test trials, and where the hell am I going to put all those cookies? In the process learned to make jam and made my first batch  of straw berry jam ever.

6. James and I went thrift shopping at the VV Boutique (Value Village,) and both found things we loved. Me shoes and a velvet jacket, James books and an ugly sweater to add to his collection.

7. James beat me at The Game of Life by two and a half million dollars. Geeze.

8. We enjoyed a walk through the lovely soft dusting of snow Saturday afternoon, and nearly froze to death.

Friday Tutorial Round up – Home printing

So it’s time for another tutorial round up. This week I have really been on a printing kick and have been reading everything I can about home screen printing, color block printing, and stamping. So I just want to share with you a few amazing tutorials out there on the interweb. Some are fresh and new and others are oldies, but goodies.  Don’t forget to click the image to go straight to the tutorial or right click to open in a new window. Here we go!

This is an adorable how to on making a homemade stamp from a wine cork and some foam. You should definitely check out this amazing blog A beautiful Mess by Elsie. Her tutorials are amazing and she is so creative and fun!

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This next tutorial is from an older episode of Threadbanger. Oh how I love thee. It’s great because it shows you how you can use a pair of panty hose, some mod podge, and an embroidery hoop to make your own home screen printing screen. This method just might come in handy sometime soon.

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This so adorable hand stamped Valentines kit is from Design Sponge. I can’t really say this enough, but if you haven’t already you should go check out design sponge. That site is awesome with great tutorials and blog posts.

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I love mushrooms and have a budding interest in mycology. I think this little article on Martha Stewart about printing with the spores of mushrooms is so interesting. This technique is often used to help identify different types of mushrooms, but it makes for some lovely wall art. Or at least to me it does.

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The cream of the crop this tutorial from the all incredible Apartment Therapy shows you how to make your own patterned fabric and I mean this is a serious tutorial with incredible results.

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This lovely set of wall art was made using potato stamps. Yep, a stamp cut out of a potato. Just lovely. You can find it over on the Oh Happy Day blog.

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This tutorial over on Lotta Jansdotter’s blog is for printing these lovely flowers on a soft summer skirt. So pretty, simple, yet a lovely addition to this gray skirt. A very nice blog as well.

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One last simple but fantastic clothing printing tutorial is from Elizabeth over on Delightfully Tacky blog. This is such a cute and quick tutorial that you could do in just a few hours for lounging about over the weekend. Super precious.

I hope you find these printing tutorials inspirational and helpful. I know as spring draws nearer I am feeling the need to revamp a few things around the house and hopefully will have the chance use some of these tricks and tips.

Have a lovely weekend!

Hillery

You might also enjoy

Favorite crafty tutorials – January Tutorial Round Up

And the winner is – Cleverplumage Anake giveaway

Good morning all I just wanted to announce the winner of the CleverPlumage give away!

<<<<<<<Tonya Froemel>>>>>>>

I used the old fashioned method and wrote everyone’s names down threw ’em in a colander (as my mixing bowls were full of t-shirts dying [more on that later *wink*] and had the hubs draw one out!) Our kitty was especially excited about the drawing. What with all the paper shaking and all that.

Thank you all for entering and for all the kind words. I truly appreciate you all taking the time to visit my shop and see what it is all about!

I hope you have a fantastic day!

Hillery