The Sunday Five

What is making me happy this Sunday?

1. The rain appears to be over. After a long weekend of cabin fever, the sun is out and the extended forecast seems to be dry. Finally! I know that I am from Seattle, but at home the rain doesn't keep you inside. Here is San Diego it is dangerous to drive in the rain, people here don't know how and drainage is very bad so standing water is a big problem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
2. Curling- Could be my favorite sport of these winter Olympics. I lot of people think it is a lame sport, but once you understand the rules, it is SO intense. As an extra bonus, my second favorite country won a gold in curling, SWEDEN!! Sweden also medaled in at least one XC skiing event. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
3. Olympics being over- this may seem to conflict with my joy over the Olympics, but I am ready for them to be over. I probably wouldn't feel this way if NBC did a better job covering the games. Instead I end up staying up till midnight every night, when the coverage could be hours shorter if the announcers didn't like hearing the sound of their own voices so much. Also everything is delayed even though the actual events are in my own time zone, and the coverage is so sparse on non-USA dominated events. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the games. I love the Winter Olympics, but I could have written a book with just the ridiculous phrases the announcers came up with. "Get the monkey off her back" WHAT??? So I am happy to get back to my regular sleep schedule, and not be glued to the TV all night, watching the same commercials over and over, Milkaholic, thanks moms, go world, swagger wagon, the marriage ref... Wait this is supposed to be a post about happiness? Right, I am happy they are over tonight. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
4. Alice in wonderland- I am SOOOOOO excited to see this movie which comes out on Friday. While this movie totally scared the crap out of me as a child, I am super excited to see a new version as a grown up. I never wanted to see the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but this one looks so much fun. I have always been very intrigued by the other, not so innocent, themes in Alice and Wonderland, and this new version will highlight those more I imagine. In this same vein, Disney at Ruffles and Stuff, just posted some great photos of necklaces she just made. I can imagine Alice wearing a lot of them. I am thinking this movie is going to be a great source of inspiration. Click here to check out the necklaces over on Ruffles and Stuff! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
5. The exhibition figure skating and ice dancing performances last night. Last night during the Olympic coverage of the final runs of four man bobsled, the winners of ice dancing and figure skating were able to perform one more time, for fun. Not only were these performances beautiful, but it was obvious that without the pressure of competition, these amazing skaters few higher and had amazing smiles on their faces. I especially enjoyed the Canadian ice dancing couple with the combination of a song from the Nutcracker and some other disco song, maybe, that I cannot remember the name of right now. Maybe I am in shock becasue I just watched the end of the USA Canada hockey game. Just saying.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   

Well in my quest to keep this post happy, I should really end before I hear the start of Oh Canada. I start taking cheap shots when my team, or country loses.

Happy Sunday!

Food Friday

Welcome to my first Food Friday

This week's subject is bacon, surprised? But I promise I won't pick bacon themed Food Friday every week, just this week. I can even tell you next week is a desert/snack recipe.

Do you remember this post I did a little bit ago? Well after I wrote it I hit the contact us part of the J&D's site just to let them know I had written about their new product. Later than night when I checked my e-mail I had a reply saying they were going to send me some samples!! Boy was I excited. I called my mom, and sent texts to like ten people. I was on cloud nine! A short three days later I came home to a package sitting, waiting to be opened.

When I ripped the box open the first thing I spotted was the bacon popcorn. Popcorn is also one of my top foods so I am extremely excited to pop some up!!

They also included some bacon salt which I first discovered at Luna Park Cafe in West Seattle. I already have some at home in Seattle and now I have some here too. The bacon salt sticker is awaiting the perfect place of prominence. But I haven't found that perfect place yet. The most interesting thing included?

The bacon lip balm. I was actually scared to try this stuff out. I am not generally afraid of anything bacon related...

As you can tell from the picture, the seal has been broken. I did try it, but only once so far. I tried it out after I had eaten too much food and already felt kind of sick. Consequently it didn't sit to well with me. But I will try it again. It defiantly tastes like bacon.

So foodies, go out and cook up some bacon. Or sprinkle some bacon salt on some fries. Happy eating!

The Mobile- All Grown Up

I love mobiles! When I was in The Land Of Nod a month ago all the mobiles in the mock up kids rooms just make me melt. They are a fun and a simple way to add to a kid's room. But what am I supposed to do as a grown up who wants one for herself?

Here is what I came up with...

Want to know how I made this? Well your in luck!

Supplies (for one tissue paper ball)

• About 2 sheets tissue paper, I used solid pink and three colors of green on the other
• 3 inch Styrofoam ball
• Craft glue
• Ribbon and 5 straight pins - to connect them into a mobile

First cut you tissue paper into squares. They don't have to be perfect mine were around 3X3. Try and keep them about the same size. I cut my tissue into strips and then cut the squares all at once to keep them uniform.

Take the square and fold it in half diagonally.
Now take the two outer corners and create a cone, around your finger, by bringing them up and to the opposite sides.

Now cover the end with your craft glue. Take your finger and press the cone to the Styrofoam ball. Press the glue on then kind of bend the cone up with your finger so it sticks up straight. If you press real hard and kind of squish the ball down the paper stick even better. Continue going around the ball until its all covered and you cannot see any white. This is what they look like when they are done!

To create the mobile take some ribbon and put a straight pin through it. Dip the pin in your craft glue and stick it in the ball. Now take the other end of the ribbon and put a pin through it and dip it in the glue and stick it into the other ball. Take another piece of ribbon and double it to make a loop. Stick another straight pin in the ribbon, dip it in glue and stick it in the opposite end of the ball you want at the top. Let the glue dry for a few hours first so the weight doesn't pull the pins out. Find a sunny spot and hang you new spring mobile.

As you can see I also added my sequin St. Patrick's Day ball to the very end, to add some holiday flair to our dorm room. To see how I made that click here.

I also think these would be pretty against an empty wall. To get them to stick out from the wall far enough you would probably have to hang them from the ceiling. I would use fishing line instead of ribbon in that case.

Dear Readers

My Dearest Readers,

I am lame. I have not posted anything in quite a while. Please be patient with me. My roommate is sick, I have midterms this week, and I am busy making new accessories for the Etsy shop. But I have so much to show you in the near near near future. Like tomorrow, and Friday, and this weekend. I will post Food Friday for the first time, well...this Friday. I hope that you all check back soon, and don't hold a grudge against me for not posting any fun craft projects.

See you'll soon!

Put A Pin On It - Take 2

As promised, here is the St. Patty's Day version of the flowers I made earlier this week. When I made the first one, I envisioned it as part of a pair, around braided pigtails. After bribing my roommate to be my model, my version has become reality! Super!!

Here they are in all their glory!

Don't you love them? I do soooo much. They look amazing on my roommate, who plays the part of Irish quite well. She is actually from Paraguay.

What did I do differently for this guys as apposed to the red tutorial I posted a few days ago? First I used three circles, one white and two green. I controlled the folds and ruffles much more than last time. First I folded the circle taco style and sewed along the fold. Then I folded the circle where I wanted a ruffle to be and sewed up the crease on the bottom until I got the look I wanted. The felt is kind of flimsy so you have to sew it a lot to get it to stay put. Just keep folding and sewing until you like it and then sew the three layers together. I made the green ones really big and after I sewing them together I trimmed them to be smaller. Then I did the whip stitch around the edge like last time and glued on the pearl. Perfection! If you wanted to check out the original post with the step by step tutorial click here!

No April showers needed for these spring flowers!

My Irish Eyes Are Smiling

I have 8 Styrofoam balls left over from Christmas. Yes I over bought, and now I am scratching my head trying to figure out what to do with all of them. Today I decided to use up some of the sequins I have, also left over from Christmas. Ready to make a cute green and gold decoration to celebrate the Irish in you?

Supplies

• Styrofoam ball
• Straight pins
• Green and Gold sequins
• Clip art print out
• Optional- Beads and Glue
  

Here I started with a sequin then a bead then the pin. But I ended up taking out the beads, since I think they distract from the image. So the pictures will show both ways.

Stay on the edges and then fill in the design. You can pin right over the design. Remember to take out the pins you used to put on the clip art as you get around to them.

Once you finish the shamrock your decoration it will look like this...

Once you go around the outside of the shamrock, continue covering the rest of the ball with the gold sequins. I only did the design on one side, but you could do two designs, or even a few smaller shapes on yours!

Here is the finish product! Not quite sure what I am going to do with this guy. I think I will attach a ribbon to the top and hang it somewhere, but it might end up as part of a larger St. Patrick's Day display!

Here is another picture with another Styrofoam ball project that is headed you way later this week. I found a neat way to cover the ball with felt. No glue, and the pins are not holding it on either.... A Mystery!

*One quick tip, if you add ribbon dip the pin in a little glue then push it through the ribbon and into the Styrofoam. This will prevent the weight of the ball from pulling the ribbon out when hanging.

** This is a great project you can zone out and do while watching the Olympics! That's what I did, just watch those pins!

Put A Pin On It

Want to make this pretty flower? It can be a pin of even go in your hair on a pin or ponytail holder.

Here we go.

1. Gather your supplies

• Felt- you can use whatever colors you have around
• A needle and thread- you can see I used a contrasting thread for the edges
• A pearl or button- you can use anything here for the center of the flower
• hot glue- for putting on the center, you could also sew on the middle if its a button or something else with a hole.

2. Cut two circles out of the felt, one slightly larger than the other. The smaller one is the center of your flower
3.

Don't be afraid to add a lot of stitches here. This is the center of your flower and the stitches won't show. Get it to look good.

I trimmed the white circle so it was kind of wavy. Here you do the same thing as above. Pinch the white and sew through the folds to get the look you want.

Next thread up your needle with a contrasting thread and do a whip stitch around the edges of the outer flower. There is lots of variations you could do here. Add another layer of felt, do different colors, do two layers of the same colors, or do the contrasting stitch on the center layer or both layers. The possibilities are as endless as your craft supply stash!

Finally pick out your center and hot glue it in. I added a safety pin to the back and wore it around on my shirt all day
I am going to make one so I don't get pinched on St. Patrick's day. I will post it soon!

Spring Wreath

Before Christmas I bought a Styrofoam wreath form. I was planning on making a Christmas wreath. But I never got around to it. I have been debating what to do with this wreath and to celebrate spring I created this beautiful yellow and green wreath for our door!


I thought I would share how I did this wreath so everyone can celebrate spring!

Start by winding a small ball of yarn from your larger ball. This will make it easier to wrap. It is really hard to estimate how much yarn to wind but err on the side of too much.

Start wrapping the form. Wrap over the end a few times and it should be secure. Wrap until the wreath is covered.


Glue in the center of the flower- I chose a pearl bead.

Place your flowers on the wreath and glue. I put mine off to the side a little.

Now you have a few options. I took 12 strands of yarn and braided them. Then I glued them on the back of my wreath like so...
You could also use ribbon of a contrasting yarn.

Ta DA! A pretty spring wreath!

The Sunday Five

Are you ready? Here we go...

1. We saw this in Business Law on Friday


2. Coldplay- the band in general is playing A LOT on my ipod. After seeing my in concert this summer Coldplay is almost an addition.

3. A new Cd called Lungs by Florence + The Machine. I first heard the song Cosmic Love on The Vampire Diaries, and totally fell in love. The whole album is worth your ten bucks.

4. The Olympics- I mean I am watching them right now, and won't stop until they are over. Go USA, Then Sweden!

5. The Olympic announcers. Can they be any dumber? For two days straight my roommates and I have been making fun of these guys. They say the same things over and over and OVER again. But its really entertaining to make fun of them.

You know the drill-
Share what's making you happy right now!

Share the Love

Today I didn't do much of consequence in the crafty/bacon, my 2 favorite topics, realm. I thought I would share with you one of my favorite bloggers!

I discovered French Press Knits a while back and since then I literally hit refresh all the time hoping she will post something new. I bet plenty of you have seen her pretty slipper pattern or the slipper themselves on Etsy. They seem to be pretty popular, I can't wait until I have time in my knitting line up to sneak those guys in!

The reason I love the blog so much, is that she loves knitting. I can really relate to someone who loves knitting as much as I do.

In addition she makes patterns which I think is wonderful. I think it takes really skill to write a pattern, let alone post some for free, on the web. I have written a few patterns in my time, usually for my mom, but that's about as far as I get. Having them on the web for everyone to try, that takes guts, and I think a lot of people don't realize that its a big step coming out with your first pattern. Defiantly a leap of faith, in my opinion! What if no one likes it, or you made an error, or no one can understand you instructions. I bet Miss French Press Knits never has the knitting self doubt like me, but I really admire her, her beautiful photgrahs, and her blog. So go ahead and check it out, you know you want to!

An Ode to Bacon

I really like bacon, not like a normal person does. But when have I claimed to be normal? Bacon is actually my favorite food. But since it's not the best thing for you I eat turkey bacon most of the time. Bacon is more of a special occasion food for me. But I really really love it, so when I opened my e-mail this morning and found this at the bottom of my Hungry Girl email, I kind of freaked out, and then I decided to write about it.

They are called Mmmvelopes and they are bacon flavored envelops!! I, like most people don't enjoy licking envelopes, but its just part of life right? Well once I order some of these puppies I will be writing letters to everyone I know. That 2nd cousin once removed I met when I was three? Getting a letter! My cat, SOOOO getting a letter.

Once I got this e-mail I began to ponder the other bacon subliminal signals I have been getting lately. Have you seen this add from Jack in the Box yet?



Then there is this site all my friends keep sending me a link to. 6 Reason Bacon is Better than True Love. You should defiantly check that out. Just a sneak preview the first one says, " True love only happens once in a lifetime. Bacon can happen seven times a day, if you want it to."

It's really amazing where you can find bacon in your life. This is really only a smattering of the ways bacon has infiltrated mine. As I have been know to say...the only thing that would make this better is MORE BACON!!

The Sunday 5

What a day! Today for my Sunday 5 I am feeling really happy about having things to look forward to.

While I was watching the Super Bowl, I was kinda down, thinking about how I had no sports to watch for a while, and how my team was losing. Then I was sad because I was thinking how awesome it would be if the Seahawks went back to the Super Bowl, but then I remembered; the new coach is my arch-nemesis. Then I fell asleep during the 4th quarter, I know I know, how is that even possible? I have only ever fallen asleep during one other football game in my life, also an important game. But I was woken up by my roommate yelling because the Saints had just scored. Not something I was happy to wake up to. I am really a messed up sleeper, and this too has been getting me down lately. I am not tired so I cannot fall asleep, but then I cannot get up in the morning and it is a continuous bad cycle of sleeping in, and I cannot seem to control it. But I realized I am lucky to have the time to sleep in. I am also lucky to have so much to wake up for, something I need to keep in the front of my mind as I try to get on a better sleep schedule! And now for the 5 things I am happy to look forward to...

March Madness

The NFL Draft- who will draft Colt McCoy? Is his arm better?

The Winter Olympics- just a few hours north of my home
Spring Training

Spring Break- Bring on the spring skiing!!

Right now is a good time to think about all we have to look forward to with happiness. The unknown dark of the future can loom out in the distance causing stress, especially to someone about to graduate college. But staying focused on awesome things is the best way to add some bright spots to that darkness. No matter what job I have or where I am after May 23rd, I know I will at least have baseball.

Happy Sunday

Please comment and share all you are looking
forward to in the next few months!

Superbowl & Food

I guess this is becoming a theme, starting a blog entry with things I love. Today is the Superbowl, which is a day that combines SOO many things I love. Football, TV, food! Oh how do I love the food I get to eat because of the Superbowl. So today I thought I would share a couple different things I associate with game days. The first recipe, if you can call if that, comes from my grandma. It is SOO terrible for you, but I have remade it so I never feel guilty eating it and sometimes even have it on days other than game day...

First grab those ingredients I mentioned in my last post
-Hot Dogs
- Bacon
-Cheese
-Toothpicks
-a bun, or bread if you have some around

Now this is how my grandma makes them. First she butters the buns, wraps them in foil and sticks them in the oven so they will be warm when you're done. Next she takes a hot dog and cuts a slit down the middle. Here she inserts a few cubes of cheese. Next grab three toothpicks and a slice of bacon. Attach one end of the bacon to one end of the hot dog with a toothpick. Wrap the bacon around the hot dog securing with another toothpick in the middle and at the end. Now place on a broiler pan and broil this puppies until the bacon is cooked to your liking and the cheese is melting. Unwrap a bun, remove the toothpicks and take a big bite, today is the Superbowl you deserve it!!

What if you are like me and want that bacon to extra crispy? Here's my advice, cook the bacon a bit first in a pan. Now don't go to crazy here, cook it low and slow, and remember it has to bend once you wrap it so don't cook it all the way.

Another version? Lighten this up using Hebrew National reduced fat, or 97% fat free hot dogs and turkey bacon. I can't tell the difference between reduced fat and the regular, but the 97% guys do taste different, but its a small price to pay when they are 35 calories and when wrapped in bacon, I mean what doesn't taste great wrapped in bacon??

Another great way to make these is with a George Foreman Grill. I wrap mine and stick it on the grill, this way I don't need toothpicks, just make sure you rotate every a couple of min. Then I toast my bun in the oven with a couple of slices of cheese on the bun. Fantastic!

One final tip, if you are doing this on an actual grill outside, soak your toothpicks first so they don't catch fire. This makes them extremely hard to remove...

Have you got your cheese grated for the typical gameday nachos yet? Here is my number one tip for great nachos, layers. It is all about the layers people! For a big batch lay out some foil on a cookie sheet and then a thin layer of chips. Take care that the chips are not in a huge pile, spread them into a thin layer. Next add your shredded cheese. Add another layer and then more cheese. Do not skimp on the cheese, it is the binder between the layers and it's also really yummy! Layer up until you have enough and put your cookie sheet into a hot oven. Somewhere around 350. Check often and make sure the inside layers are melted before you take them out. If the top is getting too done, put a sheet of foil over the top. You can also do this on a microwave safe plate, but cover with plastic wrap before you cook, and remember to leave a vent.

If you plan on adding various veggies put them in the layers as well. Some add ons are better just on top, because they are so flavorful, like jalapenos. Some good veggie ideas? Green onions!! These are the best topping EVER!! Also tomato or a pico de gallo are good for tomato lovers, or make your nachos Cali style and cut up some avocado! The options are endless, just remember LAYERS!! Layers people, layers!

See you after the game! Enjoy whatever Super food you decide on this afternoon!

Super Sunday

Log in Sunday morning for an amazing game day recipe using these....



Run, do not walk, to your kitchen and make sure you have these righttttt.... NOW! Also look for my tips on achieving the perfect nachos!!

Make sure you log in after the game to get my Sunday 5 as usual! See you all tomorrow, twice!!

Inspiration Take 2

Now that I am thinking about it, I guess I really love a lot of things. So far I have mentioned quite a few things, sewing, knitting, jewelry making, adding glitter to anything and everything. Today I endeavor to talk about another thing I love even if I am an amateur. Fashion.

I really really enjoy pretty clothes. And all the bloggers I love have been taking things from stores and recreating them themselves. Ruffles are fairly easy to sew and it seems a lot of people are cutting up their tee shirts and sticking ruffles on anything with two sleeves. Which I think is awesome. I once believed that I cannot pull off ruffles, but my mind has been changed. It could help that everyone seems to be wearing them so when I do, I don't feel like I am stick out like a soar thumb.

Since I follow Nina Dobrev on twitter, I saw some different tops she has been wearing for different covers and shoots for The Vampire Diaries. I really like how they are styling her, and low and behold they stuck some ruffles on her. Now these ruffles are a little different that the stuff I have seen around so, I am going to give this shirt a go!

I really like how the ruffle become the sleeves and how the shirt dips so low in the front. Plus I am in love with navy blue so that's a plus too. I haven't quite decided what I am going to start with though. I am thinking I could either sew the entire shirt myself from a sleeveless blouse pattern or I could find a button down in navy blue, make it more fitted if I need to, and then add the ruffle. I was leaning towards the second since it would probably be easier but I would probably have to buy 2 shirts just to get enough matching fabric to make the ruffles, which would defeat the cheapness. So I will probably just make the entire thing myself since if I need more fabric or I mess up, that tends to happen when I sew, I can just run to the fabric store, or rip out my stitches. This will also give me a lot better control of the fit of the shirt too.

The sad part is I won't be able to make this beauty until March since that is when I will be home again and can use my mom's sewing machine. But until then I will be hunting for a pattern. I can't wait to show you all what I come up with. Like I keep saying, inspiration strikes in the oddest of places! Oh twitter how I love you!

While I am talking about fashion, which I know very little about compared to my other hobbies, I would like to direct you to a fashion expert! Kelly Skahan writes for the Examiner online, covering the Seattle fashion scene. She is currently stationed in New York, so she really has here thumb on the pulse of fashion! She writes great articles on how fashion amateurs, like me, can pull off the newest, coolest, looks without looking like a crazy person! Go check her out!!!








Pictures via twitpic.com and the examiner.com

What I would love

Since I am graduating this May I have been thinking a lot about what I am going to do, what I really want to do and what jobs will make me happy. One thing I know, is that I need to keep crafting and creativity in my life. However I would like it to be more than just a hobby. As all you readers know I have Wax Eloquent now, with my glowing candle holders and earrings, but I know that it cannot support me once I get out of school. I mean I hope it will but realistically I am just hoping for a few sales between now and then so I can afford to go see a movie that's not a matinee.

As I have been contemplating what would be ideal, I thought wouldn't it be awesome if people who pay me to knit stuff for them? Knitting is something that I really enjoy and happen to be good at, and knitting for a living would be awesome. But I would probably get fat. I would sit and knit and watch movies and TV ALL DAY! But I would love it. However, even this wouldn't totally satisfy me and my need to be around people often.

Then on the opposite end from crafty business is working within my major. Finance major econ minor, there is a lot I can do with that as well. I think running my own craft business is actually a good blend. If I were to become a full time entrepreneur I would use everything I learned from business school, while still having a creative outlet. As of right now I don't think I can support myself in this way. So just like every other college senior I will be applying for jobs for the next couple months and keeping my fingers crossed that Wax Eloquent becomes a huge success!

But in my interpersonal relations class today we have to write our own personal mission statement. So, whatever I decide to do, I want it to fit in with my person mission statement. Here is what I have so far...

To always be thoughtful in thoughts and action, to treat my friends as family and my family as friends. To keep happiness and fun as constant companions and finally to be generous with my gifts and share creativity with the world around me.

Inspiration!

So lately I have been grooving with a new source of inspiration. Nature! I know your thinking, Heather that's what some many artists, photographers and other crafty people say. I know, your right, but for me this is new.

I was working on some new glowing candle holders, I had 2 matching square ones that I just started covering with a dark blue. And then SUDDENLY inspiration struck. On my way back from class, around five the other night, I looked up and saw the moon. I love seeing the moon during the day! The white against the lighter blue it is just so so so pretty. How pretty?

Anyways so I thought, I should put the moon on my dark blue candle holder. Oh OH Oh and I can make them a set and put a star on the other. So I DID!!! Once I saw my finished set, I fell in love! I know, so humble right? But once I started with the moon and the stars the ideas just started to flow. So I really want to try and make a sky blue set with a sun and a cloud or a rain drop. I think that the nature ideas work well in pairs. Then since I liked the yellow on the dark blue, I thought LIGHTNING BOLT!! I don't know what to put with that one, maybe it won't be a set.

Then since I have been so obsessed with the sunsets lately, I was like, I should make some sunset colored pieces. San Diego is just so picturesque it's almost hard not to be inspired. I guess, when I am in an anti-california mood, I can talk on and on about the beauty of Seattle, and Mountains, and Snow and clouds and rain...and on and on. But that anti-californianess is not allowed to permeate me anymore so I am seeing more and more of the beauty of my sometimes home.

Want to see the set that I fell in love with? Here are some pictures! Look for them on Etsy later tonight, after it gets dark so I can take a few pictures of them with candles! Get ready for a lot of pictures since these guys are my favorite things I have made, EVER!!

See they even have little rhinestones on them like little twinkling stars in the night sky!

Hey! You!!! Leave a comment,
I love reading what my readers have to say!