let's get it started... part deaux

After bemoaning my lack of creativity lately, life threw a little craft my way yesterday. There wasn’t much individual expression, but I was making things. Blankets, to be exact.

Our homeschool group dedicates the fourth Wednesday of each month to a community service project. This month’s charity was Project Linus, so I spent yesterday afternoon making a bunch of no-sew fleece blankets with my friends and their kids. Apparently Project Linus gets a lot of girl-themed stuff, so it was interesting to see that everyone listened to that and brought mostly boy-themed fabrics. (As the mom of a male only-child, I admit I took ONE set of fabric that was kinda girly. Come on, though! I never get to buy cute, girly stuff!)

I’m not sure how many blankets we managed to produce, but there was a pretty sizeable stack, especially considering the size of our group. What we lack in numbers some weeks, we make up for in big hearts.

I tried to increase my fleece donation by taking advantage of special buys from the “Remnants” bin. I scored some cool Florida Gators fleece, along with a piece of buttery yellow (which became the backing of the aforementioned sole “girly” blanket), and a light brown that matched up perfectly with a dinosaur print I got that everyone was coveting. The only downside of my bargain purchases was that my Gator fabric wasn’t going to be quite big enough for Project Linus guidelines if we did the standard no-sew, two-sided tied pattern with it. Instead, I took advantage of the big work space, cut everything down to size, including another blanket that we just kind of ran out of steam for (besides, our mom with the super duper fringe cutting guide had to leave—and there is no WAY I planned to cut all that fringe by hand!), and took the last two blankets home to sew.

I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself, because I actually came home and sewed one of them last night and finished the other this afternoon. Being a Procrastinator Extraordinaire, this is a BIG deal for me. I dropped both of them off earlier this evening at the mom’s house that coordinated this project for us. Check and check. Both blankets done and turned in. I rock.

I know. Tied fringe fleece blankets are hardly the Sistine Chapel, but it was something. And that’s what I needed. To create something. Now that the cobwebs have been shaken off, who knows what’s next.

This is how I roll.

I had such high hopes when I set this blog up. Isn’t that what the new year and resolutions are for? To get you excited about change? It worked. I was stoked. I was gonna be mad creatin’. I was going to take the artsy-craftsy blog world by storm with my innovative ideas and cool projects. That was going to be MY page people were following from CraftStylish and OnePrettyThing.

Yeah.

The reality of my high hopes and day dreams is that I’ve had a really awesome Blog Roll for the past month. It’s time to be honest. (As if my lack of posts isn’t enough to prove the obvious.) All I’ve been doing with my blog is visiting it so I can follow my hyperlinks to other people’s blogs. People who are actually doing stuff. And being creative. Just. Like. Me.

Not.

I have been doing some creative stuff. Correction. I have been making plans to do some creative stuff. Sure there was the jazzy denim yarn I made. I’m still tweaking it, though, so I can’t even put a hatch mark for that in the “Completed” column. I have plans to do a tutorial on it, if I can keep from talking myself out of it because it is so time-intensive. There might be someone out there who would like to give it a try, though, so hopefully my internal voice will be quiet for once.

I did complete a project today, but it’s one of those projects you don’t want to have to do. My son’s mouse Pearl died yesterday. Her sister Diamond predeceased her by a few months. (That’s right. Diamond and Pearl. Yes, I am still living in 1991.) I spent yesterday afternoon affixing faux pearls and rhinestones to the lid of a round wooden box I painted black. By this afternoon the Diamond Glaze had dried, so I tied a velvet ribbon around the edge of the lid (to cover the inevitable DG drips). Now Diamond and Pearl will have a final resting place befitting their place in our hearts. It’s amazing how much joy two tiny little creatures can bring to your world. Conversely, it’s also amazing how much sorrow you feel at their passing.

I did do one thing that makes no sense for someone who can’t post on the two blogs she already has. I started another blog! Through Goddess of the Mailboxen I hope to bring a little joy into other people’s worlds, one envelope at a time. I also try to post about other ways people can get cool stuff in the mail. When I was little I had this awesome book with all of these cool things you could send self addressed stamped envelopes away for, and they’d send you something back, usually for free. I abso-frickin’-lutely LOVED that book, and treasured every little thing I received, be it denim patch or whoopee cushion. I have not actually looked forward to checking the mail for quite some time, and since I do not relish feeling like a freak of nature, I assume other people feel the same way. I guess I’m just trying to share the love and bring back some of that magic from days long ago. Go visit the Goddess and getcha’ something good.

I have a long list of projects that I am going to start to tackle. There’s the doily scarf I found on Dollar Store Crafts and the several different Valentine’s Day crafts that have piqued my interest. I also have the top part of the jeans I used for my denim yarn that I want to turn into a purse, and of course, there’s the Sudoku “quilt” I have yet to finish up that was part of my mom’s Christmas present. Please don’t even get me started on cleaning up my studio (Yes, I actually have my own studio space, and I still can’t manage to get any creative stuff done!).

While I try to get my mojo back, I’ll be sharing the journey as I can. So for those one or two of you who have found your way here, keep coming back. That’s what a Blog Roll is for, right?

whoo hoo?

After a day of running errands and spending some time visiting with Michael's parents, we managed to make it back home with an hour or so to spare before the excitement of ringing in the new year. M went upstairs to change clothes and I settled in with my laptop to check facebook and my blogroll. I tried to tune in for Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve, but watching Dick post-stroke just made me sad. I was going to try to stick in there, though, when the announcement came that the -GASP! Wait for it!- Jonas Brothers were up next. Sorry, Dick. If you weren't depressing enough, the Jonas Bros sealed the deal. Comedy Central here I come!

With South Park droning on in the background I got kind of caught up in my blog reading. I eventually became aware of an increase in the number of fireworks being set off in my neighborhood. I glanced at the clock and realized it was 12:03. I missed 2009.

I called my mom to see how the wild festivities were at her house. She had apparently not given up on Dick and got to see the ball drop. My son called while we were talking, so I left mom to share a quick new year greeting with Collin. Magically, as if somehow tipped off, Michael appeared as well, clearly having just woken up. "Changing clothes," turned into, "laying down for a second." I got my kiss, though, and that's what was most important, right?

While the actual changing of the calendar left a bit to be desired, the blog reading got my creative juices going. On Monday I had dreamed (Yes, really!) about making yarn out of a pair of old jeans that have been laying around here forever. What better time than the present, I thought, and decided to give things a whirl. The results are promising so far. I'll have to see how things work themselves out. If things go even remotely well I may give writing my very first tutorial a shot. Try not to go blue holding your breath for that one.

I've taken the "Creative Everyday 2009" pledge, so I worked on my "yarn" a bit more today. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised so far. OH! I made a squid today, too! That has to count as creative, doesn't it?

I'm about to end the day by jotting down a quick poem and doodling a bit in my creativity journal. Although her entrance was mild, I'm really looking forward to 2009 and seeing what treasures she holds in store for the upcoming year. I'm rolling the dice and hoping for sevens.