Sew Technicolor

Citizen Kane {and Alfred Hitchcock}.

2012-01-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

I've often heard Citizen Kane called the best (or one of the best) film ever. And of course that made me really curious. I've had it on an old VHS tape for months now, and I watched it this weekend.

Before I saw it, the only things I knew about this film were that it was all about Orson Welles (he starred, directed, co-wrote, etc.) and that the plot somehow involved an opera singer.

Here's the basic plot: A super wealthy newspaper tycoon dies, and his last word is "Rosebud." All of the reporters start trying to figure out the meaning behind the cryptic word. In doing so, they (and the viewers) learn all about the life of Charles Foster Kane through the people that he was closest to, if you could call it that.

The plot and the characters were okay. Honestly, it was all sort of depressing. I know that I watch a lot of happy, slightly "fluffy" old movies- comedies and musicals and such. But I do like movies that are serious and/or gloomy, too. This is a huge movie about a man's life. Even though he's charismatic in the younger scenes, he's not an especially likable character. As the movie went on, I did end up feeling sorry for him. Because the character Kane's life was sad and shallow and materialistic.

{I blame it on the bad decision his mother made when he was young, but I won't go into all that. :) }

It kept making me think of Gone with the Wind, another film that is supposedly one of the best ever but that's also depressing and full of selfish, unlikable characters. But I don't really mean to compare the two, because I hated GwtW and I enjoyed Citizen Kane.

Plot and characters aside, the movie itself is gorgeous.

The only other Orson Welles film I had seen was his Jane Eyre, and even though he supposedly didn't have anything to do with the filming of that one, the cinematography feels a lot like this.

I mean, look at these two pictures:

Amazing. Citizen Kane is full of unique lighting, black and white contrast, and strange angles. It's lovely. Sometimes I'd get so caught up in how neat a shot looked that I didn't focus on what was being said or done. Everything is so dramatic and classy.

Another unusual thing is that, in telling a life story, this movie starts with the death of the man. Then it goes back and pieces everything back together, though not always in chronological order. So it's a lot like a jigsaw puzzle (coincidental that one of his wives loves puzzles?).

Orson Welles was by far the most important and intriguing character. But I was also really impressed with Joseph Cotten as his friend, Jedediah Leland. I just saw Cotten for the first time in Shadow of a Doubt a few weeks ago.

So that's my short, scattered "review" of the famous Citizen Kane. :) While I definitely wouldn't consider it the best film ever (at least not on my list of favorites), I think it is an important classic film and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Over the last couple of weeks, all of my Netflix movies have been Hitchcock ones that I had never seen before. I didn't have time to write full reviews, but I thought I would just mention the ones I've seen:

Shadow of a Doubt

Is beloved Uncle Charlie a murderer? That's basically what it comes down to. I liked it, and Joseph Cotten does a great job of seeming incredibly fun and ordinary and incredibly creepy. My favorite parts were the discussions between the dad and the neighbor. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, this is a cheerful comedy by Hitchcock. Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery were awesome. But I thought it was just an average comedy- not anything special like you would expect.

Saboteur

Does Hitchcock have a fascination with national landmarks? I loved this one. It was quirky and suspenseful throughout and had good humor. The lead couple was very entertaining, and after watching Robert Cummings for the whole film and trying to place where I'd seen him before, I remembered {the Japan episode of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour}. It's worth watching just for the traveling circus scene. The end scene is classic Hitchcock suspense.

The Trouble with Harry

Now this is the type of darkish comedy you'd expect from Alfred Hitchcock. It's really kooky and strangely funny, through the first half or so seemed to drag a little. The humor is unusual. The scenery was gorgeous (the parts that were shot on location). I didn't even realize that the Captain was Kris Kringle {Miracle on 34th Street}! I just thought he sounded a little like Michael Gambon somehow. Yes, the Beav is here, too, though I've always found him a little annoying.

Before I saw the film, I was completely mistaken about it. From the brief plot summaries I had read, it said that Harry is "expired," and nobody in town can seem to get rid of him. I always took that to mean that he was a ghost who wouldn't leave the town (probably came from watching Casper too much as a kid). But that's not what it was at all.

Until next time,

Basketweave scarf and some new fabric.

2012-01-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

I started knitting this scarf probably back in November, at least. But then I took a break from it for several weeks because I was knitting dishrags for my mom for Christmas. And then it was taking so long that I got discouraged and didn't work on it very often (which really helped matters, of course), until about a week ago when I decided I was going to finish it.

I used the basketweave stitch. It's a little hard to see it because of the colors of the yarn, but if you look closely you can see little squares. The yarn is a snowflake wool blend by Yarn Bee, and I got two skeins of it on clearance at Hobby Lobby. The colors were so pretty that I couldn't resist. I made it into a scarf because, well, that's the only thing I know how to knit so far besides washclothes (and I couldn't use wool for that). Which brings my scarf collection to a total of about nine, I think? :) This is the third scarf I've knitted.

It's surprisingly heavy and long, which I like. I wanted to use up both skeins since that's all of this yarn I have.

This was my first scarf where I didn't make any real mistakes. I even remembered to bind off loosely and in the stitch pattern. :) I did drop a stitch and have to unravel (what's the word? Frog? I don't think I'll ever be able to say that without laughing) a couple of rows because stitches kept slipping off my needles. I don't like metal knitting needles very much. I ended up fixing things in a slightly sloppy way. But it blends in so well that I don't think I'd even be able to find that spot now.

I also learned that I knit considerably faster during climatic end scenes of Hitchcock films. I'm talking about you, Saboteur.

Last week, Kellie posted about Fabric.com having a big sale. I've only ever ordered fabric online once before (that was a printed cotton for a customer). I like to touch and see fabrics in person before I buy them, and I don't like not knowing exactly what I'm getting.

But...they had some amazing sale prices, plus free shipping over $35, plus I got 15% off my total order. So this is what I got:

One yard of this Michael Miller (I think) Eiffel Tower cotton print. I think I'll make a pillow or something with it, because I really don't need another bag.

About 4.5 yards of this speckled brown wool suiting. I need a brown skirt, so maybe a half circle skirt or something? Maybe a circle skirt, but that might be cutting it close to have enough fabric.

About 2.5 yards of this cute red floral shirting, which I think I'll use for a spring button up shirt with elbow length sleeves. It looked really 30s/40s to me, even though unfortunately it's polyester instead of cotton.

And about 5 yards of this floral rayon. It's navy but looks black in most lighting. I'm thinking maybe another 40s swing dress with it?

Even though my PayPal balance is now significantly lower, I'm really happy with my order. I don't think I've bought any fabric in the past month and a half or two months, so this was a splurge. Everything I got was on sale (besides the other discounts) and I have plans for each fabric. So I feel completely justified.

Can I just mention how thrilling it is when the UPS man delivers an eight pound box of fabric? :)

Until next time,

Surprised by Laughter.

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-05:00

C.S. Lewis holds the position as my favorite author (tied with Jane Austen). I first discovered him through the incredible Chronicles of Narnia, and since then I've read more of his nonfiction and other novels. Even though occasionally his writings feel a little over my head, I love his way with words and his cleverness.

So, when I saw this book, I was really excited. :) I have to admit that the cover drew me in quite a bit...of course, it reminded me of pre-Aslan Edmund drawing a face on a stone creature just to try and make himself feel better.

Surprised by Laughter, by Terry Lindvall, PH.D., is about the humor of C.S. Lewis, shown through stories about his life, his letters, his nonfiction, and his novels. It's divided into four main sections (based on what Screwtape calls the four origins of laughter): joy, fun, the joke proper, and satire and flippancy.

I really enjoyed this book. This was the first biographical sort of book (besides Lewis' autobiography) that I had read about C.S. Lewis. Before, I thought that I would have liked him as a person, and now, besides that, I almost feel like I knew him. :) Maybe that sounds crazy, but this book really seems to give insight on who C.S. Lewis was.

My favorite section by far was the one on fun. It lifted my spirits and made me smile {and gave me many places to mark and come back to later}. It was the most practical- lots of inspiration and encouragement to live life to the fullest. It included stories about enjoying life, even (or especially) the little unexpected things or change of plans where you have the choice to grumble about it or laugh about it. I also loved the connection between humility and humor that I had never seen before:

"A proud man cannot laugh because he must watch his dignity...But a poor and happy man laughs heartily because he gives no serious attention to his ego." -p. 139

"Out of humus and humere grow humanity, humility, and humor." -p. 141

I'll admit that it convicted me, because apparently it's often my pride and self-consciousness that holds me back from having fun. {But maybe more on that in a later post.}

I also loved this quote: "It is curious that of the Ten Commandments the one to honor and keep the Sabbath is the one with the most immediate benefit to us, yet it is the one we break most casually." -p. 167

Having said all of that, at times reading this book felt sluggish and I had to pull myself through. It's a bit heavy and long-winded sometimes. And honestly, I mostly skimmed the last section on satire, because it just wasn't very interesting to me. But the parts that were good were very good.

So all in all, I enjoyed the book. I think that so many people see Christianity as such a solemn and dull life, but honestly it's not supposed to be that way. Of course, life is full of difficult times, but in the words of Switchfoot, "The shadow proves the sunshine." The life and works of C.S. Lewis are a wonderful example of this. If you're a fellow fan, I think you would enjoy it. At the very least, it will encourage you to read or reread more of his work. :) I'm determined to finally read his Space Trilogy.

Until next time,

*Note: I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze. In exchange, I'm required to write an honest (and not necessarily positive) review.*

Educate yourself.

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 39th anniversary of Roe. vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.

"Since 1973, it has been the single decision of seven, non-elected justices that has defined federal abortion policy (invalidating 200 years of state law)." -this article

I feel strongly about abortion. I love kids and it breaks my heart (not to mention makes me furious) that babies are being murdered every day in our "great" country. A lot of Christians believe that abortion is wrong, but that's as far as it goes. I don't want to be like that. I want to know why it's wrong and be able to explain when someone asks. I want to do something about it.

In the past thirty nine years, over 50 million innocent children have been murdered...

What are we going to do about it?

You can start by reading some of the dozens of informative articles at Abort73.com. How can you defend your position if you don't have the facts? Check out this short film (on that note, can you believe that there are people who don't know who Hitler is??). Read this interesting article that draws parallels between abortion and the Holocaust.

{I'm trying to educate myself so I can educate others. I'm wearing my Abort 73 t-shirt. I'm leaving their promo cards in public places. I'm trying to discover how to do more.}

Until next time,

Pretty pillows.

2012-01-20T14:13:00.000-05:00

With a new quilt, I realized that only a couple of my pillows (I have a ton of pillows on my bed) actually matched the quilt. So it's a perfect time to use some of the pillow tutorials I've had bookmarked for the longest time. :)

I love this tutorial for pillows. And our Hobby Lobby actually had teal/turquoise felt, so it worked out really nicely! :) I made a turquoise one and a red one so far, and I have enough turquoise felt to make another if I want to.

I love how they turned out! Honestly, they're the prettiest and most professional looking pillows I've ever made. I changed two little things while following the tutorial:

-When cutting out the scallops, I only marked them on two adjoining sides of the square. Then I folded the square in half and cut through both layers, which saved a lot of time in marking and cutting out the scalloped edges. You can always go back and trim up your scallops later if they look messy.
-I made it an actual pillow, instead of an envelope pillow cover. Because my existing pillows were a little too big for this tutorial. So I just cut out a 17 x 17 square for the back and then stuffed it with Polyfill.

I also recovered this one big Elvis pillow that my grandma had made me. It's lumpy and perfect and I wanted it to stay that way, only match my quilt. So I covered it in this woodland fabric that is included in my quilt squares and my embroidered pillows. Before:

{I still love Elvis. :) The fabric on this pillow was just sort of worn out and dingy, and the colors don't match my quilt.}

And after:

I've got two more pillows I want to make from tutorials. And then I have an idea for one that I'd like to make myself...and possibly post a tutorial for? I've been wanting to do occasional tutorials on the blog for a while now, but I haven't actually followed through on one yet. But the first ever Sew Technicolor tutorial could be coming in a few weeks. :)

I got this idea the other day when fiddling with rickrack, so I made this little tribute to that blockhead we all know and love.

And remember my Emma cross stitch? I finally got around to framing it.

I guess I could have pressed the fabric a little more before I framed it, huh? :)

Until next time,

The quilt.

2012-01-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

I've never been good at math, but I know this much...

728 squares +

Nearly 4 spools of thread +

Hundreds of safety pins +

5 months of my life

Some frustrations

Some joys

One lovely quilt and one happy girl.

I started this quilt, my very first quilt, back in August. Making a quilt for my bed has been one of my major sewing goals ever since I started sewing over three years ago.

Quilts are one of the few things in life (along with songs, books, people, and places) that are capable of containing memories. You know how a song can remind you of a certain day or part of your life? You know how when you open your favorite book, you have a whole slew of memories attached to it?

Quilts are like that.

This quilt is stitched full of memories. It makes me think of: the Avett Brothers, feeling a breeze coming in through my sewing room window, motorcycles {my brother bought one about the time I started on the quilt}, my two sewing grandmas, picking loose threads from my clothes, the fabric store in Floyd, my first vintage sewing machine, sunshine, and cloudy days.

I learned a lot while making this quilt. The number one lesson was: Quilters know what they're talking about. When quilting straight lines, a walking foot is necessary. Don't try to use a regular presser foot, or this will happen:

{In my defense, I only resorted to a regular presser foot for two rows because my new walking foot was broken and I was having to return it for a replacement. And I was very frustrated.}

I also learned that because you have to use a slow speed with the walking foot, the actual quilting part of the quilt was one of the most mind-numbingly dull sewing tasks I have yet to experience. Dozens and dozens of long straight lines on the machine's slowest speed, terrified that at any moment, this walking foot might mess up, too. It called for some Downton Abbey and a temporary quilting station set up in my room.

All of that was completely worth it, though. Have I mentioned that I love my quilt? It's bright and a little tacky, and in that way it reminds me of my beloved Technicolor musicals. :) It's full of my favorite things.

If you've been around here for long, you know that I am terrible at hand sewing. So I was feeling a little anxious about hand sewing the entire binding around the edges. But it was actually much easier and quicker than I expected.

And surprisingly relaxing and satisfying. Maybe I should hand sew more often? :) I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I'm also really happy with the neat corners (I followed Alicia Paulson's instructions...more on that later).

And just in case, by some terrible circumstance, my future children or grandchildren end up donating this quilt to the Goodwill or antique store someday, I embroidered and attached this label. So people will always know who made it. {And after all this hard work, I would probably come back to haunt whatever ungrateful descendant did the donating.}

Honestly, though, it's amazing to think that in a hundred years, when I'm gone, this quilt will likely still be here.

Here are the technical details. Even though I have a lovely quilting book and I already had a basic knowledge of how to make a quilt, I really wanted step by step instructions for my first one. So I used the Ollalieberry Ice Cream quilt pattern by Alicia Paulson. It was so helpful and I highly recommend it. Her technique for corners (and everything else) turned out perfectly!

I made the queen sized one, which amounted to 728 squares. Then you quilt a ton of lines alongside the columns and the rows, which ends up framing each square in stitching. Everything was done by machine, except for attaching the binding.

I used all cotton fabrics- sold colors, printed cotton, and some gingham. The batting was a precut queen size (I can't remember the brand) that was mostly cotton but had a little bit of polyester blended in. The backing is natural unbleached muslin, which does a nice job of balancing out all of the craziness on the front. I didn't know at the time that our Hobby Lobby carried quilt-size muslin for backing, so I bought the regular width and pieced sections together until it was the width I needed.

The label was hand embroidered on a piece of cream cotton fabric. I sewed it on with the zigzag stitch on my machine, but first I stuck a piece of equally sized cream craft felt behind it to prevent the thin fabric from being see through and to make it a little puffy.

Well, I think that's it. :) You can follow my quilting adventures all along here.

Have you ever made a quilt? Or do you have one that's special to you?

Until next time,

Tell me...

2012-01-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

Is there anything better than curling up under a cozy handmade quilt with a book?

Yes, The Quilt is finished! :) Full post coming soon.

Until next time,

Progress.

2012-01-07T18:58:00.000-05:00

I've been spending this first week of 2012 getting in the habit of keeping my new resolutions. :) Here's a little photographic evidence:

Keeping track of every penny I spend in my moleskine notebook.

I slid a piece of this pretty vintage-style scrapbook paper (a Christmas gift) in my new homemaking binder, hoping it'll motivate me to fill it. :)

And I've walked five days this week. In the midst of some really bizarre weather. Earlier in the week, it was so cold and windy that I had to wear two scarves, one around my neck and one wrapped around my head like a little old lady. :) Even then, I could only manage two laps. And today it was so warm that I got hot in a sweatshirt.

Here are some pictures I took during my walks:

I really love bare branches against blue skies. Could you tell? :)

Until next time,

It's Always Fair Weather.

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have five words for you:

Gene dances on roller skates.

Okay, so It's Always Fair Weather is a little bit more than that. :) I have been wanting to see this movie for a long time- ever since I first saw Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain. I have this goal of seeing all of his films. Also, I've heard a lot about it in musical documentaries, about how it's not your typical cheerful MGM musical.

And it's not.

Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd star as three WWII G.I.s who decide, as the war is over and they return home, that in exactly 10 years they're going to meet again at the same bar in New York. Ten years later, they all keep their promise and meet, but things aren't like they used to be. Not only do they have nothing in common, but they don't even like each other.

{It was meant as a sort-of sequel to On the Town, but that didn't work out with returning stars, etc.}

One of them is a successful businessman whose wife is getting ready to divorce him. One is a happy husband and father who runs a burger joint in a small town. And one is a gambler and boxing manager (?) who never married because his girl broke up with him that night ten years ago.

Then, through a series of strange events, the guys are unwittingly drawn into a plot to feature their reunion on a TV show. Yes, you can imagine how awkwardly that works out.

Here's how I feel about this movie...The plot is interesting enough on paper, but not actually executed in a way that's super interesting to watch. The movie is definitely cynical. It's cynical about television (which was seen as a major threat to films at the time), advertisement, friendships, and maybe even musicals at times. And it has a much more "grown up," life-is-hard, sad feeling than your typical musical.

But I liked it. It was good. Different, but good. The end is amazing (though it gets there through an awkward fight- literally) and had me a little teary-eyed. :) And yes, the ending is hopeful, which as I mentioned here, is a trait of every single musical I've seen.

Several of the songs and dances didn't appeal to me at all. But there are a few good ones. The most obvious one is the best one in the entire film: Gene Kelly dancing on roller skates in I Like Myself. It is awesome, people. This is coming from the girl who used to get blisters on her thumbs from holding onto the wall while attending homeschool group skate days. Gene Kelly is awesome (I guess he knew that, too, because the stories about his ego are even more harsh than usual in the stories about this film). He may be one of the reasons I liked this film so much.

There's also a number by Dolores Gray, who plays a hilarious TV show host, called Thanks A Lot but No Thanks. It's sort of a weird, gold digger type song about a girl who will accept all of these extravagant gifts from guys but won't get involved with them because she's devoted to her one guy. It's a little odd, but I like it for some reason. :) I guess because of its ironic sense of humor.

Then there's Cyd Charisse's number: Baby, You Knock Me Out. It's also a little weird (I seem to be drawn to strange dance numbers, huh?), considering it's set in a boxing gym. But Cyd Charisse is lovely, as usual, dancing in her green outfit amongst all of these big, goofy guys.

So I really like It's Always Fair Weather. It's gloomy and a little strange at times. But, if you're a huge Gene Kelly fan like me, you'll enjoy it. Or if you're just a musical fan in general. Because this movie is sort of like a sad goodbye to the golden age of MGM musicals.

Until next time,

Du Barry Was a Lady.

2012-01-03T20:28:00.000-05:00

This movie is all over the place. I like it. :)

It's not a very good movie, even though it is beautiful. The color and costumes and sets are amazing. If you've only ever seen Lucy in her show, you have to see her here. They give her wonderful costumes, and her red hair looks gorgeous in Technicolor!

The plot is random- Lucy is a nightclub singer who loves Gene Kelly (or his character, anyway :), but can't marry him because he's poor and she wants a rich man. Red Skelton is the guy who takes your hat at the nightclub, and he loves Lucy, too, but she only likes him as a friend. He ends up winning a huge sweepstakes, and she agrees to marry him for his money, though she loves Gene. Another guy convinces Red to give Gene a mickey (there's some sort of joke about Mickey Rooney in there that made me giggle), but Red gets it instead and dreams that all of this stuff is happening in 18th century France.

I know, right?

The plot's not so great, and neither are the songs. Except "Friendship"- it's that hilarious song that Lucy later sang with Ethel Mertz in the episode where they're wearing the same dress and rip each other's dresses apart as they sing. :) Here she sings it Red Skelton, Gene Kelly, Rags Ragland, etc., but more on that later. I read that they cut nearly all of the Cole Porter songs (from the Broadway musical) because they were too risque for film. Which sort of explains why the replacement songs are so blah.

I laughed a lot during this movie (but not very much at Red Skelton, to be honest). A lot of the humor is just good old-fashioned cheesiness. At one point, two people are going to be beheaded- in the France dream sequence. There's a big crowd gathered at the guillotine and there's a big sign that says "Double Header." :)

Like I said, I really did like the film. Mostly because of its absurdity. I mean, you have Gene Kelly in a relatively small part (he does one dance), in love with ~~Lucy Ricardo~~ Lucille Ball. There's Red Skelton falling around all over the place with a wig on as Louis XV. There's Rags Ragland getting all twisted up with words and phrases (hilarious!). And Virginia O'Brien, chasing after Red Skelton and doing her deadpan singing thing. Which I love {this is only the second film I've seen her in- the first was The Harvey Girls}.

There's also a really incredible Tommy Dorsey song and...Tommy Dorsey dancing. I watch him as he leads his band and he hardly moves a muscle except for his hand. Then, at the end, he sort-of dances with the rest of the gang during "Friendship." That completely made my day. He has this smile on his face at one point like he feels so awkward and he knows how silly he looks. :)

Then there's this little scene with three guys apparently called The Oxford Boys. You just have to listen for yourself. {It starts at about 30 seconds and ends about 2:50 in, but the big band number afterwards is great, too.}

The guy in the middle is my new hero.

So, hurry off and watch Du Barry Was a Lady as soon as possible. You can watch the whole thing on Youtube starting here. It's a bunch of great moments thrown into one bizarre musical. :)

P.S. I've got several classic movie reviews built up now, that I've been writing over the past couple of weeks. Keep an eye out for a couple more soon!

Until next time,

A stitched clock.

2012-01-02T18:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't done any crafty posts lately, so I guess it's about time to show you guys what I made my mom for Christmas. :)

She loves cuckoo clocks. When I was trying to figure out what to make her, I remembered this pattern. And these instructions. And this is how things turned out:

The embroidery was time consuming but pretty simple. It was all the other stuff that was difficult. :) I bought the wood panel- a little larger than I wanted, but it was the closest they had- at Hobby Lobby and stained it with some gel stain stuff that they sell near the acrylic paint.

Glue and I usually don't get along, so I was nervous about gluing the embroidery down. So I used one of those sticky mounting boards instead. This was the hardest part- cutting the heavy board out in the basic shape of the embroidery. It took forever! I couldn't get smooth curves and the blade kept falling out of my craft knife.

Then I put the embroidery on it and smoothed things out, gluing the fabric to the back.

Then came the most nerve-wracking part: cutting a hole in the center of the embroidery for the clockworks to fit in. Cutting a hole in an embroidery piece that has taken hours to complete it not easy. :)

My dad drilled a hole in the wood, and he helped me put the clock part together, too. I had bought a 3/8 inch deep clock piece at first, because that's the biggest they had in stock. But it wasn't nearly long enough so I had to go back and exchange it for a 3/4 inch one.

It wasn't as easy of a project as I thought it would be, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think Marmee is, too. :)

I also knitted her some dishrags, about five in all. I found the instructions through Google but I can't remember the link. But it's basically:

Cast on four stitches.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: K2, Y0, then K to the end of the row.
Repeat row 2 until you reach around 55 stitches.
Then K1, K2tog, YO, K2tog, then K to the end of the row.
Repeat until four stitches are left, bind off.

It was my first time working with cotton yarn...at first it drove me crazy because it doesn't really stretch like wool, etc. does. But I got used to it and actually ended up liking it.

Until next time,

A new year.

2011-12-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

I used to get a little gloomy after Christmas. But over the past couple of years, I've realized that the week between Christmas and New Years is one of the most exciting times for me. I always try to imagine what my life might be like next year at this time, and the future seems sparkling with hope and possibilities. :)

At this time of the year, I find myself thinking about the past and the future. I read old journal pages and blog posts and see how I've changed and grown {and the ways I need to change and grow}.

I make resolutions. I'm a list maker, so I wrote out my goals for 2012 a few days ago.

And I tacked them on the wall right at my desk. My reasoning behind this is that I will have to see this paper every single day and so I'll be motivated to follow through. :)

In 2012, what I really want is to focus on becoming content and joyful. {If this sounds familiar, it's because it was also supposed to be my focus for this year. I failed miserably at this year's resolutions.} I have too much stuff and clutter, literally and figuratively. I want to get rid of stuff and stop accumulating more stuff.

Looking back over this year, honestly I feel really materialistic. For me, being materialistic doesn't involve cars or clothes- it involves books and DVDs. I went way overboard with purchasing those this year. I don't need so much stuff! I want to simplify my life and spend the majority of my time on things that really matter.

Hoping that you guys will help hold me accountable, I'm writing my whole list out here. :)

2012 Resolutions

Books:

-Read at least 80 books, preferably 40 new and 40 rereads. But I might have to do 50:30. Because...

-Read all unread books I own. Looking through my bookcases a few days ago, I realized that I own around 50 books that I have not yet read. That's crazy! I knew I had quite a few unread books, but this is extreme. I would love to read all of those this year.

-Purchase no more than two books a month. Except for very rare circumstances. Like the library book sale. Or a thrift store find that I will likely never again come across. :) I have to account for such things. At the most, that would put my yearly book purchases at 24, and I guess that between thrift stores, Amazon, etc., I purchased about 75 books this year. Ouch.

I have this adorable reading journal to use this year:

It has all sorts of room to write about books that I read. After every five books is a fun book-related page with lists, reading trees, etc. There are several book lists in the back.

The only bad thing is that there's only room for 48 books. So this one won't last me the entire year.

Films:
   -Watch all unseen films I own. A family friend gave me tons of classic films on VHS this year, and I need to watch them all.
   -Cut back on DVD purchases big time. I didn't set an exact number for this. But I have too many movies as it is and don't really need more.

Sewing:
   -Make only clothes that I need and love. More on that here.
   -Plan out garment sewing. See above. :)
   -Focus on quality, the creative process, and making things better.
   -Finish my quilt. Ahem.

Other Crafting:
   -Make a new project each week. I pretty much do this anyway.
   -Knit a sweater.
   -Learn how to crochet. I've got a couple of library books to go through.

Miscellaneous:
   -Keep track of every single purchase in a notebook. I saw a book by Chronicle Books once that was an illustrated record to what a girl bought during the course of a year. I can't for the life of my find it now. But I thought it was a cool idea and want to do it.
   -Save money. The above should help with this one. :)
   -Learn how to cook. Really, learn all of the homemaking skills I lack. But this one is the most lacking.
   -Keep a homemaking notebook. With recipes, instructions, tips, inspiration, etc.
   -Walk five days a week. Around our farm or property. This is my only health-themed resolution. :) Those are historically the ones I'm worst at keeping.
   -Consistently read my Bible, pray, and journal. The most important resolution! Grow closer to God. Which will probably lead to me writing more here about Him and what He's doing in my life. I've been noticing lately that I don't exactly share too much about that on the blog...
   -Memorize two verses a week. I don't know why, but as a child I didn't memorize a lot of verses like you usually do in Sunday School, etc. Or maybe I did and I've just forgotten them. :) But I found this book I bought years ago about memorizing Scripture, and I've been working through it.

I think that's it. As a side note (I've been working on my terrariums), I'd also like to grow something besides moss in a terrarium. And keep it alive for more than a few days. :) That would be nice. I noticed that I didn't put anything about my Etsy shop either. But I do hope to have a successful year with it, as well.

So...I'm pretty excited about all of this! :) I'll keep you guys posted on how well I'm keeping (or breaking) my resolutions.

As for the last evening of this year, I'll spend it doing some combination of the following: thinking and hoping, drinking hot chocolate, reading The Help, knitting, and/or watching my favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice (2005). But no, I will not be staying up until midnight. I like my sleep. :)

What are your hopes or resolutions for the new year?

Until next time,

Best of 2011: Music

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

There were only a few new music discoveries this year, but those few were good...

The Avett Brothers

At the end of last year, I had about 5 or 6 of the Avett Brothers' songs. This year I bought like three albums, I think? I love the music these guys make. It is honest and genuine and fun and wild. Besides Frank Sinatra, most of the year was spent listening to the Avett Brothers.

The Civil Wars

Look again. No, that is not Johnny Depp. Although I have this sort of conspiracy theory that it might really be Johnny Depp pretending not to be Johnny Depp. But yes, that is Joy Williams, former CCM artist. Their debut album is amazing. I listened to it on repeat on the drive to and from college during the whole spring semester.

Mumford & Sons

I don't typically listen to popular music. Which is why I honestly felt embarrassed about buying a CD that had a sticker on the front that said "VH1's Artist to Watch" or something like that. Which is why the only song of theirs I owned was "The Cave" for months. Then I finally broke down and bought the CD. I love it to pieces except for one song, Little Lion Man, which has profanity repeated in the chorus. This is sort of a King's Speech deal- the rest of the album is amazing and completely clean, except for this one song. I don't understand. So I just don't sync that song to my iPod and skip over it when I listen to the CD. :)

The Secret Sisters

{I love the vintage hairstyle of the girl on the right and need to try it out. I also love her dress. And the sister on the left is wearing an Elvis pin, so she's my hero.}

I only found The Secret Sisters this month, and I broke my Christmas-music-only rule because I can't stop listening to their CD. The bad news is that it's only 11 songs and not even 30 minutes long...I need more songs! :) I'm into 20s-60s music, but I've never really been into "classic country." This CD might change my mind. It's mostly classic country, with a couple of public domain songs and a couple original ones. Not only do they sound amazing, but listen to this: they recorded the CD with no computers or digital equipment. They recorded things exactly like they would have been done in the 50s. They even used vintage microphones! Is that not the coolest thing ever??

The Secret Sisters get two songs. Because you guys really need to know about them. :)

What musical artists have you discovered this year?

Until next time,

Best of 2011: Movies

2011-12-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

I only went to see one movie in the theater this year (but I saw that one twice). I only saw two new movies that were released this year! I guess there just wasn't much that appealed to me. Those two were:

Jane Eyre

It didn't come to any local theaters, but I got the DVD the day it was released. And I loved it! You can read my review here.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The major movie of the year for me. The movie that turned me into an emotional wreck. The last Harry Potter movie ever, and my first (and probably last) midnight showing. My rambling, nerd review is here.

Yes, those were the only two 2011 movies that I've seen. I haven't seen Hugo yet, but I'm 99.99% sure it would be on this list if I had.

But I did discover a few older films this year for the first time (I'm only talking about modern films, because I can't even begin to remember all of the "new" old films I saw this year)...

You've Got Mail

I'm a longtime fan of The Shop Around the Corner and In the Good Old Summertime, but I only saw the modern remake, You've Got Mail, this year for the first time. And now it's one of my favorites.

The King's Speech

This film hasn't been out for too long. You can read my thoughts here.

2011 was the year that I really became obsessed with BBC period dramas and miniseries. :) Here are my favorites that I watched this year:

North and South

I love this. A few words for you: Best romantic train scene ever. Read more here.

Sense and Sensibility (2008)

I might even love this more than the one with Rose and Professor Snape. :) Read more here.

Lark Rise to Candleford

This series is amazing. It might be the one big DVD splurge I give in to this year. I wrote about it here.

Bleak House

Besides A Christmas Carol, this was my first introduction to a Charles Dickens story. I got it on DVD for Christmas and I'm so excited to rewatch it (and persuade my parents to watch it). My review is here.

Little Dorrit

Did I really need another reason to have a crush on Matthew Macfadyen? No. But here it is, anyway. I love this miniseries! I reviewed it here (and there are several more MM pictures there, too...:).

I don't think 2011 had much to offer as far as new releases go, especially compared to last year. But I made up for it by discovering some lovely older films and miniseries.

What were your favorite films of the year? Am I forgetting a good new release? I have the feeling I'm overlooking something...

Until next time,

Best of 2011: Books & In General

2011-12-28T17:02:00.001-05:00

It's the time of year where I start reflecting on the previous year and looking forward to the coming one. And where I have this odd desire to write end-of-the-year posts on my blog. :) I'm going to do like last year and break them up into books, films, and music. And then I'll write about my hopes for the new year.

Here is a quick recap of my life in 2011:

-I took my required public speaking class. Not only did I survive it, but I miraculously managed an A! :) I even got to work my interests into my speeches. I talked about my sewing machine, the transition from silent films to talkies, homeschooling, etc.

-I participated in my first sew along. I had so much fun and love the finished product. I also did another sew along. I hope to participate in some more in 2012.

-I turned twenty and realized that I didn't feel quite as grown up as I expected to by this age.

-I spent a couple of days acting like a teen vampire movie star after I had my wisdom teeth out.

-I graduated from college on a dark, stormy night in a speedy ceremony. :)

-I started on my very first quilt. Yes, still working on that one, guys.

-I learned how to knit.

-I had an amazing, successful Christmas season in my Etsy shop!

It was a pretty good year, I think. :) And book wise, it was definitely a good year for me. I didn't exactly complete all of my reading goals for this year, but I'm very happy about what I did complete.

In 2011, I have read 90 books so far, but there's a possibility that it'll hit 91 or 92 before the weekend. That's about thirty more books than I read last year, but still a little short of my Goodreads challenge of 100 books. I'm okay with that. :) I also had a goal of twenty rereads, and I only accomplished 14.

I won't list out every book I read like I did last year, but you can click on the Goodreads link in the above paragraph for a list if you're curious. :)

This year I ventured out a little from my usual reading. I fell in love with memoirs, for one thing. I didn't really read any classics, but I read a lot of good Christian fiction and YA dystopian. And children's literature. I read or reread three series or trilogies: Harry Potter, Little House on the Prairie, and the Hunger Games.

I've been trying in vain to narrow my favorite books, of those I've read this year, down to just a few. Remember that these aren't necessarily books that were released in 2011 (though some were), just ones I read this year.

{Click on the title to read my review: My Life in France, This Fine Life, Stargirl, Across the Universe, The Wilder Life, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Wonderstruck, The Sweetest Thing, The Peach Keeper, A Distant Melody. Also, though I forgot to add pictures: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay}

This year was also the first year that I kept track of all of the books I read, with a brief review and rating, in a little Moleskine notebook. I've got a special reading journal to use next year, which I'm so excited about. :) But more about that later.

Next up: movies!

What were your favorite books that you read or reread this year?

Until next time,

Boxing Day.

2011-12-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

Did you guys have a great Christmas? I hope so. :)

I know I did. My family had a nice, relaxed Christmas weekend. Visiting with family, drinking hot chocolate {and discovering that white chocolate chips in mint hot chocolate is amazing}, listening to the last of my Christmas music until next season, watching Christmas in Connecticut again {"Cook your own kidneys!" Thank you, Felix, for such wonderful quotes.}.

I was blessed with a lot of lovely gifts, too. Here are some of my favorites:

-Several pictures books, including a Loch Ness Monster one and an Audrey Hepburn one. :)

-Several vintage brooches for my collection. I picked the umbrella one out at the antique store a few weeks ago, because it immediately reminded me of Mary Poppins.

-Mickey and Minnie salt/pepper shakers! And a Big Ben metal tin that came with "English breakfast tea" inside. I don't drink tea very often, and when I do it's iced sweet tea in true Southern fashion. But I am going to give warm English tea a go, I think...:) Any advice or tips?

-These DVDs. Yes, I'm twenty years old and I asked for The Emperor's New Groove for Christmas. Kronk is my hero.

-This Audrey Hepburn reusable shopping bag type tote. Will definitely come in handy while visiting the library. :)

-This gorgeous Jane Austen treasury that I drooled over at Barnes and Noble a while back.

-A stack of books. Honestly, a tall pile of books. Over the past couple of months we had some very good book finds at thrift stores and I requested quite a few of them for Christmas. :) These are a few that I'm very excited about: Jane Austen's unfinished novels, Crossed, Wildwood, and Julie Andrews' memoir.

I also got this book called "The Hollywood Book of Death." I have to mention it here because my dad cracked up when he saw the title {Mom bought it}. It's a book full of how old movie stars died. There are sections labeled "Accidental" and "Strange Situations" and "Natural Causes" and such. I think it's morbid and funny (the whole concept of it, not the deaths, of course) and I can't wait to read it.

-I have been on a tote bag kick lately, always using one as a bag. This is quite possibly my favorite tote bag ever, and I almost want to buy a couple more to have on hand for when this one gets stained or falls apart.

It's an Out of Print Pride and Prejudice bag, though this one came from Barnes and Noble.

And here are some very bad, blurry pictures I tried to take as we drove through town on Friday night:

{This is a huge Mary and Jesus lighted portrait that used to hang at the old mill. Now it hangs at the Catholic school. Both Mary and Jesus used to have blood red lips. This year their lips were noticeably white. Not skin tone, but white. Mary looks like she just had her teeth bleached. I didn't realize how noticeable it was until I saw this picture on my computer, and I just thought it was funny. :) }

Until next time,

Bible translations.

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so one more post before my little weekend break. :) I need some feedback from you guys, even though this might seem a bit random.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that, after Christmas, I'm going to buy a new Bible. The Bible I'm using now is this one, a NCV teen girls' devotional Bible. I bought it four years ago in January. My sixteen-year-old self mostly picked out that Bible because the cover was pretty {just being honest here :) } and because I had been to several Revolve conferences.

I really enjoyed it when I was younger, but now not so much. I don't even read the little devotional things, because they don't really apply to me anymore. And the NCV translation seems lacking and written too simply. Which makes sense, considering I recently learned that an earlier edition of the NCV was called the International Children's Bible.

I'm ready for a more grown-up Bible, I suppose. :) I want a study Bible that gives me more information about the cultural and historical aspects of the world at the time the words were written. I want a translation that is easier to read than the KJV (though I do also have a copy of that, of course) but that's also very accurate to the original languages.

After a lot of research, I've sort of narrowed things down to two translations and two particular Bibles:

-NIV Archaeological Study Bible
My first real Bible, the one I had before the NCV one, was the NIV teen study Bible. I loved that one to pieces and used it until it fell apart at the spine. I've always liked the NIV translation. But now that I've done some reading, I seem to be hearing that the NIV is not nearly as literal and much more interpretive than other translations.

I think I would love all of the historical information in this particular Bible. That's the sort of thing that really appeals to me (though in some reviews, people have said that it's a little too busy).

-ESV Study Bible
I had never really heard about the ESV translation until I started reading up on different ones. It sounds really interesting- more of a literal translation, similar to the KJV but more readable. I've read samples, and it is word for word the same with the NIV in a lot of parts, but in others, it has more of an old-fashioned KJV feel.

Some people seem to love this translation and others say that it reads awkwardly and that the commentary and such is sometimes biased.

Both of these particular Bibles are 50% off at the Family Christian Bookstore for a couple of weeks after Christmas, so I have until then to make up my mind. :)

But I want to know what you guys think. I've read a lot of completely contradictory reviews online about translations, because a lot of people feel strongly about Bible translations. I know that nobody can say which translation is perfect and right for everyone, but I would like some opinions...

What translation do you use? What do you like or dislike about it? Is there a translation you definitely won't use? Do you use a study Bible? Any other comments?

I appreciate it. :)

Until next time,

Merry Christmas (and a friend's giveaway).

2011-12-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing much over the past couple of days...watching my favorite Christmas movies, and doing some last-minute crafting. Most of it I can't post about until after Christmas. :)

I've also been wishing desperately that this warm(ish) weather would go away so we would have a chance for a white Christmas. We haven't had sight of even a flurry so far this winter.

I finally finished my second little felt tree:

Listening to my Christmas records.

Dear Mr. Frank, don't worry. I don't blame you that some album cover designer gave you this awful 70s rerelease cover. I still love your Christmas record.

I'm taking a little break until after Christmas. I'll probably be back at the beginning of the week with an after-Christmas post. I'll definitely be back next week with end-of-the-year posts {it is so crazy that it's that time again!} and such. :)

P.S. My sweet friend Alannah at Simply a Preacher's Daughter is hosting a giveaway, and you could win an iPod/cell phone cozy of your choice from my Etsy shop! Be sure to check it out, because it ends the day after Christmas.

I just want to wish all of you guys a super amazing Christmas. Just relax and enjoy spending time with your family. :)

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." -Matthew 1:23

And here you go, since this seems to be my Christmas blogging tradition:

Until next time,

May your days be merry and bright...

2011-12-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas music. :)

Christmas songs are recorded so often, and by so many different artists. But it probably doesn't surprise you that I have definite opinions about which versions I like best. :) Anyway, here is a list of my favorite Christmas songs. And my not-so-favorite ones.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'll Be Home for Christmas is my absolute favorite Christmas song. It may seem like a strange choice. But here's my reasoning behind it. First of all, it's just a really gorgeous song. Secondly, I'm a person who doesn't like change. I love traditions, especially at Christmas time. And this song makes me think about families and soldiers (and my grandpas, who both served in the military) and people who can't be with their loved ones, for whatever reason, at Christmas. And it makes me think about how thankful I am that so far, I have always been able to spend Christmas with my family.

Even though it's my favorite Christmas song, I haven't found the perfect version yet. The perfect version should be very slow and sad, and it needs to be a guy singing it. This Frank Sinatra version is the best one I've found so far. It would be perfect without the bells at the beginning and if the background vocals were a little more subtle. :)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

This is my favorite traditional carol. I don't know why, exactly...I just like it, especially the the first stanza. And I really like how Bing sings it.

White Christmas

This is such a classic, nostalgic song. And I can't possibly choose between these two versions.

Bing Crosby:

Or the Drifters. I just have to say that I adore the Drifters singing White Christmas. :) It always makes me smile and it's one of those songs I could listen to over and over and never get tired of.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

This is probably my second favorite Christmas song. I don't think it's especially popular, which is sad. Because it's a beautiful song. Frank Sinatra sings it best (does that really surprise you? :).

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Lovely song. And nobody can sing it like Judy Garland.

The Christmas Waltz

I only heard this song for the first time last Christmas, on a Frank Sinatra record. His version (this one, not the one with a background choral at the beginning) is my favorite, but I also love the She & Him one.

I Celebrate the Day

I love Relient K's Christmas album, and this is my favorite song on it. It's an original song and not very traditional sounding, but I think it's lovely. And as usual, RK's lyrics are always so insightful that I almost wonder if they've been reading my mind. :)

Christmas Time Is Here

How can you not love this? The vocal and the instrumental versions.

So those are my top Christmas tunes. :) I wrote about Christmas albums that I love last year, and you can read it here. And add Michael Buble and She & Him's new Christmas CDs to that. I may be reviewing them sometime this week.

A couple of other really quirky Christmas songs that I like are: The Grinch Song {stink...stank...stunk!} and I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas {Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then,Teacher says a hippo is a veg-e-tar-ian}.

Some songs that I used to dislike but now like by these artists: Little Saint Nick (I've never liked the Beach Boys...I like the She & Him version okay, though), My Grown Up Christmas List (I only like Michael Buble singing it), and All I Want for Christmas Is You (only like the Michael Buble version).

And a few Christmas songs that I hate:
-The Christmas Shoes. First of all, it should be illegal to write a Christmas song about a little boy's dying mother. Second of all, I cannot handle kids singing on a recorded songs. Kids singing in real life, at church, whatever, is fine. It's adorable! But kids singing on a song on the radio, etc. sounds cheesy. Thirdly, have I mentioned cheesy, cheesy, cheesy? It's like some horrific Christmas version of Butterfly Kisses. I'd better stop now.

-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause, by Jackson 5. I've never been a Michael Jackson fan. But his squeaky little voice saying, "Wow! Momma's kissing Santa Clause!" at the beginning of the song and "I really did, guys! I really did! I saw Momma kissing Santa Clause!" at the end is almost enough to make me gag.

-Same Old Lang Syne, by Dan Fogelberg. I don't know what on earth this is, but it is not a Christmas song. The only remote connection it has to Christmas is that it takes place on Christmas Eve. I just really can't stand this song, and I'm shocked (and relieved) that I haven't heard it on the radio this year. :) {I had to Google it to find the title.}

What are your favorite Christmas songs? Which ones ~~do you despise~~ could you do without? :)

Until next time,

Trees and tinsel.

2011-12-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

This is how we decorate for Christmas at my house. :)

Every year, since we were born, my mom has bought me and my brother an ornament. My ornaments vary quite a bit...everything from Pocahontas, Harry Potter, Elvis, and a sewing-themed one. :) This year I picked out the Yeti/abominable snowman creature from the old Rudolph TV special. Apparently his name is Humble Bumble, according to the package. But I've never heard him called that before.

{I love the stories about the Yeti and Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Yes, I totally believe in them.}

We decorate our house in a really traditional Christmas style. I can't imagine not having a real tree...I love the smell and just the atmosphere that you get from having one in the room. Artificial trees can never compare. :)

This is the real tree in our living room:

And the lit garland on the staircase railing:

Mom used to put up our village houses when I was younger...now I set them up on my piano.

Mom's red and gold themed artificial slim tree in our kitchen/dining area.

In my room, though, the decorations become a little...tackier? More vintagey, anyway. :)

Several years ago, my mom bought me a 60s aluminum tree at a great-aunt's yard sale/estate sale. I think she paid $5 for it? Most of my ornaments are from Target, because me and Marmee stocked up last year when they put all of the Christmas stuff on sale, at 50% and 75% off. I got probably 5 or 6 boxes of ornaments for less than $15. My other ornaments are Elvis-themed and collected over the years or handmade.

I took these pictures back at the beginning of November when I put up my tree. This was everything pulled out and ready to be unpacked. And Oliver trying to nosy his way into one of the bags.

Oliver is obsessed with my tree. He hung off of the TV, watching me, in a great impersonation of Snoopy's vulture imitation.

He watched me very closely as I put up and decorated the tree. But his favorite part is when the tree is actually up. Last year, he would climb in about halfway up and sleep on the branches, bending them all out of shape. This year, he has developed a taste for the tinsel on the branches. So we've had to keep him in another part of the house most of the time. When he is allowed in my room, I stand by with a spray bottle of water to get him if he tries to chew on the branches.

Most of the time it doesn't work. I crawl under the tree and drag him out. He's soaking wet and purring with his eyes completely black and mischievous.

I guess I can't blame him...Aluminum trees are seriously pretty and eye-catching. :) As much as I love real Christmas trees, I love mine almost as much. Aluminum trees aren't stiff and awkward like the ones in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

They're actually really shiny and sparkly. And when the heat comes on and blows from the nearby vent, the metallic branches make a lovely tinkly sound, like soft bells.

This is the first year that I haven't put regular lights on it. I have a color wheel, but it tends to only light up the bottom half of the tree. Plus, it can't run very long at a time or it gets too hot. So I had been using blue lights (last year, for example). But this year I decided to skip the lights. Because when they're not on, they look really tacky in the tree.

I didn't realize until this year how beautiful the silver tree is with my bright colored ornaments...and no ugly white cord wrapped around the center. :) Here's an example of the color wheel running:

He can be this adorable one minute, and a crazy, aluminum-munching nut the next.

I've never been a girl who's into really sparkly stuff. Not since I was about 13, anyway. But Christmas decorations are different. The more sparkle, the better. :)

My tree all decorated and perfect that first day. Ornaments and branches have since then been knocked off and rearranged. That's why I took pictures when the tree looked at its best. :) I only have this little corner to crowd it in for now...someday it'll have more space and not looked so cramped!

I really love the bright color scheme in all of the coordinating Target ornaments. Bright blue, green, purple, red, teal, etc. I think it really gives everything a 50s/60s feel. Since I put up my tree, I also bought this matching tree topper when it was on sale.

Besides my tree, I also have a little Charlie Brown love on one of my windows:

And of course there's my peppermint garland and my felt woodland tree.

How do you decorate for Christmas? Feel free to include a link to a blog post, if you've put up pictures! :) Real Christmas tree vs. artificial one? Traditional, modern, or vintage decorating style?

Until next time,

The Best Christmas Movies {Ever!}

2011-12-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, they really are the best. :) I wanted to put a number in the the title, but there are thirteen movies in this list. And that's not exactly a nice, round number. These are the Christmas films I find myself watching year after year.

Christmas in Connecticut

I hesitate to pick an absolute favorite Christmas movie. But this may be it. I adore this movie! I just watched it again last night, and I had forgotten how hilarious it is. Felix cracks me up with all of his phrases: "It's catastroph!" and several more that I promised myself I'd remember but can't think of at the moment. And I'll admit that I have such a crush on Jefferson Jones. :) Here's my review from last year.

White Christmas

A lot of people compare White Christmas and Holiday Inn. I can't really do that, because they're two totally different films! They only thing they have in common is Bing Crosby and the song. While White Christmas has its share of slightly creepy dance numbers...or maybe I should just say one slightly creepy dance number. Choreography. Ugh. But really, I love the rest of the songs. I love Bing and Rosemary, and Vera Ellen is an amazing dancer. Danny Kaye is not my favorite. But I love both versions of Sisters (ha :), and if you don't get a bit emotional at the end, you have a two-sizes-too-small-Grinchy heart.

Holiday Inn

Really sweet and a bit more elegant (somehow? Maybe because of Fred Astaire) than White Christmas. It doesn't have to be classified as only a Christmas film, because it covers practically every holiday in the year. Anyway, I love it. :) Even the odd holiday-themed songs are awesome and catchy. Because...it's Irving Berlin! A genius.

The Shop Around the Corner

The original In the Good Old Summertime/You've Got Mail. It is so sweet but a little darker than the two remakes. Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan are too adorable together. You can read my review here.

In the Good Old Summertime

I watch this movie all year long. Because I seriously love it and it's one of my most favorite musicals ever. :) It's hilarious, the songs are all lovely, and Judy Garland and Van Johnson are amazing. The end scene in the shop on Christmas Eve gives me chills because it's so romantic. Actually, it has me giggling one moment {"The way he lets those few hairs in the back grow long and combs them up over his head, coming down behind his ears. It's ingenious, really. And after all, that's what you want in a husband isn't it?"} and swooning the next. :) Read my review here.

Miracle on 34th Street

A really sweet Christmas film if you don't mind a mostly-Santa-Clause-plot. I only saw it for the first time last year, but I don't know what on earth took me so long. :) I love the ending and how things work out in the courtroom and with Susan's wish. I wrote about it here.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Not necessarily just a Christmas film, but the Christmas scene is probably my favorite part. :) This is one of those musicals that definitely had to grow on me. But beside the fact that there isn't much plot and you have to really suspend your disbelief for certain parts, it really is a classic musical. There are a ton of great songs and funny moments, and if the film had nothing else to offer, there's always Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien. I wrote about it here.

The Bishop's Wife

A very charming film starring Cary Grant. Who, I have to admit, could make just about anything charming. :) This is one of those films that I don't exactly look forward to rewatching at Christmas, but it always ends up being better than I remembered. It's worth watching just for the infamous ice skating scene. In it, there's this awful stunt double posing as Cary Grant skating. He's actually a very good skater, but it's awful due to the fact that he looks nothing like Cary Grant. :) One of the worst cases of matching up a double with a star ever, in my opinion. But it's hilarious to watch, though I don't think they intended it to be.

It's a Wonderful Life

Who cares if it's cliche? This is classic, slightly cheesy Capra (I believe it's called Capra-corn). And I love it. I watch it every Christmas Eve and shake my fist at evil Henry Potter and shed tears at George Bailey's revelations. And have "Buffalo Gals" stuck in my head for days afterwards. And that's all I have to say about that.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I love the Peanuts gang. And Christmas just isn't Christmas without Pigpen ruining the little red haired girl's naturally curly hair or lipsy Linus giving his birth of Jesus recitation.

You've Got Mail

Now moving on to more modern Christmas films...if you watch the original and the musical remake, you've got to see You've Got Mail, too. Part of it does take place at Christmas, after all. I only discovered this movie this year, and I've mentioned it a lot, I know. So I won't go into all that again. :)

The Santa Clause

The first one only. The sequel is just okay, and the third one is ugh. I grew up watching the first one. Except for a couple of cuss words and a few other comments, it really is a good modern Christmas film. It's funny {I also grew up watching Home Improvement, so maybe that's why I think Tim Allen is so funny in this. But I think it's hilarious when he says that the reindeer all look like they have Key Lime disease. :) } Charlie is adorable, too. And Scott Calvin's gradual (and sometimes not so gradual) change into Santa is great. I really love this movie.

Elf

"I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite." If you haven't seen this movie, you are really missing out. This is one of the few films that makes me laugh until my guts hurt, no matter how many times I see it. Will Ferrell steals every single scene he's in as the naive and hilarious Buddy. I can't even begin to mention my favorite lines or parts. My family also finds ways to reference this movie a lot...whether it's repeating Francisco over and over or mentioning that my finger has a heartbeat. Besides the huge amounts of funny, this film also has great songs and introduced me to both Zooey Deschanel and the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

So...those are my favorite Christmas movies. :) I know I haven't had many Christmasy posts this year, but I'm hoping to get in a few more over the next couple of days.

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

Until next time,

Vintage brooches.

2011-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, me and my mom stopped by our local antique store. We mostly just look, but on that trip we actually found some cute vintage brooches. I bought one, and she bought me a couple for Christmas. When my grandma saw them, she gave me two of hers. :)

This is the one I got at the antique store...it was $5. The ones Mom got me were $1 and $3. They had some of these inexpensive ones, then some that were between $20 and $40. This one is so cheerful. :)

{I thought $5 was a bit much, but browsing on Etsy, it seems that we got a pretty good deal.}

My grandma gave me this one:

And this one. I think the flowers are gorgeous. :)

It seems that I'm growing a new collection...

Until next time,

Classic movie giveaway winner!

2011-12-11T16:28:00.001-05:00

The winner of the classic movie giveaway is...

Comment #22, which was A Hopeful Romantic!

Congratulations! :) Please email me {sewtechnicolor (at) yahoo (dot) com} with your mailing address as soon as possible so I can mail out the prizes tomorrow. :) Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

Until next time,

Bookworm giveaway winner!

2011-12-10T15:22:00.001-05:00

The winner of the bookworm giveaway was...

Comment #28, which was Jerica!

Congratulations, Jerica. :) Please email me {sewtechnicolor (at) yahoo (dot) com} with your mailing address as soon as possible!

The winner for the classic movie giveaway will be chosen and announced tomorrow, and I'll mail out the prizes on Monday. :) Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

Until next time,

On style and fashion.

2011-12-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

Wow, I bet that title really threw you for a loop, huh? For whatever reason you read my blog, I can guarantee it's not because of fashion. :) I think this is the first time I've ever written a post on the topic.

Since my normal, everyday, around-the-house fashion consists of jeans and old t-shirts, I've never really felt qualified to say anything about it {I do make a little more effort when going out in public}. And to be honest, I never even noticed how clothes were made or different styles until I started sewing.

And last week I got this book. When I first heard about it, my first thought was: Okay. Another sewing book. But I kept hearing such good things about it and was interested in some of the topics I heard it covered, so I ordered it.

I love this book.

It's probably the best sewing book I've come across. Not really because of the patterns included or the instructions for inserting zippers, etc. But because of the chapter called "A Thoughtful Plan" and the one called "A Fantastic Fit."

Most sewing books I've read mention the importance of knowing how to adjust fit and alter patterns. But they never tell you how to do it! This book tells you what all of those silly wrinkles on your muslin mean, and how to fix them. It also explains about all sorts of different pattern adjustments and how to do them. It's amazing (and incredibly useful).

Sarai, the author and creator of Colette Patterns, goes into detail about thinking about what your style is. What kind of clothes you tend to wear, and what characteristics your choices have. She also talks about planning out your sewing, making only things that you really need and will really love to wear.

I rarely plan out my sewing. This is generally my thought process while sewing clothing:

1. Oh, what a pretty pattern!
2. Oh, what pretty fabric! I can use it for that pattern.
3. *purchases fabric*
4. Oops. Maybe I should have checked the suggested fabrics on this list. Oh, well. Things will probably turn out fine.
5. *sews garment*
6. I probably should have made a muslin. This doesn't fit quite right. Or...What on earth am I going to wear with this?
7. *sticks item in closet and ignores it for a while. Until I put on a little weight and it actually fits properly :) or I get a coordinating item of clothing*

But no more. I've seen the light and I'm changing my ways. I'm not saying I'm going to be one of those people who can plan out and sew my entire spring wardrobe before February. But I am going to be more careful about what patterns I choose, making muslins to get the right fit, choosing the perfect fabric, and taking my time to make the best garment I can.

This is one of my new year's resolutions. I'm also going to, like Sarai suggests, start asking "What can I do to sew this better?" instead of "What can I do to sew this quicker?" I need to enjoy the process of making clothing instead of just being anxious for the end result.

So step one of this process is to determine what my general style is. I was terrified at the thought of doing this, because I kept thinking, I don't have any certain style! But when I actually started looking through my closet, a pattern emerged.

I cleaned out all of the old stuff that I never wear anymore. This included some shirts and things that I've had for about 4 or 5 years now. These were the kinds of things I practically lived in when I was about fifteen:

-Aeropostale shirts and hoodies.
-Aeropostale low rise jeans.
-NOTW shirts.
-Those awful hot, stretchy polyester dresses (for church).

Thankfully, my tastes have changed. :)

In this book, she suggests that as a starting point, pick out five things in your closet that you love to wear. After looking at my favorite things, I realized that now I'm drawn to:

-Cotton.
-Button up shirts.
-Small floral prints.
-Plaid (purple plaid, especially. I can't quite figure that one out).
-Solid color knit shirts.
-Full, knee-length skirts.
-Vintage style things.
-Higher rise jeans {I hate low rise jeans and can't figure out what I ever saw in them! Old Navy's Sweetheart jeans are my absolute favorites now}.

I spent some time going through my pattern stash and jotting down ideas for what I'm lacking (like a black skirt and a denim skirt). And writing down what fabrics I need to keep an eye out for in the fabric stores. And discovering yards of fabric I had bought a long time ago that fit in with my sewing plans. :)

{I really love sweetheart necklines, as seen in the sketch from a couple of years ago featuring a dress worn by Caroline Appleby in a season two episode of I Love Lucy. :) I also love Peter Pan collars but don't know how they'll look on me. Something I need to experiment with.}

So I tend to be drawn to vintagey, natural, slightly quirky styles. In jewel tones, too, apparently. I've always adored Penelope's wardrobe. Today I realized that almost all of her clothes are jewel tones and a lot of the outfits I wear the most are, too. Maybe that's one of the reasons I love hers so much. :)

Maybe the look I should go for is a slightly toned-down Penelope one.

Well, that's all I'll ramble about fashion for now. :) I'm looking forward to {attempting} to make most of my clothing in the next year, with the help of the gorgeous and informative Colette Sewing Handbook. You guys know I'll post pictures of my projects here. :)

So...how do you feel about fashion? Are you sort of clueless, like me? Or do you keep up with trends and meticulously choose your outfit each morning? What styles are you drawn to?

Until next time,

Christmas crafting.

2011-12-08T18:24:00.001-05:00

I've been working on some crafty stuff this week, so I thought I'd post some pictures. Sorry that some of them are dark or blurry. But I've been finishing in the evening after it gets dark. :)

Mollie at Wild Olive is hosting this amazing series called Ornamentation, and she puts up a new ornament to make everyday. I'm in love with pretty much all of them so far.

My mom loves cuckoo clocks, and when I showed her the first day's ornament, she wanted one. So I made one for me and one for her. :)

I stumbled across this adorable cozy tutorial yesterday and decided to make it. It turned out really cute! I just had to adjust the size to fit my iPod classic, because it's made for one of the older Nanos.

Another ornament from Ornamentation...

This morning I worked on my quilt {yes, people, I am still sewing that thing! My goal is to be finished by the end of the month}. And this afternoon, I made the cover project of Fa La La La Felt, which I've been meaning to make for about a year now. :)

I absolutely love it! :) I love the woodland thing that's popular now. This little tree has a deer, a squirrel, a hedgehog, and some adorable mushrooms. I sort of had to wing things with the animals and the shape of the tree, because our printer won't enlarge scanned images, so I couldn't enlarge the patterns at the back of the book.

I love this glittery white felt. :) Perfect for Christmas crafts! I also love that the small stitches on the animals give them so much texture.

I've got another smaller, darker tree waiting to be made.

I also made my first fabric rosette yesterday. I think they're really cute and want to make some more, even though this one is a little sloppy. I glued a pin on the back so it can be a brooch or something.

This is what my work space looks like on crafty days like these:

Until next time,

December 7th.

2011-12-07T07:51:00.001-05:00

Remembering my grandpa {and my grandma} on Pearl Harbor Day.

Until next time,

Another giveaway {for classic movie fans}- now closed!

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, another giveaway! I'm on a roll this month, aren't I? :)

This one features another one of my favorite things...classic movies! The winner will receive these two DVDs:

-One of the best classic movies ever, Casablanca. I love this movie. Bogie and Bergman, a great theme song, and a "the easy thing is not always the right thing" moral. What more could you want? This was my DVD copy before I was given a collector's edition.

-Top Hat, probably my favorite Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical. It's funny and sweet and has great songs and a feathery dress. :) This was also an extra copy I had after getting the TCM Fred/Ginger collection.

{I'm just mentioning these things to let you guys know why the movies aren't still in shrink wrap. They're still very gently watched and like brand new. :) }

Mandatory entry:

-Comment telling me your favorite classic movie(s).

Extra entries:

-Comment telling me your favorite musical if you're also a musical lover (or tell me if you're one of those poor souls who says they're just not realistic :).

-Be a follower of Sew Technicolor.

-Mention and link up this giveaway on your blog.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry! Sorry, but this contest is also only open to US and Canada. It ends in about a weeks' time and winner will be announced shortly after. Good luck! :)

Until next time,

That's entertainment.

2011-12-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

Not only do I love classic movies, but I love musicals. I might have mentioned this before. :)

I don't mind that they're "unrealistic" or sometimes a little cheesy. I don't cringe when a character bursts into song or dance. I swoon when the guy takes the girl into his arms and dances with her. I can't help myself, okay? :)

But when I first started getting into classic movies about four years ago, I didn't always have such a loving, forgiving attitude towards musicals. I thought that most of them were a little goofy and that Technicolor was sort of tacky. I loved Singin' in the Rain (still my absolute favorite musical) from the start, but I cringed at the thought of others.

Back then we still had satellite TV, but we didn't have TCM and I didn't know yet that the library has tons of classic movies on DVD. So my main way of seeing new classic films was PBS on Thursday and Sunday nights, when they showed an old movie.

And one night they showed a film called That's Entertainment.

Musicals weren't goofy or tacky anymore. They were gorgeous and elegant and funny and quirky. I was in love. :)

I taped That's Entertainment on VHS. Then the next week I was surprised to see That's Entertainment: Part II airing on PBS. I taped that one, too, and rewatched them many times (yes, I still own and use a VCR :).

The first That's Entertainment film was released in 1974. It was sort of a tribute to MGM musicals (they really are the best). You remember how MGM had "more stars than the heavens?" This movie is hosted by a lot of them: Gene Kelly (yay!), Fred Astaire, Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, etc.

It contains clips from over sixty musicals. Some of them you'll recognize instantly, and some of them you've probably never heard of.

Also, this movie was the last time that filming was done on MGM's backlot, which was falling down at that point. The backlot was sold to developers and pretty much everything was torn down. I think that is so sad! If only they would have kept it up as it was during MGM's best days and made it into a huge museum or something. I would have loved to have gone there.

Because I was just starting to get interested in classic movies, this first film was almost completely new to me. I discovered a ton of my favorite musicals from clips in That's Entertainment. :)

The second That's Entertainment film was released in 1976. This one features musical numbers that are slightly more obscure, but just as wonderful. Also, instead of focusing just on musicals, it includes other famous MGM talents: comedy stars (Marx Brothers, etc.) romantic duos (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy), and favorite lines from other top stars.

One of my favorite parts is the quote section. They poke fun at Clark Gable's line, "I love ya, (insert name of character here)," and show a whole slew of clips with him saying that line from different films. It's hilarious. :) Then there's a clip of Jean Harlow saying it to him, and he jokes that she's stealing his gag line.

Instead of having multiple hosts, this one is hosted by just Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Which I love. {Aside from some of the silly lyrics that someone wrote for Gene and Fred to sing in tune to the theme song.} And the two of them dance together for only the second time ever, which gives me chills. :) This was the last time Fred Astaire ever danced on film (he was in his late 70s).

There was eighteen years between the That's Entertainment sequel in '76 and the final film, released in 1994. This final film featured clips and musical numbers that were cut from movies and that had never been seen before. I love seeing the Judy Garland songs and the behind-the-scenes clip of how the cameras had to move to keep up with one of Eleanor Powell's tap dance routines.

Several of the original hosts had passed away before TE: Part 3 was released, including Fred Astaire. Gene Kelly is still one of the hosts, but the difference of 18 years is pretty shocking. It's really sad to see Gene so feeble- even his voice sounds week (he died two years later). There are other hosts, too, like Debbie Reynolds, Howard Keel, and Cyd Charisse (who always seemed to me to be a truly classy lady).

The reason that I'm finally getting around to "reviewing" this trilogy years later is because a few weeks ago, our bargain store got in a shipment of the four disc collection of these movies. It was only $12, and I couldn't resist. :) The DVDs are much better quality than my VHS recordings. {The set is really reasonable on Amazon right now.}

The complete set also includes an extra disc with more outtakes, featurettes, and other special features. I haven't watched them all yet, but what I've seen has been very interesting.

If you love musicals, whether you've been watching them for years or you're a relatively new fan, I highly recommend the That's Entertainment series. It does not take the place of watching the real musicals. In the first place, all of these clips are cut and edited, so they're not nearly as good as the original thing. But watching the edited clips will make you want to go back and rewatch your favorites. Also, just seeing the hosts years later is worth it.

I recommend that you keep a notebook and a pen nearby while watching, though. Because if you're anything like me, you'll come away with a list of about 15 musicals that you've never seen before and that you need to go add to your Netflix queue. :)

Until next time,

A giveaway {for bookworms}- now closed!

2011-12-03T15:48:00.001-05:00

I've been dreaming up some fun stuff for the blog this month. :) And this is the first little bit of it...a giveaway!

This giveaway is perfect for my fellow book lovers. Or, if you need a gift for a bookworm, here you go. I wanted to do the giveaway pretty early in the month so the winner can get the prize before Christmas! :) Two prizes will go to the same winner:

First up, a cute Puffin Classics paperback edition of the classic, Little Women.

I already have a copy of this sweet book, and this was an extra that I sort-of-accidentally accumulated. It's brand new, but does have a black mark on the bottom of the pages (apparently it was a bargain book or something).

I know a lot of you have probably read Little Women, but if you haven't, you're really missing out! I only read it for the first time about a year or two ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. :)

The winner will also receive this bookish necklace, handmade by me.

I had some supplies left over from when I made my own, so I finally decided to use them. It's a stack of books charm, made from dollhouse books, and it comes on an admittedly cheap chain from Hobby Lobby. :) But you can remove it from this chain and slide it on another nicer one if you'd like.

P.S. If you just can't wait to have a cute book necklace, check out the tutorial here.

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory entry:

-Leave me a comment telling me your favorite book(s).

For extra entries:

-Comment telling me a book that you recently read that you loved.

-Be a follower of Sew Technicolor.

-Mention and link up the giveaway on your own blog.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Sorry international readers, but this giveaway is open only to US and Canada. Giveaway ends in about a week, so sometime next weekend. :) Good luck!

P.S. Another giveaway coming soon- for classic movie fans. :)

Until next time,

Remember.

2011-12-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

I don't want to be so caught up in the loveliness of life and the Christmas season that the unjust horrors of this world slip from my mind.

{Thanks so much to Atlanta for posting this on her blog, which is how I found out about it. I wrote about this once before here. Also, be sure to check out Abort73.}

Until next time,
Kristin

Florida Keys {Day 7: The African Queen (!) and Coming Home}

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

The last morning of our trip was really bittersweet. I guess it's always like that when you're coming home from a trip. For me it is, anyway.

Loading up our luggage, turning in our keys, and taking our last pictures...

But we had one last stop to make at Key Largo, on the way out. A stop that I was especially excited about. Because we were going to see...

The African Queen! :)

Yes, the original boat from the film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn can be found at the Holiday Inn Marina in Key Largo.

{You can supposedly even book reservations to ride it. But by the looks of the sign and the boat itself, I don't think the poor little thing gets many interested parties. :) }

This is my oh-my-goodness-Humphrey-Bogart-and-Katharine-Hepburn-rode-in-this-boat-but-I'm-feeling-a-little-anxious-about-being-so-close-to-the-edge-of-the-dock nervous smile.

Anyway, as a classic movie fanatic, it was a very exciting moment for me. :)

Here is the sign when you leave the Keys.

Back to reality.

My dad drove us all the way home that day. Somewhere around 17 hours? It was a lot of riding. We stopped a few times for fuel and to eat (my first- that I really remember- experience with a Steak'n'Shake. The mint milkshake was good). We got home around 2:00 a.m.

Mom took some candid photos on the drive home...

Me, feeling camera shy. Showing off my single wrist warmer.

{Not making an obscene gesture as it may appear at first glance.}

So...that's it for vacation posts! We really did have a wonderful week in the Florida Keys. I'm so thankful that we were able to go back. I can't believe we've been back for over a month! If you ever get the urge to visit a quirky, tropical place without leaving the US, go to the Keys. :)

Previous posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Days 4 and 5-1, Day 5-2, Day 6-1, Day 6-2.

Until next time,

Florida Keys {Day 6: Pigeon Key- Part 2}

2011-11-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Pigeon Key, the lovely island where we spent our last day in the Keys.

Looking down from the old bridge:

After it was the railroad, this became the highway into the Keys until the 80s. It was called the glass highway because if you didn't fold your side mirrors in, they would get broken by passing traffic. Tractor trailers and campers and cars flying past each other and passing each other on this narrow little road? Sounds pretty scary to me. :)

See this house? You can rent it by the week. That would be the coolest thing, I think- like being on your own private island (only about three other people live on the island permanently, directors of the programs and such).

The rocky beach area had shelled sea creatures everywhere. Including what I guess are dried up ones. Ew. :)

A cat and a duck (named Ducky) live on Pigeon Key. Nobody knows exactly how they got there (either someone brought them or they walked on the 2 mile bridge to get there). Our guide said the duck appeared after a hurricane several years ago.

And this is what the island life is all about. :)

After going on the tour with the guide, you can spend as long as you want on the island. The last boat leaves at 4:00, but you can stay later than that, you just have to walk back. :) We stayed a couple of hours, eating our picnic lunch and wandering around and just relaxing. Then the boat was making its last trip earlier than usual, because the wind was really bad.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Bahia Honda State Park. We went there on our last trip, and my favorite pictures from last time were of the beach and palm trees with the old bridge in the background. They have beaches and trails there. This time it was just as beautiful, though the storm had pulled a lot of seaweed and stuff up on the beach.

On the trail up the hill to the observation area on the old bridge:

Looking down from the bridge:

We spent our last evening on our beach and then walked over to Sunset Park to see our last Keys sunset. :(

{I think this is the first time I've ever used a sad face on my blog. And it feels weird. But our last evening of vacation was sad and deserves a sad face.}

I took about twenty photos of the sun as it disappeared.

It was beautiful.

Coming up: Day 7, coming home and the African Queen. :)

Previous posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Days 4 and 5-1, Day 5-2, Day 6-1.

Until next time,

Florida Keys {Day 6: Pigeon Key}

2011-11-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

On Friday, our last real day in the Keys, we decided to go to Pigeon Key. It's this really neat, historical little island where the railroad workers for the Overseas Railroad lived during the early 1900s. Sometimes there were as many as 400 men living on this little island!

Here's the key as seen from the new bridge.

This little island reminds me of Gilligan's Island. You're welcome for the fact that you now have the theme song stuck in your head. :)

You can only get to Pigeon Key in two ways:
-Take the ferry ride there (which is actually just a small boat), or
-Walk two miles on the old bridge to the key.

For the boat ride, you leave from the Visitor's Center.

Marmee does not like boat rides. So she was pretty nervous about getting there while we were waiting for the first boat to depart. :)

This is the boat we rode:

It's about a fifteen minute ride by boat. The only people who went out on this boat for the tour were the four of us and then two other people. Our guide also rode along with us.

When we got there and climbed off onto the dock, our tour guide led us to some chairs under shady trees. And then she told us all about the history of the island and Henry Flagler's railroad. This was so fascinating! Maybe it's just me and I'm a history nerd, but our guide was so informed and she explained everything in a really interesting way. :) I absolutely loved hearing about what life was like in this area in the 1910s and in the years after that.

{I promised myself I would remember some of the really amazing stuff she told us, so I could write about it here. But it's been a month and some things are fuzzy. But you can read more about the history on the website here. Also, Pigeon Key was the finish line for season 18 of the Amazing Race!}

Here is the original bridge coming over the island.

See the blue metal line on the right and in the center? That was the original width of the train track. Can you imagine riding a train across water on a track that narrow? The extra part on the left was added on later when the old bridge became a two lane highway.

I adored the yellow buildings. :)

The inside of one of the old bunkhouses.

The new bridge, on the left, and the old one, on the right. They don't actually meet, like they appear to.

This has been several things, including a swimming pool and a shark tank.

Here's what the island looked like when the railroad workers lived here. They made good wages, but the work was hard and dangerous. They were made to believe that it would be like working in a tropical paradise. That's what the island looks like now, but it sure didn't look like that then. :) No trees or anything!

The building that houses the museum:

They don't sell any food or anything on the island, so we bought a picnic lunch and ate at a picnic table. It was so beautiful, even though the wind was really crazy. This was our view from where we ate:

This is the ramp that leads from the old bridge (the section that's now a walking/biking path) down onto the island.

Coming up next: the rest of Day 6 and Day 7.

Previous posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Days 4 & 5 (Part 1), Day 5 (Part 2).

Until next time,

A handmade Christmas {gift guide and coupon code}.

2011-11-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

If you're visiting because of the Indie Christmas blog hop, welcome! :)

I love handmade. I am a crafter who's afflicted with the DIY disease, which means that most of the time when I see something neat my first thought is, I could probably make that myself! Which is, by the way, how I ended up accumulating all of my crafty hobbies.

But I do buy handmade items, too. I love to browse Etsy and see all of the lovely, creative things that other people are doing! Whether you're a crafter or not, Etsy is the perfect place to find quirky, one of a kind gifts.

So, on this Black Friday I will not be camping out in front of Target or fighting people for that last flat screen TV. :) I did make a few Etsy purchases, though, and now I want to share some awesome Etsy shops with you!

{Photo credits, left to right: The Little Fox, Kecky, The Black Apple}

I love buying sweet art prints on Etsy. The above prints are from some of my favorite shops that sell art.

The Little Fox has adorable fairy tale and Alice in Wonderland artwork! The owner lives in the UK, but all prints have free shipping and, every time I've ordered from her, they get here super quickly! And she's having a 25% off sale this weekend. I bought a pendant of the above Alice print. :)

Kecky is (I think) the first Etsy shop I ever discovered! I really, really want the Narnia print shown above, from "The Magician's Nephew." Her Winter Rains print is gorgeous, too.

And I think The Black Apple is probably my favorite Etsy shop. I adore her style and have a ton of her prints in my favorites. :) Her Alice series is really incredible, and it includes scenes from the books that are usually left out of film adaptations. Emily is releasing a children's book in January that is based on one of her series of paintings, and I'm so excited for that!

{Bottom left: Wee Little Stitches, top right: A Little Sweetness, bottom right: Studio MME, and bottom center: Follow the White Bunny}

If you know someone who is a crafter (or if you're one yourself!), you should know that Etsy is full of adorable patterns. I think it would be nice to give them as a gift- either you could have the shop owner send the pattern to their email address, or you could get it, print it out, and wrap it up! And a lot of pattern stores sell gift certificates, too. These are some of my favorite shops that sell embroidery patterns.

The Pixel People patterns at Wee Little Stitches are perfect for cross-stitchers who are nerds. :) Or who have a fondness for a certain TV show or film franchise. They are so cute! I just love the Harry Potter ones, the LOTR one, and the Princess Bride gang, shown above. If you buy two or more patterns this weekend, you get 20% off with the coupon code THANKS.

If you love woodland scenes that involve a lot of green, red, and light blue, then you'll love A Little Sweetness. Her patterns would be perfect embroidered for a little girl's room. You can see one of my finished embroideries from her pattern here.

Studio MME already has pretty art prints, but now they are also selling embroidery patterns and even kits (that would make a great gift!). I just finished using one of her patterns.

Follow the White Bunny has lots of adorable woodland patterns. But my favorite and the one I stitched was fairy tale inspired- the Princess and the Pea.

{Bottom left: Polarity, top left: CuteAbility, bottom right: The Black Apple, and bottom center: Purrrfect Pendants.}

One craft that I have not really ventured into is jewelry making. So I love looking at handmade jewelry. I mostly only wear necklaces, which is why they're featured so prominently in pictures {I have seen some adorable earrings, but I don't have pierced ears}.

Polarity apparently recycles a little part from a car and turns it into cute lockets! Each locket comes with two or three magnetic interchangeable covers, and they have dozens of designs to pick from. I love the Alice ones and the fairy tale one pictured above.

CuteAbility has the most charming jewelry I've ever seen- little miniature red ruby slippers, sewing machines, hot air balloons, etc.! Everything definitely has a whimsical feel, and I love it.

I show my love for Cary Grant by wearing the above orange necklace. :) I think the shop had a different name in the past, but now it's called Purrrfect Pendants. They have Scrabble tile pendants featuring just about anything you can think of!

And once again, the Black Apple. Not only do they sell art prints, but right now they have a collection of lockets featuring her art. They're called Fancy Wearables. :) I have been swooning over this midway locket for months now, but it's a little out of my price range just now. I think it's the most gorgeous locket I've ever seen...if anyone wants to send it to me, feel free to do so. :)

And now for a bit of shameless promotion...

I have an Etsy shop, too! :) I opened up Sew Technicolor just over a year ago. My shop features handmade fabric wallets, iPod or cell phone cozies, embroidery pieces, and handbound books.

For the holiday season, I changed my shop sections. They're now gift guide style:

-For the Shopaholic {includes wallets and a couple of bags}
-For the Music Lover {includes iPod cozies, which also hold most cell phones}
-For the Bookworm {includes handbound books}
-For Your Home {includes embroidery framed in hoops and ready to hang!}

Also, for a limited time during Christmas, I'm now offering a bundle where you can save money by purchasing both a wallet and a cozy. See here for details.

And one more thing...

I am offering free shipping just to my blog readers and visitors for this weekend only. Just enter the code BF2011 during checkout. This offer is good for this weekend only: on purchases made from right now through Monday night!

Until next time,

A stitched trio.

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

This makes my nerdy heart happy. :)

{Harry does not have abnormally small feet and he's not floating in the air. There is a layer of white stitches under the black on his shoes which unfortunately in this photo looks the exact same color as the fabric.}

I finished stitching Hermione yesterday afternoon. The pattern is from Wee Little Stitches, and if you visit this weekend you can use a code for 20% off two or more patterns. I am only a Black Friday shopper online (crowds make me nervous and there is nothing I want or need badly enough to go out in that mess!), and I may have already taken advantage of that offer.

And if you are, or know someone who is, a cross-stitcher who has a fondness for a certain TV show or film franchise, you should take advantage, too! :)

And I got this pretty girl properly framed this week.

Until next time,

Thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

{Unfortunately the real video has become "embedding disabled" since last Thanksgiving. Hm.}

I am grateful for:

-My God.
-My family.
-Fresh days with no mistakes in them. :)
-Shelves of books and seven new library books.
-Apple pie.
-Embroidery floss and hoops.
-Inspiring blogs.
-The email Etsy sends you when you made a sale. :)
-Feeling achy after a long day of cleaning and other small accomplishments.
-Old movies.
-Sinatra singing Christmas.
-Silly sitcoms from my growing-up years.
-A finished project.
-Red Netflix envelopes in mailboxes.
-Stories that I still love after reading them a dozen times (or more).

And a lot of other things.

Including you lovely people who read my ramblings and comment on my thoughts. It makes my day! :)

Until next time,

Love on the Line.

2011-11-21T07:13:00.000-05:00

Love on the Line is another enjoyable historical novel by Deeanne Gist. I have read all of her novels so far, and I have loved all of them except one (and I liked that one okay). She has a knack for choosing interesting settings, eras, and plots that set her novels apart from the typical Christian historical fiction.

This novel is set in rural Texas in the early 1900s. It's based around Georgie, a switchboard operator, and Luke Palmer (Lucious Landrum), an undercover Texas Ranger posing as a worker for the telephone company in order to capture an elusive and popular train robber and his gang.

Overall, I really enjoyed Love on the Line. It isn't my absolute favorite of her novels, but it was a fun read. Deeanne Gist's writing style is always easy to read. The plot was engaging and there was a good bit of excitement towards the end. Georgie is likable enough, though her bird obsession was a little extreme at times (I've never been someone who's really into birds). Luke is a great hero. It was interesting how, at the beginning of the book, I found myself being biased toward Frank Comer and against Lucious Landrum, just as the local townspeople are. But as the plot progresses and I learned more about each, my opinions changed. :) One other thing that bugged me just a little bit was how Duane, in the course of just a chapter or two, seems to instantly transform from being a slimy, distasteful young man into a slightly goofy, likable character. It just happened a little too fast for me, I guess?

One more thing- I know that some readers of Christian historical fiction feel that Deeanne Gist's books tend to have too much romance (by that they probably mean kissing :) in them. This one contains about as much of that as any of her others, though maybe a little less. And in opinion, it also seemed like the faith factor was downplayed, compared to most of her other stories.

Until next time,

{I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers, in exchange for my honest review.}

The sewing room.

2011-11-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I love seeing the studios, craft rooms, and work spaces of other crafters.

Up until about a year ago, my crafting space was the kitchen table. :) Marmee really loved that, I'm sure, because the ironing board was always opened up in the corner and there were always loose threads on the floor. I would occasionally lug everything upstairs to my room, but only during Christmas time or near birthdays when I had to work on something in secret.

Then just before Christmas last year, my dad started cleaning out a corner in a small room in our house. It's sort of the mud room/storage room. He packed up some of his stuff that he wasn't using and, wow! I had a sewing corner.

Several months ago, we got rid of the huge chest freezer in the room and did some rearranging, and now I have half of the room to use as my sewing space. :) It is so nice to have this space just for crafting. So nice not to drag the sewing machine and ironing board around and clean my stuff off the table at every meal time.

I took these pictures of the sewing room last month. I apologize for any fuzziness or bad lighting. There is plenty of light in the area where I work, but it's a hard room to get photos of and it wasn't especially sunny that day.

My dad put up these shelves for me a couple of months ago. It's really neat because, other than the shelves and two storage containers I got on sale at Target, everything in my sewing room was already there or recycled from something else!

I finally got a new ironing board cover this year. The last one was brown and hideous. This one is pretty, but the only bad thing is that it's so light that any stains or anything really show! The week after I got it, I accidentally bled some hot pink fabric, so now there's a faded pink square on it. :)

Shelves above the cutting table:

Don't be jealous! I ♥ Sully.

On the top shelf is my special use-very-sparingly-because-I-don't-know-when-I'll-be-able-to-find-more fabric. My fabric.

I use this old hat rack that was bolted onto the wall for my embroidery hoops and rickrack. :)

I bought this storage container from Target to keep my finished items in. The ones that are small enough to fit, that is.

On the bottom shelf is fabric that I'm willing to use on items for my Etsy shop.

My current inspiration board. It's an old corkboard that used to be on my grandma's back porch. It contains fabric, Peanuts comic strips, pictures from magazines and Etsy, a picture of my grandparents in the 40s, paint chips, etc.

Inspiration board, thread organizer, picture of European village, and London calendar. :)

Vintage sewing machine! :) I usually keep it covered, but when I'm in the sewing room I take off the cover so I can look at its prettyness while I craft.

Part of the high table where I cut fabric and do all other crafting.

The Hershey's can was bought back from someone else's vacation to PA, and now it holds most of my bookbinding supplies. Little print is from Flapper Doodle. Pictures are from various calendars (I always keep pretty calendars. You can frame the pictures afterwards! I think all of the Europe pictures in my sewing room came from a $1 calendar that I bought specifically to cut up.)

My cutting area.

I use jars to hold my zippers, pens, markers, rotary cutter, labels, buttons, etc.

We found these two containers while we were transforming the mudroom into the sewing room last year. So I keep snaps, glue, purse hardware in the tin container with asparagus (?) on the front. And craft felt scraps in the big jar.

Underneath that is where I keep my two totes full of fabric scraps, my packing supplies, and my $10 clearance rolling container (thank you, Target!) full of patterns.

My actual sewing table. I really only sit here while I'm sewing. I totally cheated on that seat cushion- it's made out of that fabric that already looks like patchwork. :)

P.S. My big metal trash can was also found while we were cleaning out the room.

My shelves! This helped so much with me getting more organized.

Pattern books (Hobby Lobby sells them for like $2 when the covers are messed up or they're a couple of seasons old), felt, Polyfill, and lots of scrap muslin fabric from old curtains.

Train case (my first one) full of random sewing supplies, like bias tape, elastic, etc. Storage containers with beads and some scrapbooking supplies.

These were on one of my birthday cakes when I was little. We found them a few months ago and I knew they had to go in the sewing room. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, by the way. :)

Craft books (I have an addiction).

Button tin and stack of fleece, batting, interfacing, etc.

Vintage train cases are not only adorable, but they're really nice for storing stuff in! This one holds almost all of my paper crafting supplies, plus some other stuff. Ribbon, hot glue gun, paint, stamps and stamp pads, awl, notecards, etc.

Basket of yarn on the sewing table:

My binder full of patterns and tutorials I find online or buy on Etsy, and my little vintage sewing book:

{That mass to the right side is my poor neglected quilt...}

Embroidery that has yet to be framed, on the wall beneath the shelves. And a map where I put a tiny dot in every place that I've sold something to. The map is too small and I'm working on a bigger, clearer visual for that. :)

My clothesline display of various prints.

{Sources, L to R: free postcard from The Little Fox, two grab bag prints from Flapper Doodle, print I won that I can't remember the shop for- oops, free print from The Black Apple, and photo of my cousin's little girl last Halloween.
Second line: Brian Selznick illustration, I think from Wonderstruck-haven't got to read that one yet!, " " from Hugo Cabret, Halloween embroidery- which has since been replaced by the "George Lassos the Moon" piece, Series of Unfortunate Events illustration by Brett Helquist, and another Brian Selznick illustration. I love this style of illustration, can you tell?}

So that's it. That's my sewing room. I know the pictures are dark and bad, but I hope you get the general idea. :) Even though it's sort of random and cluttered, everything is organized and it's where I love to create.

But I hope you guys know that I took those pictures on a day where everything was nice and clean. I have to organize things and put everything back in its place about once a week, or I go crazy.

These pictures were taken this week, and this is what the space really looks like most of the time:

Until next time,

A crafty week.

2011-11-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry that my blogging has been sort of sporatic lately. I go through phases where my mind is full of things to blog about, and phases where I'd just rather do other things. :)

Here are some crafty things about this past week:

1. My Etsy shop! In the past seven days, I have had four sales. The most sales I've had in a single week since I opened my shop just over a year ago. I am so happy!

And up until this week, I had only sold one piece of my embroidery {Some Pig}. This week I sold three pieces. Please know, I'm not bragging. I'm actually still sort of in shock, I think? :)

One of my favorite things about having an Etsy shop and selling my creations is how sometimes a person will just have a connection to one of your items. One of my Eiffel Tower embroideries this week was sold to someone in Paris. That just completely made my day! :)

Also, remember my To Kill a Mockingbird embroidery? After I put it in the contest Flickr group, I was contacted by someone interested in purchasing it. I wasn't originally planning on selling it, but this lady is having a baby next month, and she's naming her child after a character in the book. I thought that was so neat, so I talked to my parents about it and decided to let the piece go. I love stories like that. They make my bookworm heart flutter.

2. I have two hobbies that I can do while watching movies: embroidery and knitting. Lately I've been spending so much time on knitting that I haven't gotten to work on any embroidery. But with my sales this week, I decided to splurge on a couple of patterns on Etsy! :) You'll be seeing the other two as soon as I finish them.

This is Miss Oste Rich, a pattern from Studio MME. The first time I saw the pattern, I fell in love with it. I adore the profile view and the glamorous 1930s feel. And she has a handsome friend. I want to stitch him, too, and frame them both in black-ribboned hoops.

3. Yesterday, I went with my mom and her friend to a holiday bazaar in town. I went mostly because I might get a booth there next year and I wanted to scope things out. :) It was okay, except that most of the goods that were actually handmade were really underpriced {see my rant about this here}.

Marmee bought me my first ever skein of handspun yarn! Very exciting. :) The lady even had a small spinning wheel there behind her table. It's very cool to know that this yarn was sheared (shorn?) and spun locally.

P.S. I am not not a craft snob. I don't want high-priced cotton fabrics or special embroidery floss or refuse to use craft felt. And I am not a yarn snob. I have used acrylic yarn before, and it's fine. I do, however, prefer natural fibers for many reasons. But do realize that every single bit of yarn I have ever bought (except for this one, which technically Mom bought. And it was only $4.50, which I thought was surprisingly low), wool and cotton and all, was either on clearance or bought with a coupon. :)

4. I spent one morning this week making a project that I've wanted to do for a long time: a peppermint garland from one of my favorite craft books, Fa la la la Felt (full of cute felty holiday ideas). And yes, I used cheapo craft felt, because I didn't want to use my tiny supply of wool blend felt. And it worked just fine.

The peppermint rolls of red and white felt really did look good. Almost good enough to eat. :)

{I have never tasted felt- I hope you haven't either- but I imagine it tastes like a very dry marshmallow. Don't you? Or maybe a cotton ball. But Buddy the Elf seemed to like those.}

The garland turned out super cute, but I haven't really figured out where to put it yet. So right now, it's adorning one of my DVD storage things. With Audrey looking on.

Until next time,

Florida Keys {Day 5 continued: Key West}

2011-11-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

When we left the Hemingway House, we boarded the trolley to head to the next stop. We saw the top of the lighthouse but unfortunately didn't get to see the rest of it.

We rode past the Key West cemetery, which was moved to the highest spot on the island after a 1846 hurricane..."uprooted" some graves at its previous location.

This was a trolley like the one we rode on.

We ate lunch at the Conch Republic Seafood Company Restaurant. I got fish and chips, and those were pretty much the best french fries I've ever had. I don't know what was so special about them, but they were good.

Next we stopped by the former Customs House, which is now the Key West Museum of Art and History. It's a really lovely old building.

I just loved this huge statue in front of the museum, which is taken from Renoir's painting Dance in the Country. It was so beautiful!

They were renovating part of the museum so we didn't get to see all of it. But I loved this exhibit. It was full of paintings where the people in them were 3D statues, so you could pose in the art!

{Sorry for any fuzzy pictures- I had the flash off.}

I found this nice young man, but the other lady kept tagging along, too.

Before:

And after.

When taking this photo, I honestly thought that my brother had only added the sunglasses. Then he took the man's hat off, and I was like, oh. :)

Cool exhibit showing how the original railroad bridge was built.

Beautiful clothing from the time period of the Overseas Railroad.

Part of the train's breakfast menu.

Have I mentioned that I really loved this statue?

There were lots of other tourists there, because a couple of cruise ships had pulled in that morning.

This is Sloppy Joe's Bar, where Ernest Hemingway apparently spent a lot of time.

The prettier side of it.

As you walk down Duval Street, one of the main streets in the Keys, things are really noisy and crowded. Every bar you walk past (and there are lots of them) has the door open and you can hear different music coming from each one, whether from the radio or live.

Then you can turn off onto another street and walk a few steps, and all of a sudden everything is quiet and peaceful.

The oldest house in southern Florida:

There are lots of pretty churches in the Keys.

And finally, the Southernmost Point of the Continental US. We couldn't get a picture in front of the marker because there were about thirty cruise ship people waiting in line.

But at this point, you are only 90 miles to Cuba. You're closer to Cuba than you are to Miami, Florida. Pretty cool, huh?

So that's it for Key West. We had a much better visit in Key West this trip than we did last time. On our last trip, I had some sort of stomach bug that day and remember walking down the street feeling like I was going to get sick at any moment (too much info, sorry). We wandered around, not really seeing anything. This trip, we got to see pretty much all of the town, on foot and by trolley, and visit some lovely museums. It was a lot of fun!

Only one more Florida vacation post left, unless I have to split the last day into two posts, because there are tons of pictures. {These posts haven't been getting any comments, so I guess I'm the only one who is enjoying them. But that's okay, because this is my blog and I like talking about our trip. :) Back to our normally scheduled programming soon, I promise.}

Coming up: Days 6 and 7, Historic Pigeon Key and Coming Home.

Past posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Days 4 & 5 (Part 1).

Until next time,

Florida Keys {Days 4: The Storm, and 5: Key West}

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

{Note: I've had to break Day 5 into two posts, because of the huge amount of photos.}

On Wednesday, we woke up to a crazy storm. It was pouring down rain and lightning so much that it was like someone was standing outside our room with a flash camera snapping pictures. But the thunder was just a discontented murmuring in the background (except for one loud crash that rattled the windows). It was so weird and different from storms here at home- we're all thunder and just a little lightning.

We were stuck inside all morning and came close to driving each other crazy.

I did a lot of this.

{No, I don't usually read with my nose literally stuck in a book. Dad was taking random photos and I was trying to hide my pink face. And yes, I am giving him the evil eye around the corner of my book.}

We finally escaped after lunch when the rain stopped. We went to a Salvation Army thrift store and a local little bookshop. By the end of the trip, we talked about the bookstore owner like we knew him. You could always tell if he had a customer or not. If he didn't, he sat on a stool outside the front door of his shop and read. If he had a customer, he was inside and there was another vehicle there besides his truck with BOOKS printed in huge letters on the side.

We got in the ocean that afternoon. It was cold at first from all the rain, but felt fine once you got used to it. At NC and SC beaches, the water is so murky and the waves are so high that I never went out much further than my waist. But the ocean at the Keys seems safer somehow, and there are no sudden drop-offs. So I surprised myself by going out until the water was up to my shoulders.

Thursday morning we woke up to...

Oh my goodness. Sunshine! We could hardly believe it. The first sunny day of our entire trip.

It was a gorgeous day- perfect for a trip to Key West. We drove down and circled around a bit trying to find somewhere to park. Dad finally found a free parking spot that was close to one of our trolley's stops. We rode on the City View Trolley Tours, which was really nice. There were eight stops all over the town, and you could get on and off as much as you wanted. Plus it was like $10 cheaper than all of the other tours!

If you go to Key West, you really do need to do a trolley tour, the first day at least. Last time we went, we sort of wandered confused through the city and didn't get to see hardly anything because we didn't know what we were doing!

Key West is really a neat, historical town, even though it has some bad associations tied to it. It has lots of art and museums and music. And lots of traffic (bikes, scooters, carts, cars- anything you can rent to get around).

This is the southernmost house in the continental United States. It's very pretty, and it's an inn now. It was built in 1896.

Our first real stop in Key West was the Hemingway Home & Museum, which was the residence of author Ernest Hemingway from 1931 through 1940 (one of his wives lived there for years afterwards).

The house was built in 1851 and is really beautiful and unusual looking. I loved the huge door/windows, which gave the house a really open and airy feel, and the golden shutters. :)

The kitchen was really light and sunny, so I'm not sure why this picture turned out so dark.

I'll mention the cats later...this one was stalking a bird in the yard. :)

Above, the living room. Below, as our guide said, a photo of Hemingway surrounded by his "collection of wives." :) He was married four times.

The main bedroom:

Okay- the cats. There are over 40 cats living in the house and on the property. These cats are six-toed cats and descendants of Hemingway's original cat, Snowball. They wander all over the place and most are really friendly. One of these guys was following our group through the house.

Can a bathroom be pretty? Because this one was. It was yellow and sunny.

I love that the house has a porch all the way around the main floor, and a balcony all around the second floor.

And the house is surrounded by a brick wall and tons of trees and shrubbery. So even though you're in the middle of a busy town, it's sort of like being in your own little world.

This was my favorite room- his writing studio. It's not actually in the house, but it's the second floor in a separate building outside the house. The guide said that Hemingway considered his work day successful if he wrote between 600 and 800 words a day.

There are several unique things about the house. First, it's made out of limestone and the walls are like 18 inches thick, so it's never been damaged by hurricanes. It has a basement, which is very rare for homes in the Keys. The house is also built on the second-highest point of Key West, at a whopping 16 feet above sea level. :) And it has a pool. This was the first swimming pool in Key West.

Hemingway's wife had the pool built for him as a surprise when he was away. It cost $20,000 (the house itself only cost $8,000 when they purchased it). When he found that out, he took a penny out of his pocket and gave it to his wife, and said, "You might as well take my last cent." She pressed it into the wet cement near the pool.

A little cat house modeled after the real house. :)

Hemingway had a tradition of naming his cats after famous people (apparently not Snowball, though), so they still do that with the cats at the house now. We met the cat Cary Grant, and the guide told us about their oldest cat, Ida Lupino, who lived to be over twenty years old.

They have a cat cemetery there, and I couldn't resist getting a picture of this:

The house is hidden behind the wall and those trees.

Coming up: the rest of day five in Key West.

Previous posts: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.

Until next time,

Seven things.

2011-11-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

My cousin Amy, of Sew Well, tagged me with The Versatile Blogger award! Thanks, Amy.

I'm supposed to give seven random things about myself, so here goes:

1. I collect children's books, especially picture books (I have close to 100). I collect them for my someday-children, but also because I love picture books! They're fun and clever and gorgeous. :) I especially like quirky ones. For Christmas, I picked out a picture book about the Loch Ness Monster. How awesome is that? I also hinted around for an Audrey Hepburn one from Amazon (sorry, can't include the link, because then I'll know if Mom bought it or not...you can search for it, though- it's called "Just Being Audrey").

Some of my favorite picture book authors and illustrators are Eric Carle, Tomie dePaola, Ludwig Bemelmans (Madeline books), Beatrix Potter, Ezra Jack Keats, Dr. Seuss, H.A. Rey (Curious George books), and Bernard Waber.

Remember that children's literature series I was going to do way back when? Good grief, I really messed that one up. Maybe I'll try to actually follow through on that soon...

2. I started watching Planet Earth last night, and I love it. Except for the occasional mentions of evolution, things that happened 50 million years ago, etc., it is gorgeous! The cinematography is stunning and the whole series is a great reminder of how amazing the Creator is. One of my favorite parts so far was the pandas- I used to just love pandas! The shot of the mama panda holding her tiny cub to her chest was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I also loved the terrifying shark and the elephants swimming.

And the leopards/pumas/large cats. I'm always in awe of the fact that their behaviors and mannerisms are identical to those of house cats! The snow leopard stretches in the exact same way Jack does. :) There's just the minor thing that, instead of hunting bugs, they're hunting animals nearly as big as me. That's a little creepy.

3. I love Legos. I have ever since I was kid. Yesterday, I was staying with my cousins' children that I keep three afternoons a week. The little boy asked me to put together a Lego set of his, a car. So I did. His mom was like, "You didn't have to put all of that together!" But I had so much fun doing it! :) There's something so satisfying about following the step by step instructions to building something like that.

I had this Lego set (and actually, I think that Amy's parents gave it to me for Christmas one year when I was a kid, and she and her brother helped me put it together). I still have most of the pieces somewhere around here. It was awesome. A yellow shark cage, several varieties of sharks, seaweed, and a treasure chest? Legos are the best.

4. I also love board games. I used to play them all the time, when I could wrangle my brother into playing against me. (Apparently I'm feeling very nostalgic today, so bear with me!) I really loved The Game of Life. It was fun to put the tiny blue boys and pink girls in the little car. :) We had this version with the lovely 90s sweater-wearing family.

5. I despise going to doctors. I really only go to the eye doctor and the dentist. I don't trust modern medicine and pharmaceuticals very much anyway, and thankfully I don't get sick very often. I've also only had one surgery in my whole life, and that was having my wisdom teeth out back in April.

6. Lately I have not been in the mood for oldies TV...instead, I've had this crazy craving for 90s TV. Which is a little strange, but not really since I'm a child of the 90s and I have been feeling nostalgic lately. :) I love Full House and have the whole series on DVD, in all of its glorious cheesiness. And I've just started watching the first season of Boy Meets World. Which we used to watch when I was little. I caught a few episodes when we were on vacation, and now I want to see the whole series.

7. I am attempting Nanowrimo again this year. I'm days behind, so things aren't looking so great right now. But who knows, I might be able to pull through. :)

I don't know if versatile is synonymous with random, but if so, then I would say this is definitely a versatile post! :) Anyway, I'm not going to tag anyone specifically with this award. Feel free to take it and list random things about yourself on your blog as well. It's fun. For me, anyway. :)

Until next time,

A knitting success & book finds.

2011-11-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

Another long term crafting project (that should not have been long term) completed this week...

My first pair of wristwarmers!

The first one has been completed for over a month. I've just been working a little too slowly on the second one. I made them using instructions from a knitting book I got at the library. They're made with rib stitch, and I used Lion Brand (I think? Isn't that what it's called) fisherman's wool. I used that yarn because I had bought it on clearance and it's all I had at the time. Even though it isn't an exceptionally pretty color, it's brown and I wear a lot of brown, so they will match a lot of my outfits.

Yes, that is Oliver rubbing his head on the wristwarmer. He must like wool.

I had to adjust the pattern a little bit, because it called for size 9 needles, and the largest double pointed ones Hobby Lobby had were size 8. So I had to add a few extra stitches and meander around a little bit with the thumb- it told me to pick up stitches and I wasn't quite sure how to do that (despite watching YouTube videos). But I improvised, and they turned out fine!

I did get off on the rib stitch on the first one, right shown below, above the thumb. But I avoided that on the second one. I also avoided binding off the top too tightly, which I did on the first one.

{Thanks to my mom for the picture of the pair. I had never thought about it before- that I wouldn't be able to take pictures of the pair while wearing them! :)}

Today me, my mom, and a friend of hers had a girls' day out in a nearby town. We had a great time, including shopping, a good lunch, and frozen yogurt for dessert (from a place where you make your own, toppings and all, and pay according to the weight).

I went in Barnes and Noble, a treat because the only bookstores in our town are Goodwill and the bargain bookstores (not that I'm complaining about them!). I had forgotten the huge amount of books they have- books that I've never been able to pick up and hold in person, ones that I've only seen online.

But I did experience a little sticker shock. I usually pay $2-$7 for books, rarely more than about $12. So seeing that most of the books were $8-$25 was sort of scary.

I also did not appreciate the bag.

Dear Barnes and Noble,

Don't you know of my hatred for e-readers and e-books? Don't you realize that they're practically against my religion? I'm not interested in your Nook. Why would you put my beautiful real books in a bag like this? Next time I'll bring a fabric reusable bag, okay?

Sincerely,
Kristin

I did get a few good things today: a couple of little skeins of Sugar'n'Cream yarn, The BGF {by Roald Dahl}, the second Mysterious Benedict Society book {by Trenton Lee Stewart}, Wives and Daughters {by Elizabeth Gaskell}, and the 2006 Jane Eyre mini series!

{I really do have an obsession with collecting period dramas. I saw the 2006 mini series through Netflix a while back and loved it- I don't think I blogged about it yet, but I will after rewatching it tonight! :) I went in our Sam's Club last week, planning on buying it because they have had it for as long as I can remember. Guess what? They didn't have it. So I found it today in a different Sam's.}

Until next time,

A stitched book.

2011-11-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

I finally finished this embroidery piece that I started a long time ago. It's my entry for Feeling Stitchy's Covered in Stitches contest.

Thanks to my procrastination, I had to fill in almost all of the silhouettes this weekend, since the deadline was today. It's the most stitching I've ever done in two days, and a few of my fingertips were bleeding at one point. :) That's extreme crafting, people.

I got the design from my favorite cover of To Kill a Mockingbird (an edition which, unfortunately, I do not own).

The grey background is broadcloth, and the moon is white cotton stitched on. I used split stitch for the outlining and a version of long and short stitch to fill everything in.

I'm really proud of it and happy with how it turned out. Though, honestly, I feel a little insecure when I look at all of the other gorgeous covers that people embroidered for the contest. You can see them in the Flickr group pool here. My two favorites are the Pride and Prejudice one (that was one of the covers I considered doing) and the flowery Anne of Green Gables one!

I know I've been sort of absent around here lately. I've been working on my last two Florida Keys posts, but it has taken longer than I expected because there are so many photos in the posts.

{P.S. I put up my aluminum Christmas tree today! A post on that coming up sometime soon.}

Until next time,

Softly and Tenderly.

2011-10-30T22:24:00.001-04:00

I read "The Sweet By and By" last year, and I don't remember being especially impressed with it. It felt too heavy to me. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I got my hands on the sequel (in what is going to be a trilogy).

The details of the first one were a little foggy in my mind, but I remembered the major plot and details came back to me as I read the sequel. I would think that anyone could pick up this book and be just fine without having read SBAB first.

I enjoyed "Softly and Tenderly" so much more than the first book. It is heavy as well, dealing with issues almost as big as those in the first book. It touches on things like adultery, illegitimate children, anxiety, deception, addiction, and death. Sometimes I felt like things couldn't get much worse for poor Jade- she was hit with so much in this book! Speaking of Jade, she seemed more likable than I remembered from the previous book (though I could have done without the Dustin thing).

The faith element of this series is much more understated than in most Christian fiction. It's subtle but comes out when it needs to, which I think is nice. And while I do love definite happy endings, it was refreshing to have an ending that is hopeful but not wrapped up perfectly (there is one more book coming, after all).

I think my favorite part of this book was Beryl. I remember not really liking her character in the first book. I just loved her in this one, though, and her relationship with Jade. I loved how Jade was able to look beyond the not-so-good aspects of her past relationship with her mother and come to appreciate Beryl and what she had done in her life.

Overall, a pretty enjoyable book. I usually stick with historical fiction, so contemporary Christian fiction always feels a little strange to me. But "Softly and Tenderly" is real and heartwarming, and in my opinion, a big improvement over the previous book in the series. I definitely look forward to reading the conclusion!

{I received this book free from Booksneeze. In exchange, I'm required to write only an honest review, not necessarily a positive one.}

Until next time,

Florida Keys {Day 3: The $3,500 Deer and the Best Pizza in the Known Universe}

2011-10-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, our first full day in the Keys, it was cloudy and crazy windy all day, but it didn't rain a drop until late in the afternoon. So we were able to get out and go some places that morning.

Some of the water had soaked in around the hotel.

This was my mother's most favorite part of our whole vacation. *note sarcasm here*

The Seven Mile Bridge.

Marmee doesn't like bridges or water.

{Also, please excuse the fact that some of these pictures might be blurry, include windshield wipers, have a glare, etc. A lot of them were taken through the windows while we were driving.}

The Seven Mile Bridge connects part of Marathon to the Lower Keys. The above picture shows us driving on the new bridge, which was constructed in the late 70s/early 80s. To the right, and in the below picture, you can see the original bridge.

This is part of the awesome history in the Keys. Henry Flagler, a billionaire oil and railroad tycoon, was responsible for building the first railroad through the Keys (amongst a ton of other things). I'll talk more about this later. But this original bridge (below) was built between 1909 and 1912. It was the railroad- can you imagine? Riding a train on this narrow bridge over the water? And it's still standing. In the 1930s, it was converted to a two-lane highway, which is almost even scarier than the idea of it being a railroad, once you see how narrow it is.

This is Pigeon Key, which I'll talk about in the post of our last day in the Keys. Because we went there. :) And it was ridiculously awesome.

So on Tuesday morning we got up and went riding through Marathon, across the Seven Mile Bridge, and into Big Pine Key and No Name Key. These islands were still really flooded- a lot of the roads were covered in water.

There is a type of deer found only in the Florida Keys. They're called Key deer (bet you never would have guessed that one! :). They're like the deer that are so plentiful here in Virginia, except they're a lot smaller. Key deer are like miniature versions of our deer.

Here are a couple of Key deer hanging out in someone's backyard. In the only part of the yard that wasn't flooded.

Key deer are endangered. So the people down there take their deer very seriously. When you get to the National Key Deer Refuge, you start seeing a lot of signs like these.

If you hit and kill a Key deer, there's a $3,500 fine {according to our trolley guide in Key West}. Isn't that crazy?? We drove very slowly.

There are also signs saying: SPEED KILLS KEY DEER. Yes, in capital letters like that. There's even a sign (which I didn't get a picture of) telling how many deer have been killed that year by cars. I think in 2010, it was 108. In 2011, it was 105 so far {that didn't sound like an awful lot to me, but it is, because they estimate there are only between 300 and 700 Key deer in existence}. Apparently they're trying to beat last year's record.

I think the people who live on this street are doing their part in beating that record.

Another difference between these deer and our deer is that Key deer aren't scared of humans. They walk around like they own the place. They are not spastic, running and jumping out from the edge of the road. They stroll along very casually.

This cute deer appears to be eating a banana. But he's not. It's a yellow leaf, okay?

{Off topic, but my family had a very serious discussion on the drive down the interstate about banana peels. My mom had eaten a banana and wanted to throw the peeling out in the woods on the side of the road. It is biodegradable, after all. But we convinced her that if she through out that peeling, someone, somehow, would slip up and fall on it. Mostly likely an elderly person. She waited and found a trash can at our next stop.}

Last time we were in the Keys, we stumbled upon this little pizza place while driving around. We wanted to eat there again this time, and we remembered generally where it was. We were riding along looking for it, and my dad was saying, "Now, are we going to be able to find this place again?" About that time, there it was. No Name Pub.

This is a quirky pub and pizza place that's sitting amongst houses and little backroads. It's really impossible to give someone directions for how to get there. You just have to find it.

It's a dark little place lit by the few windows and neon lights, where the tables and chairs are wood and they give you Styrofoam plates to eat your pizza off of. They advertise as having the best pizza in the known universe. It is really good.

Oh, and the walls and ceiling are covered in tens of thousands of dollar bills marked with drawings, doodles, people's names, and hometowns.

My brother contributed the dollar to represent our family, and we all signed it.

He is constantly draping his arm around me for pictures: he does this because it drives me crazy. So this is his I-know-this-makes-her-mad smirk, and my if-he-doesn't-move-his-arm-I'm-going-to-slug-him smirk.

Then we stopped at the Blue Hole. It's an old rock quarry that is now filled with fresh water- it's the only fresh water "lake" in the Keys {there is virtually no fresh water in the Keys. All of the fresh water has to be sent in from the mainland}.

The trees are brown and charred because a controlled burn got out of control. It actually looked really pretty though- like fall, sort of.

The Blue Hole has all sorts of animals living nearby, including alligators. Unfortunately, all we saw were birds, fish, and turtles.

The next two vacation posts are my favorite days and full of pictures.

Coming up: Days 4 and 5, or The Day It Stormed and Finally, Sun! (Key West).

Previous posts: Day 1, and Day 2.

Until next time,

Confession.

2011-10-27T09:54:00.000-04:00

Apparently I'm very weak-willed when it comes to Christmas. And Christmas music.

I have this rule that I won't start listening to Christmas music until November 1st. I always try to do that because you can have too much of a good thing, and I don't want to be tired of Christmas tunes before December 25th even gets here. :)

Last year I held off until the second week in November.

This year I failed. I bought the Michael Buble Christmas album on Tuesday and listened to it yesterday. Technically, my mom convinced me to put it in while I was dusting (I was in a cleaning mood, which is a rare occurrence). She practically twisted my arm until I gave in! *cough*

So there's no going back now. My She & Him Christmas album will be here tomorrow and I'm going to bring out my other holidays CDs as well. I can't help myself.

{P.S. Even though it feels wrong to listen to Christmas music before my annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, I don't feel so guilty when I remind myself that Christmas is less than 2 months away! How on earth did that happen? By the way, I love the Michael Buble CD.}

I'm also weak-willed when it comes to chocolate. And this week I discovered Nutella. Oh my goodness, how did I not know about this stuff before?

But it's bad, because now there is a legitimate way to eat chocolate for breakfast. So I've decided that I can use Nutella for dessert only.

{Who knew that chocolate on multi grain bread would be so amazing?}

Until next time,