My New Bloggy Friend

I just have to give a shout out to Average Jane Crafter and her post about Google Reader. Her obvious love for this internet tool caused me to try it out, and I must say, it is the best thing to happen to me since I first discovered the crafty blogging world last year! I'm all set up and have subscribed to my most favorite blogs as well as others I just discovered, and I'm blogging and commenting and surfing faster and more efficiently than ever before!

Now, I'm still just a novice and haven't tried all of the bells and whistles that AJC pointed out in her lengthy post, but I'm already sold just for the fact that all my blogs' links are in one place and I get instant notification when they are updated. In fact, as I was showing my husband my new found tool, several blogs posted new entries and I cried out with glee.

If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. It has taken my blog addiction to a whole new level.

Keep on Rockin in the Free World

So, for those of you who don't know, W works for an independent record store in our town called CD World. It is a great record store, and he loves it. But admittedly, times are hard for record stores these days. There are so many different ways to get music today that the record store industry is struggling at times. Now, they are not all closing like the media would have you believe, but they are having to change and adapt and rethink the way they do business.

On that note, this Saturday is National Record Store Day. Lots of record stores across the nation are participating with live performances, events, and sales. Check out the website to see if your local record store is participating. Even it it isn't, go out to your favorite record store this Saturday and support music and local business. You'll be glad you did.

So, in honor of Record Store Day I'm going to share with you a rock n' roll onesie embroidery I did awhile back with Sublime Stitching patterns. I tried using a metallic thread for the symbols, but it was REALLY difficult to work with. I don't think I'll ever try to use it again. I did notice that Jenny sells some metallic thread on Sublime Stitching that is supposed to be better. I'll have to try that out next time I do this pattern.

I've posted more on Flickr as well. Rock on!

Long Strange Trip

Viva Las Vegas
Originally uploaded by lucky lisp

So, I joined W on a business trip to Vegas for 4 days and feel like I've been away for weeks. I had never been to Vegas before and let me tell those of you who haven't been there either, it is a really weird and crazy place. But, I had a lot more fun than I ever thought I would.

You kind of have to check your moral compass at the door. One of the conference members described Vegas as representing everything that is wrong with America. True. It really should not exist. It is in the middle of the dessert, literally. There should not be 2 million people plus millions of tourists in the middle of such a dry and inhospitable place. But there are, and they are all on one long 24/7 party streak. The place never sleeps. You can go into the casinos at 3:00 in the afternoon or 11:00 at night or 7:00 in the morning and see the same amount of betting and drinking and eating. The casinos are amazing spectacles of engineering and decadence. The shops are amazing. The hotels are amazing.

Anyway, we had a great time. My friend Melissa was able to come up from Phoenix to visit for a couple of days and keep me company while W worked. We had a great time exploring the casinos/hotels on the strip. There is so much to see you really can't see it all in just a couple of days, but I think we did pretty good. It really is like visiting an amusement park of sorts, but with alcohol and naked girls. We didn't go hog wild, but we did our fair share of gorging ourselves in all that is bad/good about Vegas. Nachos and Margaritas at 10:30 in the morning? When in Vegas....

After 4 days of drinking and eating and gambling and generally having a great time I'm ready to just be at home and detox myself. Brown Rice and greens only for the next week or two.

On a crafty note, I was able to get some embroidery done on the plane to and from Vegas. I'm working on embelishing some napkins I've had for a few years to make pillows for our new furniture. It may take me awhile, but I think they will be really great accents against the green and brown of the couch and chair.

Chicken Love and Weekend Organization

Ok, ok, ok. So, I haven't been keeping up on my resolutions very well. I am going to amend the blogging every day to blogging every couple days, no less than once-a-week. And the same for posting to Flickr. More realistic.

So, this weekend was spent making a birthday apron for my friend Melissa, FINALLY unpacking and organizing my craft closet, and watching all 3 Lord of the Rings movies. It was a good weekend.

I made the apron with an Aunt Martha's pattern. It was easy to do. And actually, this apron material was great to stitch on. I think it turned out well, and I think Melissa will like the Chicken Love theme very much.


Then yesterday I finally unpacked my plastic tubs of crafty supplies and organized them in our big closet. It is not perfect yet, but so much better. It makes our whole bedroom look better to have everything up on shelves and put away.


And now we are off to Vegas tomorrow. I've never been there before, but I'm really looking forward to it. Mostly because it is still raining and snowing here in Eugene, and I'm sick of it! I want sun! I want warm! I want to wear flip flops! Plus, Melissa is meeting us there and she will be a sight for sore eyes!

More from Sin City later this week. I'm bringing some embroidery to work on the plane, but I don't know if I can bring needles on the plane????? Anyone know if you can?

Grown up Furniture!

Our furniture came today!
I've never had a non-hand-me-down piece of furniture before. Does this mean that I am finally grown up?

We ordered this couch and chair from Macy's. The couch is much greener than it looks in the photo. They are really comfortable, and I think they are going to work well with the colors we are thinking of using in the living/dining areas of our condo.



The only thing...We previously had a really cool vintage vinyl couch which was very uninviting to kitty claws. Now we have this wonderful woven fabric furniture that looks like kitty scratching heaven. We'll see how they do...Anyone have any anti-cat-scratching methods?

Spring Resolutions

So, I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I'm so excited that spring is finally here that I've decided to make some creative "Spring Resolutions."

1. I am going to (try) and post on this blog once a day.
2. I am going to (try) and create at least one new onesie/embroidery project each week, hopefully more.
3. I am going to (try) and post at least one new photo to flickr each day.
4. I am going to (try) and write at least one new story a week.

These, plus trying to decorate and refurbish our condo will be my creative goals for the month of April. Follow along and see if what I accomplish.

And because a blog post needs a picture.....
Here is how the AeroGarden looks after two weeks and two days!

Happy Anniversary Sweety

Happy Anniversary Sweety, originally uploaded by lucky lisp.

W and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary last week. Last year we took a big trip up to Hood River and stayed in a fancy hotel and had a great meal. Only problem was that W was sick as a dog, and then we got in a huge fight when we were driving through Portland and we got lost and W ran a red light and we almost died (I exagerated the dying part a bit, but it was scary). So this year, we decided to stay close to home and just have a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant and the place we got married, Adam's Place. We had a wonderful meal and our friend who works there even kicked in a chocolate volcano to complete it.

I know that your 1st anniversary is Paper, but I decided to buck the system and get W paper this year instead of Cotton, the traditional gift for your second anniversary (honestly, who makes these up?!?) I had this silhouette of W custom made by our good friend who free cuts these by observing photos. I think she is absolutely amazing. Check out her on ETSY at Moment's Momentos. I just love it and so did W.

Next anniversary, LEATHER!