I've always wanted to get into scrapbooking, but my earlier attempts have always failed pretty miserably. So, this time I decided to go with a simpler method, to try and make it easier for me to complete pages in a timely manner. So, I have decided to limit the amount of paper and embellishments I use, both to save money and to make things simpler. Since this is my first major project, I decided to make it unthemed, as a way for my hubby (who's at Basic Training for the Canadian Forces) to look back at everything we've done over the months that he was away. I'm hoping to have this one cover the time he's at training, then I'll do others for his deployments and other major events.
Anyway, the first page is for photos I took while visiting the Tulip Festival in our city during the spring. I used light green leaf-print paper for the photos, and matched it with a darker green rose-print paper for the tags, which I stamped the title on to.
The second and third are pages covering my hubby's Swearing In ceremony before he left. Once a year, the Canadian Forces hold a big ceremony with important politicians and military people, and he was lucky enough to get in for this year's event. He was so happy that he actually got his certificate thing from General Rick Hilliard, head of the Canadian Forces. These two pages I wanted to coordinate but not match specifically, so the first uses a light brown/tan leaf-print paper and the second uses brown paper printed with writing. I used card stock letters for the first page, and added freehand dashes around the letters and headers, and did the same around the tags on the second page. I didn't do a full header on the second, just a tag with the date, and a second with journaling. Finally, I added my ticket from the ceremony as a bit of memorabilia.
I know these layouts aren't as fancy or professional as so many of the others I've seen, but I like them and they don't detract from the photos. I have two more LOs to do before I need to print more photos, and I hope to get those done in the next few days.
Well, a friend of mine gave me the Happy Hooker for my birthday (was yesterday ^_^) and I wanted to try out one of the patterns. Always wanting new hats, I decided to try this one first.
I need to comment, maybe it's just me, but there was NO WAY this pattern was going to come out adult sized. I tried it anyway as written, and sure enough, it wasn't even big enough to fit my daughter, who is 5. It might have fit my tiny cat, if I was lucky. So, I frogged part of it and tried again, this time doubling the number of increases and working with a K sized hook, just to figure out how I needed to change to get closer to the listed guage.
It ended up coming out a bit too big, and I need to adjust where the pattern rows are and such, but overall it worked much better than the first attempt. It's the right size to wear over a ponytail, which will work great for going to and from work. It's a bit light, so during the really cold weather it won't quite work, but that's okay. I'm going to try again, this time in a single colour with the H or maybe an I hook, and again do more increase rows.
ooo, My package from KungPow arrived today! Everything is awsome, so I gotta show off the pics!
First, it all came nicely packaged inside a cigar box:
There was a lovely wristlet:
A Fortune Cookie pin and beaded bracelet:
An altoid tin with a set of adorable magnets (don't have my own fridge yet, but they will have a nice home when I do!):
A really cute hair clip that she copied from one on my wist, a cozy for my passport (wewt for vacay! ^^), and a Salvadore Dali card, AND a copy of the soundtrack to Kill Bill, vol 1:
And finally, a hockey card that was altered to have a humourous set of stats for the city of Vancouver (her hometown):
And she also included a list of what she used:
Pouch - 9 items - soft - paisley - camo - embroidered - something that flies - something smaller than it is in eal life - carabiner - something from the hardware store - a charm (on the zipper pull)
Passport holder - 3 items - yarn - buttons - camo (the yarn was supposed to work up as camo, anyway)
Magnet Set - 10 items - Altoid tin - complimentary colours - lime geen - magnetic - glass - polka dots - potion - fruit - penguin - flowers
Bracelet and Pin - 2 items - wooden beads - Asian inspired
Card - 2 items - hockey card - something from my city
CD - 2 items - CD - Movie themed
Box - 5 items - cigar box - ROYGBIV stripes - 2 colours swirled - foreign words - touch of black
And the package came wrapped in Tyvek.
Total number of items minus repeats: 36
I love it ALL! I especially like the pouches (I can never have too many pouches and purses ^^) and the box (storage = love), and I am excited to go on vacay now so I can get my passport and use the cozy!
I got my swap from Brena80 in the mail this afternoon, and I have to say WOW! She went so crazy, I feel bad for sticking to the swap outline *sweat* She really outdid herself, and I am in awe of her talent. I love everything she sent, and the CD is awsome, I'm listening to it right now, and I made a special playlist for it on my IPod ^_^ Here are the obligatory photos:
Everything she sent: A CD (duh) A Hello Kitty IPod cozy Hello Kitty IPod Mini skins Hello Kitty gummy candy two Hello Kitty keychains a Monster cozy for my digital camera a fuzzy scarf for my daughter
Here's a close up of my IPod enjoying its new cozy - I just realised I should have taken a close-up of the cozy's face *lol*
And here's my daughter, modelling her new scarf. I ended up taking a series of poses of her with it - she LOVES the camera, but it's hard to get her to stay still *lol*
And here's the playlist for the CD:
1. Another Brick in the Wall, Parts 1-3 - Korn / Pink Floyd 2. Baby One More Time - Bowling for Soup / Britney Spears 3. In The Air Tonight - Non Point / Phil Collins 4. El Tango de Roxanne - Moulin Rouge / The Police 5. Love Song - Tori Amos / The Cure 6. Mary Tyler Moore Show - Joan Jett / TV Theme 7. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos / Nirvana 8. Smooth Criminal - Alian Ant Farm / Michael Jackson 9. Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson / Eurythmics 10. Imagine - A Perfect Circle / John Lennon 11. Word Up! - Korn / Cameo 12. Black - Aaron Lewis / Pearl Jam 13. Blue Monday - Orgy / Mew Order 14. Faith - Limp Bizkit / George Michael 15. Too Cold - Vanilla Ice
Besides having a strong desire to craft a ton more stuff for Brenda80, I really enjoyed this swap... I hope she likes what I sent her, even if it isn't as substantial as what she sent me.
Here's the second part of my two-foot tattoo... got it done yesterday afternoon. Oh, lordy, it hurt beyond hurt. Far worse than the other foot. I would say it was the childbirth of tattoos - I nearly had to ask her to stop. It was a bit worse because the girl was an apprentice, so she went slower and was very meticulous about the lines, so it took longer than it probably would have with someone more experienced, but I think she did a good job, at least to my untrained eye, and I'm hoping it'll heal as well as the other one.
Photos:
Here's the two together... my foot is still incredibly swollen, and the first tattoo still has a bit of dry skin on it. Excuse the hairy legs, a week straight of rain and cold has crushed my desire to wear capris or skirts to work
Just got my fourth piece done last night... it's really simple, but it'll be part of a pair (once I get the other one done).
Since the sumbol requires explanation, here goes: I'm not communist (*lol*). I am a history and political science student, and the two regimes that have interested me most for both of those are Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. I got it on my left foot, as it is the far left of the political spectrum. I am going to get the Iron Cross on my right foot, in lieu of the swastika. I chose my feet, because the two regimes can be quite similar (close together), or very different (far apart), depending on your perspective. And the feet are probably the most mobile part of the human body, in terms of distance from each other.
Warning: Foot tattoos HURT. Like nothing else. I have other piercings and tattoos, and this was worse than any of them.
Here's my one completed outift... I have plans for many more though, particularly for when the warm weather comes.
I also made her an adorable (and painfully simple) hooded dress-up cape, ala Red Riding Hood except in white, but the pictures aren't uploaded from my camera yet.
And everyone's stuff is just so dern cute, I wish I was that talented! XD
I got bored this weekend, and so I decided to dive into my paper stash and make some bookmarks. I made an Angelina Jolie one for myself, and a Winnie the Pooh and and plain unthemed one for no real reason...
I am SOOOO excited - I have learned to sew, all on my own! Well, I had rudimentary training on using my sewing machine years ago by my grandmother, but most of what I know I taught myself by diving in head first. My first project was a really basic pair of pink fleece pants I made for my daughter. I made them weeks ago, with the intention of making a matching jumper. Finally, this weekend I was able to do the skirt since it's Spring Break. Although they're a bit too big for her, she loves both pieces. I just hope they hold up in the wash... << >> Made of fleece the was originally intended to be a 'cut and tie' blanket, I used the fabric for this... since it wasn't actually made into a blanket, I don't really think it counts as reconstructed.
And I've been dying to make myself some adorable DIY clothing ever since I started shopping for it on Ebay and realised how expensive it is. I know it takes a lot of money, time, and effort to make them, but I'm a mom and a student so I can't afford all the awsome stuff I wish I could buy - so I decided to make it myself. This is my first skirt, made from two panels of red flannel and four of really adorable Hello Kitty print cotton (I LOVE HK!)
I got my package from Toadstool today, she sent me 2 kitty hats, one for me and one for my daughter! I love them so much I have to show them off! However, I only managed to get a picture of mine, I'll have to get my daughter's tomorrow.
Bad, baaaaad photo, but all I have was my webcam, which is not so good for photos.
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