Summer Cleaning

When you live in one bedroom of your parents home at 30 years old, it's pretty safe to say that you are going to have a space vs. stuff war on your hands.  For the past several months, my bedroom has been totally out of control.  I HATE living with messes, but I ending up in one about 90% of the time because I just don't seem to have the space to put things where they will feel tidy to me.  There are people who can shove a mess under the bed or in a closet or junk drawer and call it a day...out of sight out of mind.  Somehow it doesn't work that way in my mind.  It nags at me.  I'd really rather have a visible mess than a hidden one.  It feels dishonest to me to shove a mess under my bed just so my floor looks nice.  Of course, the result is that the floor ends up a mess as well as under the bed and the back of the closet and the cubbies in the desk and the dresser drawers.  It got to a point where I just couldn't handle it anymore.  I ended up taking every single thing out of my closet and from under my bed and everywhere else in the room things were hiding.  I took it all down the hall to the guest room and piled it up in there so I could get to work.  The plan was to arrange my room to optimize space, get rid of anything I could, and come up with some clever storage ideas. 

I wish I had take more before pictures.  The closet was a disaster. Clothes were jammed in.  Most of the upper shelf was taken up with shoes.  The side shelves were just covered in junk that had been thrown in there over the past couple years (at least ever couple years I do a big cleaning and purging). The worst and most stressful part though was what was hiding under my bed...

This horrifying mess is my yarn collection.  This is literally decades worth of yarn leftover from various projects of mine or my mothers as well as random yarns I had picked up and never used over the years.  I'd had three containers of yarn under the bed, but much of it was a huge tangled up mess.  It was unorganized and lots of it was really unusable because of the knotted up mess it was in. 

After about a week of sitting on my floor untangling and winding yarn in to center pull balls, I finally had it all separated and untangled.  The next problem was what to do with it.  I wanted to find a way of storing it so I could see what I have and organized it by color.  My mom ended up finding these stacking kitchen shelf things, and they seem to be working really well.
 

I also got that awesome spinning shoe/purse organizer at Bed Bath & Beyond so I could get my shoes off the top shelf of my closet.  I love it! It has shoe pockets on the outside and shelves on the inside for storing purses.  It turns all the way around too, so I can easily get to the shoes in the back. 

 By shifting and organizing my shoes and yarn, I was able to clear up a bunch of closet space.  this allowed me to get all my winter clothes that were spilling out of my dresser drawers and piled in bags in the other closet, all nicely folded on shelves.  I just don't need them all that often, and I hated having them take up drawer space.  Moving them out of the drawers allowed me to get all my t-shirts and shorts off hangers and put neatly into drawers.  That really helped my closet look neater.

 I completely rearranged my bedroom (all by myself!).  My bed had been under that window you see above on the other wall.  That white bookshelf had been in the corner where the dresser and TV now are.  The TV had been mounted on the wall where the book shelf is, but I didn't like it because you could see cables hanging everywhere and it wasn't comfortable for watching in bed.  I was pretty dang impressed with myself for taking that off the wall, setting up the dresser stand that I hadn't been using since it was on the wall and figuring out how to rewire the whole thing so that the TV, Wii, VCR, and DVD player all properly ran through the surround sound.   In the picture below you can see that little white door.  It leads to a closet area that goes under our stairs to the second floor.  Most of it is my mom's space and comes out with another door in the hallway next to the stairs, but part of it is mine.  I keep my Christmas decorations, old toys, books, etc in there.  I'd had my dresser in there too, but I ended up taking it out to put the TV on.  I'm much happier with this solution.  It makes it way easier to get to my clothes.  The secretary desk  used to be over by where the white book shelf is now.

 In the picture below, you can see my hope chest under the window.  It had been in the closet under all the hanging clothes for a long time.  It drove me CRAZY there.  It made the long clothes bunch all up, and stuff was always falling behind it.  Not to mention it just looked tacky.  I could never figure out how to fit all the furniture in my room at once though.  I'd had a big arm chair and ottoman in my room for a long time.  I really like it, and it was nice to have a place to sit other than my bed.  However, I really didn't use it that often.  It kind of became a place to throw clothes and stuff, and it took up a TON of space.  I finally decided to take it out of my room.  My mom said she'd use it somewhere else in the house.  Getting that out of the room made enough space to be able to get my dresser and hope chest out of the closets.  Crazy to think one chair was taking up that much useable space.

I'm really happy with my room right now.  Everything is neat and orderly, and that makes me happy.  I still need to tackle that under the stairs closet as it could use some organizing too, but I'm going to put that off a bit long.  My bathroom is in pretty serious need of a makeover as well.  My dad is supposedly going to make me some shelving for it, so when that's all done, I'll probably post pictures. 

Etsy Update

So I started my Etsy shop last year, and wasn't sure what would come of it.  I actually have made a few sales here and there.  It is so exciting when someone buys something I make!  I haven't sold a lot yet, but still, it has been fun.  I have added some new items this week, so please take a look below or click over to my actual shop. :)

Etsy Shop

I have decided to open up an Etsy shop.  I have been crocheting a lot lately, and I have so much to work with that is just left over from other projects and not being used.  I figured why not give it a chance.  Right now the shop consists of crocheted jewelry and appliques, but I plan to make and add more items soon.  I would love for you to check it out!

Crocheted Curlers

At the risk of ending up on What Not To Crochet (viewer beware before clicking that link, it's not always pretty, it's sometimes scary, and it's often not child friendly...sure is funny though), I give you the crocheted curler.  Am I crazy?  Perhaps.  However, when I put these in my hair at night instead of the old sponge rollers, I actually get to sleep pain free.  Frankly, I think pain free nights are totally worth the few hours and scrap yarn used to make a set of these. :D I've considered buying the soft pillow rollers before, but to get enough for my hair would cost more than I really care to invest.  I've tried rags, but I have  a hard time rolling them up and tying them. These were quick, easy, and free (since I used leftover yarn) to make. They were inspired by these knitted ones that I found while looking for ways to use up yarn.  I tried to follow the knitting pattern, but knitting 6 little stitches over a set of DPNs is a little beyond my beginner knitting skills.  I quickly decided to come up with my own crochet pattern and whip some up that way instead.   I don't have a strict pattern for them, but the basic idea is as follows:

I used a US size F hook

Work 6 sc in a magic loop (more if you want a thicker curler), do not join
Sc in each sc around until you reach about 3.5 inches
Sc3tog, twice
6 Foundation single crochets, join end to the end of the curler body to make a loop. Finish off.

I have found that the loop stretches out as you use it, so make the loop smaller than you think you will need it to be.  I made mine with various amounts of single crochets, and in the end I think the ones with fewer (around 6) worked out better than the ones I did with more.  You could also stuff your curlers before you sc3tog if you want them a little firmer.  I chose to leave mine hollow inside, and they work fine.  I think that if you decide to make yours bigger, it would probably be a good idea to stuff them.  Mine are fairly thin, so they hold up well without anything in them.

I cannot set my hair wet because it will never dry if I do.  I did try these out with a wet set, but, as usual, a good 10 hours later they were still wet when I went to unroll them. This happens with sponge rollers as well for me.  I can't say how they will work on other people.  If your hair dries easily overnight in rollers, these may as well.  For me, I just mist a little diluted Lottabody setting lotion on each chunk of dry hair before rolling it up.

Blog World, I Don't Think We Are In Florida Anymore

Have you met my scarf?  When I made it back in November for my trip to Tennessee, I had no idea that in January it would become my new best friend.  (The scarf, btw, was loosely inspired by this one that Rose Tyler wears in season 1 of Doctor Who.) 

People, it is COLD here in Florida this weekend!  Just a couple hours north of me it SNOWED today.  I was out shopping this afternoon, and I swear the temperature gauge on my car never got over 39 degrees.  I'm loving it!  I'm knitting myself up a pair of fingerless gloves, and I've pretty much kept the finished one on all evening.  I can't wait to get the second one done.  I may have to sleep with them on tonight.  I'm not used to this kind of weather anymore.  :D

Speaking of the fingerless gloves, I have now learned how to knit cables! Guess what.  It wasn't even that hard!  I also have been practicing working with double pointed knitting needles, and I've found that those aren't really all that complicated either.  It seems like, for me, the most complicated thing is sizing.  I think I need to start making gauge swatches.  For some reason, this is something I've never really done.  I have a tendency to rush headlong into a project and just hope that it will come out the right size.  I won't be able to do that if I am making things to wear.  At any rate, I'm excited about the things I have learned, and I'm discovering that I really enjoy knitting. 

5 More Sleeps!

Excuse the picture.  There is no purpose to it whatsoever.  Sometimes I have a little too much fun with Photo Booth, and I do hate posts with no pictures.  :D

After about 3 months worth of crocheting, I'm finally done with all my projects.  I have checked off every item on that crazy list I had. It is time to get down to the business of enjoying the season.  I have a little shopping left to do, but I'll get it done.   I'd get it done faster if I could figure out what to get my sister, but whatever.  The weather is finally cooling down a bit.  The house is beeeeeeeeautifuly decorated (my mom is so good at turning the place into a Christmas wonderland). There are yummy goodies overflowing the refrigerator and pantry.  It's early early Sunday morning.  Sunday the 20th of December.  It's Christmas week!  Merry Christmas!  Tomorrow (well, later today really) my Grandma and my Aunties and Uncles will be flying in for the week.  Monday my cousins come.  I love this time of year!

Could Someone Spare Some Focus?

It's been too long since I've posted anything. I feel rather like I'm being pulled in 57 different creative directions right now. Of course, I'm the one doing the pulling! And what happens when I want to do so many things? Well, I end up focus-less and doing nothing, and that is not cool!

I've been working a lot lately on my vidding. I have completed several Lois and Clark videos (see the youtube link in the sidebar if you care to watch) in the past few weeks, and I'm working on a new one for Doctor Who that I am pretty excited about. I've learned some new techniques and effects that I'm having a lot of fun playing around with. I have about a million video ideas in my head right now, and I can't wait to get going on all of them.

I recently decided to get over my fear of knitting and give that a whirl. I started by watching some youtube videos and reading some online tutorials. Once I got the hang of the basics I hit the library for some knitting books. I ended up making myself a hat that I will probably never get to wear in this Florida heat, but I'm still pretty proud of it. I want to start working on something else, but I think I'm still hanging on to some fears that I really can't do it. Sure, that hat was simple, but can I really tackle a more complicated project. The truth is, I probably can, but I just hate to fail! I especially hate to go out and spend money on yarn and then fail. I guess I need to do some more small projects with the scrap yarns I already have. That way I can improve my technique before going on to more difficult projects.

For awhile I was crocheting like crazy, but the fact of the matter is, there are only so many little dolls that one girl needs! ;) I'd really like to find some patterns for things that are more useful, but I haven't found many that I think are worth making yet. I did see a pattern for a clutch that I may make this weekend. It's a fairly simple pattern that could be fun to do on the long car trip I have ahead of me...but more on that later.

I really, really, really (is that enough reallys?) want to start working on improving my nearly non-existent sewing skills. I mean, sure I can use the sewing machine. I can piece a quilt, and I've made a few fairly simple things in the past (with a ton of help from my mom!), but I would love to be able to make some of my own clothing. I'm totally in love so many vintage clothing styles, but I don't love digging through piles of nasty clothes at a thrift store in hopes of finding that one great treasure. My preference would be to simply make my own clothes based on those styles. I suppose I just need to get some cheap fabric and some simple patterns and dig in and start practicing, but as I said with the knitting, I HATE to fail. That fear of failure thing is a huge issue for me, but that's subject matter for an entirely different post.

To go along with the subject of vintage clothing, I am now also going to be trying out some vintage hair styles. Last night, quite by chance, I discovered youtube video tutorials on 1940s hairstyles. I watched several of them, and said to myself, "Self, we can do this!" (Ok, I don't actually talk to myself like that, but you get the idea.) So, this morning I decided to try out a 40s style. It would have turned out better if I'd had the time to curl my hair, but I still like how it turned out. I'm pretty sure this will not be the last time this sort of hairstyle graces my head!

Anyway, so many projects, so little time...wait! What am I saying?! I work 25 hours a week, and about half of those hours are spent sitting in a room with sleeping children! I have loads of time. I just need to get going!

Speaking of going, I'll be heading up to one of my favorite places this weekend! Time for a little Disney trip! I'm going up with some friends from church for Night of Joy. We will be leaving sometime around the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and coming home Sunday afternoon. Yay for Disney!!

ETA: I am so jealous of all these blogs with beautiful, professional looking photography! I apologize for my crappy web cam pics, but really, it's the best I can do for you right now. ;) Perhaps I should hire my photographer sister to start taking my pictures for my blog.

Clark as The Doctor

Clark, my Build-a-Bear, has been wanting a 10th doctor outfit for awhile now. As Build-a-Bear Workshop does not seem to think they should make this wonderful outfit, I had to figure out how to do it myself. I thought about sewing it, but honestly, I'm not so great at that and I had no idea where to even begin. I'm a little handier with yarn and a crochet hook, so I decided that would be the best way to go. I've never done anything like this before, so I kind of just made it up as I went along. The "pinstripes" are a bit more exaggerated than they should be, but hey my bear doesn't mind. I used two different methods to get the stripes. If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably use the second method (like the pants and sleeves) I came up with for the whole thing. It went a lot faster and the stripes were a little less obvious that way. However, my mom liked it better the first way (how it is on the jacket). I like both, and I don't plan to do it again, so whatever. I also made him a little sonic screwdriver to go with his new outfit. Now I just need to figure out how to get a shirt and tie to go under the jacket and get him some shoes. Also, I may someday decide to to make the overcoat. We'll see.

Another Doctor

(click images to view larger)
Yesterday I had an unexpected day off work. Toward late afternoon I started to feel that I needed a project that didn't involve sitting in front of my computer, so I pulled out my bag of yarn and went to work. I ended up coming up with my own pattern for this little 10th Doctor doll. **Spoilers for season 4. Highlight to read. (This is to keep Jenn from getting spoiled...sorry Jenn, you need to watch!)** This is the Meta-Crisis doctor from the end of season 4. In the show, his shirt is actually closer to a maroon color, but I worked with what I had. I am very glad that this particular version of the doctor doesn't wear a tie as I didn't enjoy making the tie on the last doctorr. He's smaller than the original one I made, and I think he turned out a little better. I put him next to the Puffs tissue box, to show his actual size. I'm quite fond of him. :) I plan to make a little Rose to go with him as well. In fact, as I just found out that I'm not working today either, I think I'll be making her this afternoon.