panic! and a project

Ugh….this was not my best afternoon ever. One of my friends is coming over tomorrow to sew (I told her she could use my serger a couple months ago when we went fabric shopping together and she got some knit to make dresses out of), and I’d figured that I’d use my sewing machine to work on the shrugs for the upcoming wedding while she uses my serger. There’s only about 5 seams involved for the outside of each shrug, so it’s not like it’s going to take a lot of brainpower, and then I can help her when she needs it. And I’m still hoping I can machine-sew the trim on, so I figured I could start on that tomorrow with the amount of trim I had, which is about half of what’s needed for all 4 in the end. And then emailed the bride to ask her to bring the rest on Sunday, that we’d had to order in.

She didn’t have it. And said that she’d given it to me back in November. Which I then vaguely remembered. So I checked my fall purse. And my current purse. And my tote bag that I put my church music and haul my flute in on Sundays that I play. And the Joann’s bag that the fabric and the other half of the trim had been in. Nothing. So then I called her just to make sure she didn’t have it, since she’s been admittedly kind of scatterbrained lately, between planning a wedding and planning to move halfway across the world. Still nothing.

So I ended up making an unexpected trip to Joann’s this afternoon, because I knew I would have no peace of mind until I knew I could finish this project in time. Especially since we’re past the window where we could order more and get it in time! Thankfully, they had enough of it! (I’m also quite thankful that she purposely chose inexpensive trim. Because she said she’d pay for the replacement, and I’d feel even more awful if it had been the expensive stuff!) Ended up picking up a few other things I needed while I was there too, like a pack of hand sewing needles to replace the ones I perpetually lose, some thread for the next item of this post, and two of the new McCall’s patterns I was eyeing because they were on sale. (It’s 5809, because I like that it’s empire waist and still fitted throughout the actual waist–will be much more flattering on me that way–and 5814, because that ruffle-cap-sleeve jacket thing just looks like it might be great for summer work clothes!)

Ok, so the project. My brother recently gave me two pairs of his old jeans that were too torn up for him to wear anymore (hard to see in the pic, but both of them had huge tears across the knees, and a few holes in other places) to see if I could do something with them. Kind of unexpected. So I started tearing them up on Sunday, and today I turned them into this:

Yeah, not the greatest picture, but what can you do by yourself at 11:30 at night?

There were a couple of glitches. Like I ended up having to take out and re-install a zipper– I was originally planning to use the one that came in the bluer pair of jeans, since that’s the part I knew I’d be using for the center front, but whoever sewed the jeans had just chopped off the top in the middle of the teeth, and I accidentally removed the zipper pull and couldn’t get it back on! Fortunately, I had taken out the zipper from the greyer jeans , which was just a shorter length zipper (smarter people) and completely intact. So that took a good chunk of the afternoon, particularly since I’m not experienced enough at fly fronts yet to not have to rip things out five times when sewing them. (Yes, I sewed the fly completely shut again.) As you can see, the fly does lay a bit funny. But other than that, not bad for an afternoon’s work. I sort of used the BurdaStyle Sidonie pattern as my basis for the skirt (once I got the front and back pieces sewed into the bigger pieces of fabric), and it worked out pretty well. I’m glad I had this one saved from the mini-challenge, because it was a convenient and simple one to have on hand!

This skirt isn’t entirely done. Sewing-wise, yes, but I think it needs a dye job. For one thing, I just like darker denim better– seems nicer and like it will last longer. And I’m not totally liking this two-tone thing going on, especially in the back because it looks like I have racer stripes on my butt. I don’t need that. The overriding reason is, because of the way I had to cut it due to bad hole location in the bluer pair (right in the middle of the upper leg!) you can see the lines from where the original fly-front topstitching was on the greyer pair in the front, and that bothers me. Also wouldn’t mind covering over the weird darker splotches where the belt carriers were. I did look at the dye while I was in Joann’s, but ended up not getting it– was hoping I could find the stuff that you could just toss in the washer without making a ginormous mess of it, and it’s far too cold to bucket-dye it. Probably for at least another 3 months, as easily as I get cold. So this skirt will probably be sitting unworn for a little while. But that’s ok. I’m just getting a head-start on the warm-weather sewing!

Friday Favorites, Episode 37

Kind of a slow week this time– now that it’s almost the end of January, most of what I’ve been finding out there in the way of tutorials and such have been for Valentine’s Day projects.

I hate Valentine’s Day. Always have. Red and pink (especially pink) are two of my least favorite colors, diamonds are not this girl’s best friend (especially after watching Blood Diamond— I don’t think I could ever get a piece of new diamond jewelry with a clean conscience now!), hearts are too cutesy for my taste, and most of all, I think real love should be celebrated any and every day of the year, not just because Hallmark tells you to on February 14th. Besides, let’s face it, when you’ve been single for as long as I have, it’s just torture. I don’t need to be any more aware of my singleness, thank you.

Ok, enough ranting. On with the projects.

Ironically, the first one is for a Valentine’s related project, but this is one I can really get behind. You know those candy hearts that taste like chalk and have tacky little messages on them like “U B MINE” and “LUV U” and crap like that? Well, over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, they decided to improve on these. #1, by making them edible (shortbread cookies instead of chalk) and then by stenciling their own messages on them. These ones were taken from classic LOLCats phrases, and therefore are already far superior to the average candy heart. (Incidentally, they do list some good uses for the regular candy hearts. Such as ammunition for a Lego trebuchet. Or sidewalk chalk on the cheap.)

On to more creatively fun projects. On Crafting a Green World this week, they demonstrated how to recycle the soles of old shoes (I’m guessing the ones that are too beat up for even the thrift store) into fun new rubber stamps. I have made my own stamps before, from the linoleum blocks as part of a printmaking project in my high school art class. It was a lot of fun, and I wouldn’t mind trying it again. So I’ll have to keep this in mind next time I wear out a pair of shoes. They also featured a link for a by-the-yard fabric made from a blend of hemp and recycled plastic bottles (link to one of the fabrics on their Etsy site.)

Generally, I’m not one drawn to old-fashioned vintagey sort of things that look like they could have come from my grandmother. I’m just not a pearls-and-lace-and-pink sort of girl. (Actually, for the most part, none of those things actually would come from either of my crafty grandmothers.) But I really loved this next project, probably because it can double as a very natural-looking thing (and I do love my nature stuff!) Over at Everyday Beauty, she made flowery twinkle lights using a strand of Christmas lights and….sewing pattern paper! You know that’s something all of us sewing-types have a ton of. And this would be a great use for that pattern that was a total flop, or that just wasn’t your style anymore. Or maybe even the leftover pieces cut off of the side and such as you’re cutting out the pattern.

Since it’s been a bit of a quiet week due to the impending holiday, I’m also going to mention some of my favorite things from Wardrobe Refashion as of late. Melynda made a beautiful applique and reverse-applique shirt from a Smirnoff tee. Elizabeth is making a steampunk costume from a thrifted dressing gown. And Veronica made a great 60’s style dress from an appropriately-printed curtain.

Scrapbusting!

It’s not the prettiest thing I’ve put up here. But right now, I am all about using stuff up. And this has the dual function of using up scraps cut from muslin pattern tests (and eventually the test runs themselves) and spools of almost-empty thread. I used up two tonight on just this little piece.

So what is this for, you may ask? This is me finally starting an organizer for my jewelry stash, because I’m tired of digging through a jumbled pile of earrings and untangling 15 different necklaces every time I put an outfit together. I’ve been neglecting my accessories out of sheer laziness/frustration with it as of late, and that’s just not right because I have so many fun hand-crafted pieces of jewelry. So I’m taking advantage of my current organizing mood as of late. (Not to mention wanting to procrastinate on those bridesmaid shrugs.) And hoping that this ends up being one of those things that is so ugly that it’s kind of cool. 😀

I think I created a monster with that craft supply organization day. Since then, I finished cataloging my fabric stash on Saturday. (The grand total was something like 70 pieces of fabric that need to get used up! But I’m happy because I gave the two pieces I wasn’t willing to even catalog to my fellow sewing bridesmaid on Sunday. She actually wears pinkish stuff, and I never do, so hopefully she’ll find some good use for them.) And, since I still didn’t really have the time or inclination to start on those shrugs, I’ve also started making myself a catalog of my pattern stash. I have 3 bins full of patterns. (I should have 4, possibly 5, because I also have a bunch that just sit on the shelf on top of one of said bins.) I made myself a little form in Word for stuff like pattern # and description, required yardage and notions, etc. And then I’ve been scanning in the technical drawings and bringing those into the doc and printing it out. (On the recycled paper that wasn’t working so hot in large quantities for BurdaStyle patterns, so yay for that.) I’m writing in the info on the printed form because it’s just easier than retyping and deleting everything every time. And then they’re going in a binder with dividers for what type of pattern it is. It’s kind of fun to see what all I have, and have already found a couple of patterns in my stash that just might work for using up some of the smaller yardages I have, so yay for that!

Otherwise, let’s see… I’ve almost finished tearing apart 2 pairs of jeans for a reconstructed skirt, and pretty much busted a seam ripper in the process. I got some fabric in the mail today (some Amy Butler that I’m going to make a new spring/summer purse out of, as soon as I make up or find a pattern to adapt. I might have to raid my mom’s stash, because she has a ton of funky purse patterns!) So let’s see… that brings my total so far up to 2 stash pieces I have to use. I also stopped procrastinating, somewhat, and cut out the three shrugs and linings today. And started sewing the muslin scraps– that was because I was between students and didn’t have a whole lot of time.

An award, Thrifted goodness, and a question

I got an award today! Thanks, Alviana!

Rules and Responsibilities–
1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

So I’m nominating:
1. Sharon at Adventures From the Sewing Studio
2. Christina at StinaStuff
3. Antoinette at Clevergirl.org
4. Angelia at Sew Much to Sew
5. Linda at Danvillegirl Sewing Diary
6. Regina at Creative Kismet
7. Hillary at the gleam of rose tea

It was hard to narrow down, because there’s so many great bloggers out there, but these are all women who have been particularly inspiring me lately with great projects, loads of productivity, creative use of stuff, great inspirational pictures, etc. (Plus, to my knowledge, they weren’t already given it by someone else recently.)

Second order of business: Thrift store madness! Spent about an hour and a half there with Cassie last night, and had some very productive (and fun!) shopping time.

I got these things to just wear as is (I really didn’t need another T-shirt, but I couldn’t pass up a cute one with a horse! And I just love that 70’s looking knit dress. Though I will be wearing it as a tunic over jeans. With a shirt underneath. Because otherwise, I cannot go out in public with that low of a cut!)

Inspired by the aforementioned Antoinette and her fantastic men’s shirt recons, I got four button-down men’s shirts to play with.
I particularly liked the pintuck and embroidery detail on this one. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun girlifying it.

And then I had some fun in the dress section, and found these two. The long dress will probably turn into a shirt of some kind–it fits a little too snugly for my mental comfort (especially showing off my hips!), but there’s such great color and depth in that mesh overlay that I couldn’t pass it up! See?

The one on the right is a wrap dress, and I’m thinking it might stay that way. But I’ll have to make it smaller, because it’s a bit too big all over for me. Some black contrast might also be good. But I thought this print was pretty fantastic too.

Third order of business: The question, which is actually twofold. And will be a bit rambling. You’ve been warned.

So my intention for today was to cut out the 3 bridesmaid shrugs, since I’ve been shamelessly procrastinating all week. I finished trimming down the muslin on both sides to make the two different alterations (I can wear the same as one of the bridesmaids, but the other I had to shorten a bit in the back to make up for her being a good bit shorter than both of us.) And then I took out the fabric and realized I hadn’t actually washed it yet. Oops. So that will be procrastinated on just a little longer, since it’s been spending all day in the laundry room. So what I’ve been doing today instead is finishing up going through my fabric stash, measuring it out/cutting samples/putting them in my little notebook that I’m now using for such a purpose. It’s been fun and enlightening and I found a bunch of useful stuff that I didn’t even know I had (like stuff I was given.)

But here’s the thing: There’s several pieces that I just don’t know what to do with. Particularly when it comes to things that I’ve already used for a project, but have a decent amount left over. For instance, this dress right here. It’s a great dress. I have about 1 1/3 yards left. I don’t feel like I can make a skirt from it, particularly since it has that shrug to go with it and that already gives it a bit of that two-piece look. Or this shirt, which I have about 5/8 of a yard left of that fabric. Too little for just about any clothing project I can think of, too much to throw out. And then there’s some pieces I have that I just know I’m never going to use. I’d just go ahead and give them to a thrift store, except the ones around here just don’t sell fabric in a form that’s not already bedsheets or curtains or another article of clothing. (I know that a lot of you do live near thrift stores that do sell that and vintage patterns and such. Lucky.) And it’s not like I have any kids that I can just use up these pieces on.

So here’s my twofold question.
a) What do you do with your fabric that’s leftover from a project, or that you just don’t like anymore?
b) If I stuck some of it up here for a giveaway/exchange, would anyone be interested in it? (I’d only be able to ship within the US, sorry!!)

Edit: I just finished the stash sorting. Grand total: About 78 pieces of fabric. And that’s not counting scraps. Or reconstructable clothes. Maybe I should just take all the little scraps and do a Freecycle bag or two…or three…

the Lotus Hoodie

Finally got around to taking some pictures of that reconstructed shirt this morning.

So this is what it started life as–a cotton yoga hoodie and a tencel Gap shirt from the thrift store. Loved the colors of both, but the hoodie was too short on both the arms and body, and the asymmetric neckline on the Gap shirt was just weird-looking on me, but the fabric was so soft I couldn’t pass it up!

This is what it turned into. I cut the hem off of the green shirt and added a couple of inches to the hem of the blue shirt (and turned the original end of the blue shirt under and hemmed it to give it a more finished look–originally, the hems of the shirt and sleeves and the edge of the hoodie were all jsut serged.) I originally did the same thing to the sleeves of the blue hoodie, but then it just looked dumb. So I ended up cutting new sleeve extensions from the body of the shirt. Oh, and the trim on the hoodie was cut before I did that.

Those marks on the shoulder? No, that’s not a weird camera blob. It needed something, so I took some inspiration from the hoodie tag.
It had this picture on it.
So I did some reverse applique with a leftover piece of the green. Freehand-drew it on first with a disappearing fabric marker, and then stitched around it, and cut the blue away to reveal what (hopefully) looks like a lotus flower.

Anyway, even though the sleeves ended up being a bigger frustration than originally planned, this was a fun project. And it was nice to do some reconstructing again, after the push to finish Christmas presents and ill-fated costumes and such!

Friday Favorites, Episode 36

It’s that time of the week again!

First up today: At Craft Leftovers, the author kindly provided a free download for some spice jar labels with this cute drawing of a talking spice jar on it! It’s quite functional too, as there’s space provided for writing when it was bought, so that way you know how fresh it is. She’s re-using her spice bottles to refill from bulk bins, which I think is a pretty neat idea too.

At Creativity Prompt, there’s a video tutorial for how to make a mini-photo album out of scrapbook paper and a recycled corrugated cardboard box. The instructions are quite clear, the results are cute, and it would make a great gift for someone! (Now that I’m looking there again for the links, there’s a new one up for a 10-minute mini-book too. Will have to check that one out, since I’m still determined to learn bookbinding!)

Chinese New Year is on Sunday, and while I’m not Chinese by any stretch of the imagination, I do love Asian-inspired things. (One of those things I’ve definitely developed a greater appreciation for over the last several years, since I tend to get a lot of students that come from Asian families that immigrated here.) So I really liked this tutorial for making those oh-so-fun paper lanterns. (It’s actually a dual tutorial–the same post has one for tin can lanterns!)

The next one is sort of a first for me on this feature, since I generally don’t talk about books much. But this one looked kind of intriguing– it’s called Sewing Green by Betz White, and I found out about it via Whip Up. The link takes you to a gallery of sample project photos from the book. Didn’t look like anything much out of the realm of my experience, but it’s all using recycled stuff. (One that I did find particularly cool was a sun shade for a car windshield made out of…*drumroll*… Capri-Sun pouches! Might not have thought of that one.)

Next up, from Weekend Designer: I. Need. This. Bag. No, seriously, I do. I’ve been thinking for months that it would be nice to have a big roomy zip-up bag for weekend trips–my carry-on suitcase is a little too small, my regular suitcase is way too big, and it’s a bit unwieldy to use a rolling suitcase in instances such as the crafty hangout weekends (like the one coming up in February) when I’m also having to wheel the rolling tote thing for my craft supplies. And this one looks pretty much perfect, plus has the added bonus of being a free pattern (once I draw it out.) I’m trying to think of if I have anything in my stash that might work– bought fabric for a new spring/summer purse yesterday and now I have to come up with a stash project to compensate, according to my new rules. I know that I have one that might, but I’ll have to see if it’s strong enough (they recommended upholstery-weight, and this fabric is pieced together of denim and brocade–my mom had bought it and decided she couldn’t use it after all and passed it on to me.)

Last item for today, from Dollar Store Crafts: These light bulb vases are cute and simple. Would require the old-fashioned kind, of course, because the halogen lamps would definitely NOT work for this.

Ok, that’s it for now. Time to go get some stuff done. Like take some pictures– I’m at least 2 posts behind on that now!

Sometimes I just don’t want to sew.

I’ve had people ask me before if I would ever consider trying to make money by sewing. Admittedly, I have gone back and forth on it, but when it comes down to it, I really don’t think I would want to. See, I have this tendency to not want to sew when it’s something I have to sew. Like, for instance, the pantsuit that I spent so much time on in December. I’m in one of those moods right now, because right now, I have to make those shrug jackets to go along with the bridesmaid dresses for my friend’s wedding. It wasn’t so bad when it was only two, but now that I have to make 3 of the 4, I’m beginning to feel like it’s a lot of work. And it’s not like I haven’t done anything at all– I cut out and sewed together the muslin over the weekend, and fitted it on the other two bridesmaids to see what changes need to be made. But after all the additional work that went into the shower (which was Sunday–and incidentally, Kaylee was a hit), I kind of need a break from wedding stuff! After all, when you’re as single as it gets, it’s just not healthy to have weddings on the brain all the time.

So I had the entire day off yesterday–wasn’t supposed to, but we had some bad weather that prevented me from driving out to do my flute teaching–and I didn’t sew at all. That’s not to say that I wasn’t crafty, though. I did a LOT of scrapbook work yesterday–got out the stamps and embossing stuff and made some embellishments, and I typed up (and even printed out!) some journaling, trimmed some papers, sketched out a few more layouts, stuff like that. I still have some work to do (mainly on the writing end) but I should have several pages that will only require minimal prep work before assembling for our crafty weekend. And since I was working mostly in my room, I also got to spend the day chatting with a couple good friends over IM.

I probably won’t end up starting the shrugs until the weekend– tomorrow is band day, so I have more work than during the rest of the week ATM, and I also have a flute demo for kids that I’m trying to get ready for that’s on Thursday. But I’ve got till March, so I think I can allow myself a little procrastination. There’s only 2 pattern pieces, it won’t be that hard. In the meantime, I’ve still got scrapbook work to do, and embroidery to work on so I can actually sew that shirt, and pictures of Friday’s reconstructed shirt to take.

Princess Pajamas!

Well, purple is the color of royalty, right? Just please excuse the clashing red slippers. (What can I say… they were a gift, and they cover my entire foot so they’re warmer than my old slippers.)

Anyway, I decided to start actually using my Pattern Review membership and start posting reviews. So welcome to my very first pattern review, for the pajamas I finished on Wednesday. (Even though I think this pattern is out of print now. Oh well. It’s the thought that counts, right?) The actual review is here).

Pattern: McCall’s 3017

Fabric: flannel-backed polyester satin, cotton

Pattern Description:
Women’s pajama pants, pajama shorts, camisole, and button-down top

Pattern Sizing:
XS to XL

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?
I didn’t have any difficulty with them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like that there’s so many options for customization, particularly with the contrast bands and piping. I don’t particularly like the sizing on the button-down shirt– I made a size smaller than my usual because after checking the finished garment measurements against my own, I realized I’d be swimming in my regular size. The smaller shirt is still loose-fitting and comfortable.

Fabric Used:
A flannel-backed polyester satin (SO soft and warm!), and a metallic-printed woven cotton for the piping. (Made my own.)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
As already stated, it was necessary for me to make the shirt a size smaller than I usually make. I also lengthened the sleeves an inch or two to accommodate my long arms. (The latter caused a slight difficulty in fitting the cuffs smoothly to the sleeves, but I’ll blame myself for that one since I didn’t alter the cuffs at all.)

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This is actually the second time I’ve sewn the bottom–I made a pair of shorts from this pattern awhile back. I will definitely be returning to this pattern the next time I need a button-down top–it came together quickly and rather easily, for the most part. And I would recommend it, though a more beginner sewer might want to leave the piping off, since getting it to line up smoothly around the collar was the most challenging part. Just make sure to double-check the measurements before cutting out the top.

Conclusion:
These pajamas are very comfortable (wearing them as I type!), and now that I’ve had a little more practice with the piping, I think that will go much more smoothly next time.

Coming next time (because I haven’t taken a picture yet)– the shirt I reconstructed yesterday.

Friday Favorites, Episode 35

Almost didn’t get to this today… got sidetracked by a clothing reconstruction that’s taking longer than I thought it would. But I’m taking a dinner break now, so here goes…

First up is Dollar Store Crafts, featuring this shoji screen made from bamboo and shower curtains, and an easy how-to for customizing an iPod with a clear plastic cover and scrapbook paper. ( I think I’ll definitely have to give the latter a try, as the silicon cover I’ve been using since I got it is leaving it kind of grungy.)

Second is Whip Up, which had a tutorial for a Viking-style shoe and a tree stump trivet (that’s really made from felt.)

The newest site I’ve found is Craft:G33k. Loved this Tardis tissue box cover! And she also posted a link to this “teh yarn bukkit”. (For the uninitiated, it’s a takeoff of the LOLCats.)

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything from Crafting a Green World…. mainly because, for some reason, the feed’s stopped working on my Bloglines and I missed a bunch of stuff, thinking that it was just quiet due to the holidays. 😛 But I did enjoy this article about digital vs. traditional scrapbooking. And, though it’s not from this week, this was a good reference post on all of their eco-friendly fabric finds from 2008.

Two other random favorites, since everything else came in pairs. I really liked Antoinette’s most recent men’s shirt refashion–think I’m going to have to borrow this idea sometime! And this rather stunning wrap skirt was originally featured on Weekend Designer, but there were some copyright issues so it got removed. But you can still drool over it at Assemblage.

Ok, back to the sewing room– I’m determined to finish that shirt recon today, since I absolutely have to do muslins for bridesmaid stuff tomorrow morning!

Meet Kaylee.

Kaylee is a kangaroo. (By virtue of the ears, because otherwise she would look very much like a dinosaur, I’m afraid.) I did most of the work on New Year’s Day, and officially finished this on Friday night, but then I spent all day Saturday on the Great Craft Stash Reorganization, and she had to go into hiding on Sunday, and I forgot to take her out for her photoshoot until today.

Kaylee is for Susannah’s bridal shower, which is coming up on Sunday. We’re doing an Australia theme, since that’s where her fiance is from and where she’ll be moving to. So she’s going to be doing double duty as decorations and gift wrap–Susannah couldn’t register for much because of electronic compatibility and shipping weight issues, so the bridesmaids are just giving her money. Which will go in the pouch.

Oh, and the name? A tribute to Firefly, since Susannah, Joy and myself watched the series in its entirety while doing the beading on her dress. And that name fits better than, say, River or Inara.

I made the pattern myself, and it was mostly from things on hand. The dark brown fleece has been around in the scrap bin for quite some time. I did have to buy the light brown fleece, and the stuffing. (But I got organic bamboo stuffing, so that made me happy. It’s so soft!) The buttons were also on hand. And, to give a little extra weight in the base and tail to help her stand up straight, I added a little extra filling…dried beans! (My mom’s idea, which worked beautifully.)

Other crafty stuff that’s been going on: I sewed most of the pajama pants that I’m working on together last night–just need to do the elastic waistband and the hemming. So that’s tonight’s project. I’ve also spent a good bit of down time over the last two days in matching up photos to paper for my scrapbook. So I’m not completely caught up on photos I had printed out–decided to hold off on Julie’s wedding pics in case I want to buy any of the professional shots (like the bridesmaids on the mini-rock wall in my church’s gym!) , and I was trying to limit myself to what would fit in my layout storage box. (That didn’t quite work– I have some to work on that involve saving bulkier things like multiple cards and such, or just so many photos that it wouldn’t lie in the box flat, so I have something like 8 or 9 that I’m trying to get ready for the scrapbook binge weekend that are currently getting stored in page protectors that wouldn’t work for my albums because they stick out too far, just like I used to do before I got said box.) But it’s still a rather large dent. So now I just need to finish off the journalings, and try to get as much stuff cropped and such before mid-February, and I’m looking at a super-productive weekend that will go a long way in reaching my goal of finally getting my albums from the grad school years and on caught up! (Which, unfortunately, includes 2008 in its entirety. Oh well.)

Off to the sewing room with me– want to get those pants done before the Lost recap at 8! One of the few shows where I cannot sew and watch at the same time. (Photo cropping, on the other hand… 😉