Brace yourselves...

I'm trying to tackle sewing.

Not that it will become my go-to craft, but I need to become less scared of it.  I am considering it one of my New Year's resolutions, an extension of my Pinterest resolution.  Several of my pinned projects (heck, a whole Pinterest board of projects) are sewing projects, so I figure I need to conquer this.  And in addition, we need curtains in the bedroom, especially now that we're solidly in winter.  Our bedroom faces east, so we can get sunshine at most inconvenient times of the morning.  Curtains definitely called for!

The problem lies in how nervous I get about sewing.  I know that you can undo sewing as you can knitting, back it up to take out mistakes, but it's so much easier with knitting.

So, sewing attempts ahead!  You have been warned...

Oh, So Pinteresting Wednesday - Painted Doily Tank (& tote)

Week 2!  So far so good, hanging in there.

This week is a craft project, part of my wardrobe updating efforts.  I have tons of basic polos in almost every color, and plenty of T-shirts, but I'm trying to update things a little.  So, a cute little tank top update is a nice project to tackle.  The inspiration project is here at Maybe Matilda.  She used a basic t-shirt, but I'm using a simple ribbed tank top (available either in your wardrobe already, or $3 at Wal-Mart or similar - doesn't have to be fancy at all)

What you'll need:

• a tank or tee
• a package of paper doilies (you could use single or multiple sizes as you prefer; I used two sizes from a multi-sized pack of doilies)
• one or more acrylic paints
• fabric painting medium
• foam brush or sponge
• a piece of cardboard (at least as large as your area to be painted - it's to place inside the top to prevent the paint from bleeding through)

I had never used fabric painted medium before, so had to actually look for it, wasn't something I had in-stash.  I found it at Hobby Lobby in the aisle with puffy paints and acrylic paints and so on.  It's designed to be mixed in with regular acrylic paints so that it becomes a fabric paint that won't wash out once it's set.  Oh, the possibilities!  However, be sure to read all the directions - different brands vary with their directions!!

And now onto the shirt:

1.     Put the piece of cardboard underneath the layer of fabric to be painted.  For the tank top (or a shirt, if you want to), that's inside the shirt.

2.     Mix your paint and fabric medium according to the directions (mine says to use a 2 to 1 mix of paint to medium).

3.     Arrange your doilies however you want on your top.  I liked the look of the inspiration t-shirt, where the lacy paint wrapped around the side of the tee.  I started with the medium-size doily from my multi-pack, placed down near the hem of the shirt.

4.     Lightly sponge paint over the doily.  You don't need to be too heavy-handed with the paint - the doilies tend to curl if they are over-loaded with paint (wet paper, you know).  Paint as much as you want.  I sponged just a little past the edge of the doily, so that you'd see the edge of the lace, but not much further than that.  Just go as far as you like, whatever you think looks good.

5.     Gently peel up the doily when the area is painted.  I loved how this looked, the painted laciness!

6.     Proceed to your next doily.  Arrange it as you like, paint as before.  I liked mine slightly overlapped and slightly offset (like bubbles, not like a snowman, if those analogies make sense).  The second two doilies I painted were the smallest size from my multi-pack.  I liked the decreasing look.  But, as this is a DIY project, you can do it however you like!

7.     When it's all painted as you want, set the paint according to the directions on the medium bottle.  Mine instructed you to heat set it (iron from the back of the fabric for at least 20 seconds), then let dry for 7 days, then wash.  Then, it's finally done.  I know, 7 days is an eternity when you want to use something you've just completed!!  I've seen other brands referred to with a 24 hour drying time, but the brand at Hobby Lobby was 7 days, so I went with what I had.

8.     And then the wait is over!  Time to model - Ta-da!

And while I was at it, I painted up another project.  This Monogrammed Tote was another project I'd found via Pinterest, and was actually one of the first projects I pinned.  I just love the look!  I had a plain canvas tote bag that needed some decorating, too, so this was just perfect.  The supplies are the same as the above project - paint, medium, doilies - plus a letter stencil and a tote instead of a tank.

I used the same technique that I used above.  I painted the doily first, then stenciled in the letter.  It was easier to lay the letter stencil in the open middle of the painted doily, then risk smudging the letter under the paper doily.  I had a stencil for the letter, but you can use a freezer paper stencil (like the inspiration project) if you prefer.

 

My bag is a little more casual, I guess, compared to the inspiration.  I painted past the edges of the doily, so it does give it a little bit of a different look.  I like mine just as much, but it's something to consider as you're painting your own.

 

For those cold winter evenings

So, my year of actually doing my Pinterest Pins is starting off now.  I'm aiming for at least one a week, as I've mentioned previously.  I know that it sounds like a lot, but there are so many organization tips and recipes and so forth, in addition to all the crafty ideas, that I should be able to have something to talk about each week.  Inspired by The Vintage Apple (another crafty blog), and her Oh How Pinteresting Wednesdays, I think I will also try to keep them on Wednesdays, if I can remember.

So, to kick things off, here's a recipe I found (of course) via Pinterest.  And it's perfect for this time of year, too!  Hot drinks are perfect for winter, so here is my attempt at: 

Homemade Instant Chai Mix

I became addicted to vanilla chai lattes back in SC, as the little coffee shop right across the street from my apartment has a deeeeee-licious one.  But this stuff is freakin' expensive, as drink mixes go!  Yes, it does taste better if you actually brew the Chai tea bags (there are a few brands that have a specific Chai box in amongst the Earl Grey and Peppermint and English Breakfast and so on) and then add the milk and spices yourself.  But let's face it: that isn't always practical.  So, this is a nice alternative to hot coco as a sweet after-dinner sort of hot drink.

There are several version of this recipe floating out about there.  As usual, I'll make some notes at the bottom here of the other versions I've found.  The one I started with was from MomAdvice, where they posted about homemade instant coco and instant chai latte mixes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• 1 cup French vanilla powdered non-dairy creamer
• 2 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened instant tea
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp white pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it is a fine powder. 
2. If you have a small food processor (as I do), you can combine everything in a bowl first, then pulse smaller batches of the mix in the food processor.  Pulse the smaller quantities in the food processor before transferring the mix into its storage container.   I found that my 8oz. canning jars held about 2.5 "fill-ups" of mix in my Mini-Chop food processor (Does that make sense?  I'm trying to say, it took 5 times of filling the Mini-Chop with mix to fill the 2 jars.  I wasn't paying close attention to my measuring cups as I was going along, so I can't be more specific than that...)
3. Store mix in waterproof, airtight containers.  I used an store-bought instant Chai container that I had just emptied, as well as 2 canning jars.  The whole recipe above filled those 3 containers, plus 3 T. to make a fresh cup as I was finishing up.  Had to make sure everything tastes alright, you know?  Old cocoa tins or Crystal Light containers would also work as storage, particularly if you want unbreakable containers.  Store in a cool, dry place.
4. To serve: Add two-three tablespoons of mix to 6-8 ounces of hot water or milk.

 

Notes, Variations, etc.

The ingredient list above is printed as I found it on MomAdvice.  However, as with any recipe using that many spices, you can customize it to your particular taste.  For example, the changes I made were:

• I don't like the white pepper kick in some chai, so I just omitted it.  
• I used 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Seasoning instead of the 1 tsp each of nutmeg and allspice, as that's what I have in my spice cabinet.  Means that my mix has more cinnamon and ginger flavoring to it, since those are also contained in the Pumpkin Pie Seasoning. 
• I like a stronger vanilla flavor in my chai lattes, so instead of splitting the creamer as half plain and half French Vanilla, I just made all 2 cups the vanilla creamer.  
• Finally, I made mine sugar-free, using Splenda instead of sugar.  The end mix still turned out well.  Yes, yes, I know - chemicals into the body, but for those trying to watch our calories, hot drinks can carry a lot of sugar in them.  If you are someone who's sensitive to the tastes of sweeteners, though, I'd recommend sticking to the original white sugar called for.  

Oh, and as a side note, I got 2 batches of mix from one 3 oz. jar of instant tea.  Just to give you an idea for quantities.

 Allrecipes.com is (of course) a wealth of tips and variations and so forth, and this recipe is no exception.  It's the same as the recipe I used here, only with the pepper, nutmeg, and allspice listed as optional spices.  I love the tips and variations, though.  Be sure to read through them, as there is some great information in the comments!

Also on Allrecipes is a slightly different version using a mix of brown sugar and confectioner's sugar instead of the white sugar.  It also uses Vanilla Powder instead of the vanilla creamer.  I might have to keep an eye out for that, as I love a very strong vanilla flavor in my chai.

KitchenWitch on RecipeSecrets.net suggests that if you're concerned about the cost of the cardamom, which can definitely get expensive, you can buy the seeds whole (much cheaper) and grind them to a powder yourself using a coffee bean grinder.

MomAdvice also recommends this as a good gift idea, though I know that the season has passed us. With a cute mug, or some fun ribbons and wrapping, I can definitely see that!

New Year's resolution time!

Yup, new year, new set of goals.  I know I never end up keeping these all year long, but I feel a little better publishing them online here.  Accountability, y'know.  Even if no one talks to me specifically about them, I feel like I've done more than simply make some plans in my head.  I have published them, put them out there, let the world know, and so will (hopefully) have now a little more incentive to follow through.  We'll see how it goes :)

• We've had another move this past year, so another group of friends in not-where-we-are.  I have now lived in 4 different towns in the last 6 years, with very dear friends in each of them (and plenty who've also moved elsewhere too).  I want to stay in touch more.  Not just online, though that does help, but talking to people.  Skype, phone calls, whatever.  I just want to stay in touch better!
• I'd like to be more consistent in my workout routine.  That's really a given, I guess.  I got very derailed after we got extended in the desert last year.  An extra 6 months at that tiny, isolated, desolate little post really killed my motivation, and then moving at the end of it... it took most of 2011 to get a routine going again!  Completely killed all the progress I'd made in my weight loss efforts.  Very disappointing.  So, I'd really like to be more consistent about my workouts.  There are several classes I'm trying to get into the habit of attending at the gyms on post, and there a number of local races that look like fun, and a number of bigger ones in Austin, San Antonio, D-FW area, and Houston, too.  It's one of those cases of "I know what I need to do; now I just need to stick with it."  And with being a bridesmaid in October, maybe that'll be the extra bit of motivation I need to get myself back in shape :)
• I will admit that I'm a Pinterest addict.  So, as a resolution for both blogging and computer-time, I'd like to actually do more of my Pinterest pins.  Read the books, make the projects, try the recipes...  And of course, once I've tried a pin, I will post here and give feedback, or directions on how I did it instead, or whatever.   You know, like I've been doing with my Pinterest-inspired posts so far, but on a more regular basis.  Mondays are movie posts, so maybe every Thursday perhaps?  I'd like to aim for a Pinterest-inspired post each week.  I know that sounds like a lot, but I think it'll be pretty doable.  A good number of my pins are recipes, so there will be a bunch of food posts.  Motivation to try new recipes!  Just trying to get myself off the computer a bit more and back into the real world... and then back onto the computer to blog about it :) 
• And also on the crafty side of things, STRICT YARN DIET!!  'Nuff said.

Christmas Crafting!

A project totally for fun and appropriate for the time of year.  I was looking for a new card holder since our old card display got damaged in the move.  We don't get tons of cards, but we do get some, so I like to display them.  I found two versions of this project on Pinterest (on Craftiness is Not Optional, and on Holiday Kids Crafts), so ended up cobbling them together with what I liked from each.  What I've done is as follows:

What you'll need:

• Green paint
• Wooden clothespins - the 'alligator' kind with the spring.  (The number of clothes pins depends on the size of your wreath.  I used a Wal-Mart pack of 50, and that was plenty.  Even had some left over.)
• Beads - either pre-painted in red and/or green, or unpainted - pony beads work well
• If beads are unpainted, you'll want paint for the beads, red and/or another shade of green
• Wire - you can use craft wire, or a wire coat hanger.  I used the coat hanger, because we already had a bunch.
• Christmas ribbon - if you want a big, loopy bow, the wired ribbon works best.

Instructions:

1.     Paint your clothespins with the green paint.  If you are alternating shades of green, paint half of your clothes pins in one green and half of them in another green.  Make sure everything is covered by the paint, both sides of the clip as well as between the two parts as best you can. Let the pins dry thoroughly.  I liked this way of painting them (as seen in one of the example projects above): use a box to support the pins and much more easily paint both sides of the pins.

2.     If your beads are not already colored, paint the beads.  You can use pre-painted beads if you can find them, or use pony beads, like Craftiness is Not Optional.  I used pony beads, as the round wooded beads at Hobby Lobby didn't have pre-drilled wooden beads the size I wanted.  Allow the paint to dry thoroughly on the beads as well. 

3.     Cut wire to the length for your desired size wreath.  I used a coat hanger wire because (a) it's a great size for a decent wreath, and (b) it's free.  Everyone's closet has spare wire hangers, after all!  For a good size length of wire, cut off the hook of the hanger, just at the bend at the base of the hook.  One note about the coat hanger though: check the diameter of the coat hanger wire against the sizing of the clothespins.  I had to use a plain wire coat hanger, as the plastic-coated one (the white ones) was too big to fit through the clothespins.  Easiest to do this stage, before you cut the wire, instead of once it's all cut.  Learn from my mistakes :)

4.     When everything is completely dry, string a clothespin onto the wire through the spring in the center of the clothespin. The pinching end of the clothespin should be facing out.

4.     String the rest of the materials, alternating red beads and green clothespins.  

5.     When you end up with the size you want, bend the wire into a circle and twist at the top.  Secure the twist with a generous helping of hot glue to secure.

 

6.     Some ribbon to hang it, and a Christmas bow on top, and you're done!  Besides looking cute and festive, the bow and the ribbon will help hide the wire and glue at the top of the wreath.

 

7.     Hang your wreath, and clip Christmas cards into the clothespins to display.  Cute!

Notes on the variations: 

• Holiday Kids Crafts alternated shades of green for the clothespins (bright green and evergreen), and colors of the beads as well (red and green).  They used a pattern of beads and clothespins as follows: evergreen clothespin, red bead, primary green clothespin, green bead, etc.  Whether you use alternating colors, or a more uniform look like I (and Craftiness) did, make sure you alternate regularly, one bead per clothespin.
• Craftiness is Not Optional used plain unwired ribbon on the bow, as their bow was smaller to begin with.  The wired ribbon used in the other inspiration project is easier to make those big decorative bows with.  For a hanging loop and a basic bow, you probably only need a yard or so of ribbon.  Just remember, the bigger the bow, the more ribbon you'll need.  I used the whole spool of Dollar Store ribbon on this bow (9 yds, if you're curious).

Happy holidays everyone!

For those of you who run to music...

Have you guys found this site yet?  Rock My Run is a website offering premixed workout playlists. Each playlist page shows the songs included in the particular playlist, but it's all downloaded as a single file, just one big mp3 containing the mix of songs.  The songs are all about 2 minutes in length within the playlist - long enough to get a good chunk of a song you like, songs you don't like pass relatively quickly, and the frequent changing of songs keeps you moving.  The playlist lengths are nice and standard workout lengths - 30, 45, 50, 90 minute playlists, and so on.  You can sort them by genre, length, DJ, etc.  And they have New Music Mondays, where they post a new running mix each week.  The music is heavily on the pop/hip-hop/dance side of things, but that does make good running music.  They are expanding the genre selection though - there's a country playlist or two, and last week's New Music Monday was "Flannel Power," lots of 90s rock.  And the icing on the cake?  It's in Beta, so it's still free!  Lots of good workout music, all for free!  Nice!

It looks like a good website, and they definitely have plans to grow.  According to the FAQs, they are planning to offer links to purchasing songs in a playlist, have iPhone and Android apps, and eventually offer video as well. Big plans, and it'd be great to see them happen!

I'm hit-or-miss when it comes to running with music.  Kinda an as-the-mood-strikes sort of thing.  Sometimes I like the quiet to be alone with my thoughts, and sometimes it's my thoughts I'm trying to outrun.  I have tried several of the playlists off Rock My Run, though, and am enjoying them.  There's a lot of newer music, with some older stuff thrown in too, but the newer stuff includes a lot of songs I don't have on my computer yet but are playing on the radio now.  Good change of pace from my personal workout and running playlists.

So, thought I'd pass it along, to any other runners out there looking for a new, free source of good running mixes. Rock My Run - go check it out!

Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Happy blogoversary to me!  4 years now chattering away mindlessly.  Crafts, travel, books, movies... all those things that help keep me sane as we bounce around the country.  So, a post today!  Not a pattern or project instructions or anything incredible, but here's a book I've been dying to read since the spring, and we finally got our hands on a copy:  Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

Plot: Meet Dexter Morgan, everyone's favorite monster. He’s a serial killer who abides by a code: he only kills bad people. Working as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts perfect victims - murders, rapists, etc. - within his grasp. Not that anyone would suspect him. He’s handsome, charming, and over the years, has become adept at blending in with 'regular people.' His well-balanced life becomes unsettled, however, when the department starts working on a series of brutal murders, whose signature is eerily close to his own style. Dexter works to sort out the killings, trying to stay one step ahead of his co-workers, all while wondering if he's trying to solve his own crimes...

Yes, this is the inspiration for the Showtime series, "Dexter" (more on that another day, as it definitely deserves its own post).

First off, I love my husband. You might think that this is a complete non-sequitor, but bear me out. We got addicted to the show "Dexter" back in the spring, when we found it on Netflix instant watch. Burned through the first 2 seasons in about a week (we did have to go to work sometime!) and then could barely wait for seasons 3 and 4 to arrive in the mail. Altogether, I think we became all caught up on 5 seasons of the show in less than a month! Since we started with the show, I had done some reading on the author and had been trying to get my hands on a copy of the books. Our library in CA didn't have them yet (very small place, after all) and here in TX the post library did have them, but only one copy, which seemed to be checked out every time I stopped by. Where does Zach fit into all this? He came home the other day with a handful of library books that he'd been wanting to read, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter. And to make him extra special, I got to read it first :)

A fast read, and a fun one.

It's not a deep book. That was actually one of the biggest complaints on the customer reviews on Amazon. I guess based on all the subplots present in the show, and as dark as a killer as Showtime was able to make Dexter, some people were expecting more from the book. But, in all honesty, the book couldn't include as many subplots as the show is able to. Like "True Blood" vs. the Sookie Stackhouse books (another series I'm getting hooked into) - if it doesn't take you much more than 12 hours to read the book, how can you expect the same book to fill 12 hours of TV time?  The writers have to add additional subplots and character development if they are going to fill the season. 

So, yes, it is lacking some of the things that the first season had (I'm trying to keep my comparisons to just the equivalent season of the show) but on the same argument, the book offers benefits that the show can't quite capture. The character banter is present still in the books, and that's one of the aspects of the TV show that makes it so enjoyable. It's not developed to the extent as in the show, but more of the book is in Dexter's head, instead of in his office. To put it another way, there's more narration in the books, more conversation in the show. It's the nature of the media.

The hardest point about reading this book for me was comparing it to the show.  Not in terms of character development, necessarily, or "oh when are they making that joke" or anything along those lines.  It was in terms of plot points.  Yes, the characters are the same as in the book, the same personalities, the same 'feel' to them, but it's as if the book is a parallel universe to the show, if that makes sense.  More on the spoilers below, but there are several key plot points that are different between the two media (think "characters living or dying" sort of key plot points).  It made reading a little... distracting, I guess would be the best word.  I honestly had to read it twice to actually appreciate the book on its own merits, because on the first reading, I kept trying to anticipate events that either did or didn't happen.  A bad habit, I know, but it does happen.

Overall: 4 of 5. It's not the deepest puzzling mystery I've ever read, and it's not the scariest serial killer I've read (thank you, Hannibal Lector), and it's not the most ingenious puzzle solution I've ever read (that honor firmly belongs to Dorothy L Sayers), but Dexter's certainly an entertaining read. The narration is comfortable and chatty, and I like the alliterative play throughout. I'm pretty sure this series will be shelf-worthy, but I'd like to get my hands on more books in the series first to make sure.

Here be spoilers!!

You have been warned!

Extra spacing, as this is a mystery, and mystery readers are always extra-sensitive about spoilers!  :)

The Wikipedia page for the book includes a table of the differences in the show (at least the first season) and the book. Very helpful, as there are some definite differences - characters living or dying, etc. I'm interested to see how the books continue to differ from the show, especially in regards to the station politics.  LaGuerta's political maneuverings are a pretty big element of the show, and with her being killed off in the first book... makes me wonder how it'll develop.  Looking forward to getting my hands on the next book and finding out!