'Tis the Season

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."  ~Dr. Seuss (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)
 

I love Christmas.  In particular I love Advent, because it doesn't rush things.  It is all about waiting.  Waiting for the birth of Jesus, not Santa coming down the chimney or Black Friday.  And, unlike the retail world, it does not start until December.  Ok, I concede that this year Advent did in fact begin in November, but that's just because four Sundays prior to Christmas just happened to fall on the last Sunday in November.  No big deal.  I just don't like that stores start hawking Christmas stuff before Halloween!  Stores can sell Christmas items all year long--that is fine.  But they don't need to start blaring Christmas music just after Labor Day.

My family always had a rule.  My mom's birthday is today, December 6th (Happy Birthday, Mom!).  So the rule was that we couldn't decorate the house until after Mom's birthday.  That helped keep things at bay.  We were not decking the halls before our Thanksgiving turkey fully digested.

Anyway, I am happy that we are now in the full swing of things, at the appropriate time, and that "O, Come, O, Come Emmanuel" is constantly running through my head.  It's one of my favorite hymns, and I am so glad to have found a church home here in Omaha just in time to get to sing it.  I also bought my first Christmas tree.  It's a fake, but it was inexpensive and will last for many Christmases, so I figure it is a prudent purchase.  And the fact that many of the ornaments were hand-made by me, all the better!

As much as I don't like the commercialism of the holidays, I do love gift-giving.  Of course, I like receiving them, too, but I do like picking something out or making something for somebody.  The joy if giving is a great thing. 

So, to aid in the gifting, and to promote my own commercial endeavors, I have posted new items in my etsy store!  The last Omaha Craft Mafia sale was not so successful, so I have plenty of items left over.  Over Thanksgiving, I was planning to update my sites.  Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a snag.  I learned the hard way that it is illegal to sell knitted items made from someone else's patterns.  I don't know why I didn't think of it before.  It's pretty obvious.  But I just wasn't thinking.  I posted a couple hats, a scarf, and a clutch from a particular pattern book, and the designer contacted me and asked me to remove them.  I promptly did, and e-mailed her to apologize.  She ended up being very nice about it, and I suppose the whole situation could have been much worse.  It was an honest mistake, but a lesson well learned!  I'll be sticking to my own designs or at the very least asking permission first.

Madding Crowd now has new Christmas and Hanukkah cards as well as photo coaster sets, with my own photography.

Worsted is a little bare at the moment, but will soon have a few new pieces.  Just give me a couple days to get those posted. 

In the Bleak December

"Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' " -Edgar Allan Poe (The Raven)

I did it!  I am an official NaNoWriMo winner!  For those of you that don't know (don't worry, I didn't either) NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  Every November since 2001 writers around the world have taken on the challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, starting at 12:00am November 1, and ending 11:59pm November 30.  I do not know what wise person decided that November was a good month, 'cause let me tell you, it was probably the worst month for me.  If you make it to the 50,000 word mark by that time, you are declared a "winner."  And what do you win?  A little badge like you see on the left and you get to print off a certificate that certifies you as a winner.  So no matter what anyone says: I am a winner! ;)  What did this massive literary adventure entail?  Writing about 1667 words A DAY for 30 days!  To give you some perspective, my master's thesis was 15,000 words and written in 3 months.  So my novel was 3 times as long and written in1/3 of the time... Holy crap.  I did it!  I bloody, freaking did it! 

My novel is titled, "In the Bleak December."  It was sort of the backstory to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."  It has always been one of my favorite poems off all time.  And when I was in high school, I started getting the idea of writing a story about what lead up to the events in the poem.  So I decided to go for it.  Here is a brief synopsis:  My main character is a young man named Haven Murray.  Yes, Haven rhymes with Raven, and that plays a small role in the story. He meets a beautiful but elusive young woman called Lenore.  He becomes smitten and a little bit obsessed.  They meet at various and sundry times, he reveals his phobia of ravens, they fall in love.  Everything is hunky-dorey.  But then, alas, Lenore must leave.  Haven gets mad.  Haven gets sick (how very Victorian of him).  Haven hallucinates and has all sorts of nightmares.  Haven gets better and decides to write a letter to Lenore to try to convince her to come back.  His brother and best friend kindly attempt to deliver it, but in the process reveal a horrifying reality... dun, dun, du-nah!  I am not going to give away the ending.  But the story ends where the poem begins, so you get the general idea: Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl leaves, boy goes crazy, boys sees talking birds in his study.  What more do you need? 

I am going to spend some time editing it, and seeing how I really feel about the whole thing.  But so far, I'm really happy with it.  It is better than I imagined it would be and I was surprised that I was able to flesh out a full story and individual characters.  I was also found it interesting how biographical the story turned out to be, at least in terms of Haven's character.  I put a lot of myself into him, because, well, I am the only person inside whose head I can safely say I have been.  I even used my own dreams in it, which were fun to right about.  But not all of it is me, so I worry if people, particularly my friends, read it that they will think I have thought some of those thoughts, and that is just not the case.  I just sort of took my thoughts and feelings to the nth degree in some places.  Haven kinda has a screw loose, so I had to get that across.  Other parts are extremely personal, so that will be a little weird to have people read, but I'm generally pretty open with my feelings.  I like to vent when I need to, so I doubt any of the things I wrote would be "new" to most of my friends who have expressed interest in reading it. 

So, once I edit it, and friends have read it, I might, just might, look into getting it published.  As my grandma said when I told her about it, "Anyone can publish a book these days.  Look at Sarah Palin."  I love my grandma!

My tips for any future NaNoWriMo-ers:
1) Spend your first few days just writing whatever, and getting used to the word count.  You'll be surprised by plot ideas and characters that emerge that you didn't think of before.
2) Brainstorm "scenes" that you want to take place.
2) Grab as many post-it notes as you need to represent each day you have left to write.  On each post-it write a topic or scene from your brainstorm that you think you can get 1667 words out of.  Then arrange them in a coherent order.  Rearrange as needed.
3) Set aside time every day to write, carry a notebook around with you to write paragraphs or jot down notes.  And write 1667 words a day until you reach 50,000!

At the end of the 30 days, I discovered that I wrote better if I wrote it out long-hand.  I self-edited less and my thoughts flowed better.  Also, I didn't get distracted by the internet.  Then I would just type everything up.  I don't think it took much longer, because I type fast, and I could transfer it while watching TV and didn't have to think about it.  It was also easier to carry around a spiral than a laptop.

All in all, it was a great experience.  It was very rewarding, and challenging, and totally insane.  And to quote that damn raven, "Nevermore!"

Carpe Diem

"But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken, no matter what." -Little Edie Beale (Grey Gardens) 

This year for Halloween, I was the one and only Little Edie Beale from "Grey Gardens."  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  Both the original documentary, and the HBO Movie with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.  They did a marvelous job.  Jessica Lange killed it.  I wouldn't have even known that was her.  Brilliant.  And the Edies are so endearing.  Sorta troubled, and kooky, and crazy, but really lovable in their own way.  Those Staunch Women!

There's one line in the HBO version that kind of hit home to me.  Big Edie tells Little Edie, "You're an acquired taste, dear."  And I thought, I think I am, too.  So I feel like both the Edies, Little Edie in particular is a kindred spirit. I'd also like to add that the scarves, the shoes, and the brooch (not shown) were all from thrift stores.  The fishnets were bought at Target, and everything else was from my own wardrobe.  I think I spent about $15 total.  Not bad, eh?

As I said in my last post, I am going to make my 27th year really significant.  I'm going to get off my bum and do some of the things I've wanted to do, and never did.  One of those things is to write a novel. Ok, I don't actually expect to become a novelist.  I don't even care if it's ever published.  But since high school, I've had the idea to write the back story to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven."  Who is Lenore?  What happened to her?  Why does the narrator think ravens are talking to him?  These are the questions I hope to answer.  And I think it an interesting challenge to know what is going to happen at the end of the story, but I have to come up with what leads up to that.  I hope I do Poe justice.  He's one of my favorites, and I'd hate to do his poem a disservice.  But I just need to get it down and out of my head.

I saw the link to the National Novel Writing Month's website on another friend's blog, and decided to join, with only two days to go before the writing began.  But, it's now day 1 and I already have 2109 words, which is 442 more words than I need for the day.  So I hope I'm off to a good start.  I hope to make the 50,000 words before November 30.  But I'll be pretty darn happy if I just have the story completed by then.  If I have a decent story that's less than 50,000 words, I'll feel right as rain.  But it'll be tricky, either way, as this month has a craft sale, a night spent in an axe-murder house, and Thanksgiving...  I might think ravens are talking to me, too, by the end of the month.

My Bonnie Wee Thistle

"The universality of tattooing is a curious subject for speculation."  -James Cook, 1779

I will be the first to admit that "tattoos" and "prudence" do not usually go hand in hand.  But I would argue otherwise:

 Several years ago, I became really interested in tattoos.  It probably had something to do with the surge of tattoo reality shows.  I had never been opposed to getting one in the past, but I didn't have any idea what I would get or where I would put it.


One evening, I think on The History Channel, there was a great program on the history of tattoos around the world.  It was really great, explaining the significance of tattoos in various cultures, and I found it really interesting that tattoos are pretty universal.  


Shortly before I left for grad school in Scotland, I decided that I wanted to get a thistle, and I figured I would get it on my wrist.  I really like wrist tattoos, and I think they are a particularly feminine location without the reputation of the "tramp stamp."  So I finally knew what I wanted and where I wanted to put it!  It just took me three years to get it...

My 27th birthday was October 6th.  By the time everyone in my family was my age, they had all been married.  I'm no where close to walking down the aisle.    Most of the time it's fine and I'm not in any rush.  However, I won't lie, sometimes it really sucks.  But I'm used to it by now.  It will someday be my turn.  Therefore 27 has taken on a certain significance for me.  I sort of feel like I'm in uncharted territory.  I've decided to make my 27th year on this earth meaningful. 


When I started thinking about the design on my thistle, I thought about the style I wanted.  I could never quite pin down how I wanted it to look.  But I knew that a good tattoo artist would be able to come up with something far better than I could cook up.  I decided that I could get a double whammy of Scottish-ness if I did the thistle in a style inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Scottish designer from the turn of the Century.  He designed the Glasgow School of Art and his style is sort of cross between Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts.


I printed off several of examples of his work and several examples of thistles.  I stopped by a tattoo parlor in downtown Omaha to discuss my ideas.  When I showed the guy my examples, he told me it couldn't be done.  I couldn't get the design I wanted in the size I wanted.  So I told him that the examples I had brought in were just that: examples!  Couldn't he simplify it to something that could work in the size I wanted?  It was a frustrating back-and-forth.  He just didn't seem to understand that I didn't want the exact design I had brought in.  I once again said, "Couldn't it be simplifed?"  And he proceeded to draw what amounted to a stick figure flower.  So I walked out.


A friend of mine had mentioned that a friend of hers was a tattoo artist in Lincoln.  So I e-mailed him and sent him the same images I had brought in to the other studio.  He said that absolutely he could work with me and come up with something I would like.  He even said he loved the idea of Art Nouveau tattoos.  


My friend Rebecca and I drove down to Lincoln and I spoke with Tyson, the owner of Iron Brush.  He was super nice and super helpful.  He looked through my images and asked me what I liked about them.  He started sketching right there and would ask me if I liked something one way or another.  The sketch on the right is the one I chose.  It was a little bigger than what I had originally had in mind, but I really liked it.  It sorta forced me to be a bit ballsier than I had expected I would be!  

The sad flower on the left was drawn by the jerk at Big Brain in Omaha, the lovely thistle on the right is Tyson's design.

The tattoo itself took only about 20 minutes.  And it HURT!  It wasn't unbearable.  I didn't scream or cry, but it did hurt a bit more than I thought it would.  Not that I didn't think it would hurt.  But I found out after the fact that the wrist is a pretty sensitive spot to get tattooed...

After it was all done, I ran out and Rebecca took this picture.  She made fun of me, because she knows how I plan everything, and she couldn't believe I got a tattoo without knowing what it was going to look like beforehand.  But like I said before, I trusted that the artist would have better ideas than I could think of.  And I would never have let him touch me if I hadn't liked it.

 

 And this is the tattoo in all its glory.  It scabbed up as all tattoos do.  And my wrist swelled up by 1/2".  But all in all, it wasn't too bad.  It's really nice now that it's healed and it's finally a part of my body rather than a pretty wound.

The day before, I did have a moment when I looked a my wrist, and thought to myself, "This is the last time I will see my wrist bare."  It was a wee bit unsettling, but then I thought, I have scars all over my body from various minor scrapes and scuffs.  Those are permanent, too and my body doesn't look the same as it did before I got those.  But this is a conscious choice and it's ART!  I didn't think twice after that. 

But once I actually had the tattoo, it was a little "whoa!"  It sort of what I imagine having a baby is like.  You really, really want it.  You plan for it.  You get excited about it.  You love it.  But then all of a sudden it's there!  And for a brief moment you think, "What did I just do?  This is forever!"  But then you look down at it, in all its beauty, and you think, "Worth it!"  At least that's how I felt.  It's a part of me now and forever, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

That brings me back to my first point about prudent tattoos.  Firstly, you have to really think about it.  This is something that a) will last forever, and b) will be even more painful and expensive to remove.  It should be something that is beautiful, not only in the image itself, but also in its execution.  There is nothing worse than an ugly tattoo.  That doesn't mean that you have to get a butterfly or a flower--skulls can be beautiful, too.  They just have to be well designed.  Also, your tattoo should be meaningful.  If you love Tweety Bird and he represents your idyllic childhood and your beloved parakeet, than by all means, get Tweety Bird.  But don't pick something just because it "looks cool" or means something right that minute.  If you don't want to be reminded of something in twenty years, don't get it permanently etched into your body...  

Placement and scale are also important.  I remember a girl in my high school got the biggest, ugliest star-shaped monstrosity on her stomach.  Any woman should know that the stomach is not the best place to put anything.  She wasn't the smallest girl anyway, and for every woman, you are pretty likely to expand and contract in that general area, especially if you want to have children some day...  Better to pick a less fluctuating area.  

I am fortunate, that in my line of work, a visible tattoo is not a problem.  I didn't worry about getting one on my wrist.  But a good rule of thumb if you are a concerned, is to get it in a place that can be easily hidden or shown off as needed.  I wanted to be able to see mine.  And if need be, I can wear a wrist cuff to cover it.  So be prudent in your choice. 

Also, I think tattoos are prudent in their cost.  Yes, tattoos can be expensive if they are well done.  But remember, this is art.  And lifetime art.  Spending what amounts to $2 or more a year for a stellar work of art is not really a big deal.  It certainly costs less and will last longer than that new iPhone you just plunked down $400 for.

Will I get more?  Maybe.  I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but none of them have struck me the way the thistle did.  While watching that program all those years ago, they talked about the tradition of nautical tattoos.  Sparrows on your chest represented how many miles you had traveled (right  = 5000, left = 10,000).  Neptune on your thigh meant you had crossed the equator.  And a dragon on your back meant you had crossed the international date line.  I've done all of those things, but the dragon is the only one I would want.  So that would likely be my next one.  This one took me three years, so perhaps my 30th birthday will include dragons...

Goodwill Hunting

"Cannot people realize how large an income is thrift?" -Cicero

I don't kid when I say thrifting is an Art.  It takes patience, skill, endurance, and a little bit of luck.  Yesterday, Rebecca and I headed out for some much needed thrift store hunting.  We both had an excellent time.  After 6 hours, three thrift stores, 20 miles, and about $40 each, we both came away with about 7 items apiece.  Not too shabby.



I am a big fan of altering jeans.  I have what I assume is an all-too-common problem of having a hard time finding jeans that fit/look good.  My hip-to-thigh ration seems to be off somehow.  I can find jeans that fit my waist and hips, but they are really baggy around my thighs.  Or if the jeans fit my thighs, I can't get them over my ample backside.  And I like my ample backside, and baggy jeans do not accentuate my assests, so to speak.  Therefore I've started finding jeans that fit, or are wide-legged, and taking them in at the thighs, or just pinning them down the shape of my leg and then sewing them up and cutting off the excess.  It's worked quite well so far, and darker jeans hide my somewhat questionable sewing skills, so that helps.   Perhaps in a later post, I'll show the step-by-step process...



I staged a little photo shoot with myself.  I can't tell you how silly I felt trying to strike a pose in my bedroom.  I have a whole new respect for the girls on America's Next Top Model!  Fierce does not come easy!  I think a tripod would help.  It would give me some flexibility on location and lighting.  But I'm happy enough with the photos below to post them on the internet, so I guess that says something.  I tried to pair each of my new articles of clothing with other thrifted or discounted purchases.  

 Outfit on the Left: Blouse - Goodwill, Cardigan - Thrift World, Jeans - Thrift World, altered

Outfit on the Right: Dress - Goodwill, Headband - H & M, Boots - PetsMart (that's right, PetsMart!)

 

Outfit on the Left: Blouse - Goodwill, Cardigan - Vintage from Assistance League Thrift, Charcoal Trousers - New Lift Thrift / Outfit on the Right: Shell - Goodwill (Ann Taylor Loft $1.98!), Trouser Jeans - Thrift World, altered

Outfit on the Left: Sweater - Goodwill, Corduroy Pants - Mashall's

Outfit on the Right: Hoodie - Thrift World, Eyelet Blouse - Goodwill, Jeans - Kohls, altered

Outfit: Blazer - Thrift World, Blouse (J.Crew $3.95!) - Goodwill, Jeans - old pair with holes in the knee, altered

My thrift store advice is to take your time.  In order to find the goods, you have to look through EVERYTHING!  Some thrift stores are really well organized, but people will still throw stuff wherever they want.  And always check the racks by the dressing room!  The little animal print dress above was found there.  

Don't forget to take a break and eat something.  Keep yourself hydrated.  This is a marathon, not a sprint!

You also have to keep an open mind.  Some shirts may not look so good on their own, but would look great under a blazer or cardigan.  Most fabrics can be dyed if the color isn't quite right.  Seams can be taken in.  Hems can be raised or lowered.  A little imagination can go a long way.  

A Very Fine Hat

"I swear by my pretty floral bonnet: I will end you." -Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly)

I had never been to Omaha before I moved here.  So I made the mistake of moving here in January.  It's mighty cold in Nebraska in January.  Now, it gets gold in Tulsa, too.  But not Omaha-cold.  One morning I woke up to the radio telling me that the windchill was -26.  -26?!?!  That's 50 degrees below freezing!!!  Not ok.  It should not be allowed.  The coldest recorded temperature was something like -70, so I'm at least thank full for those 50+ degrees.  Needless to say, winter is fast approaching and I am in need of a hat.

Tres chic, no?

So, I did the only thing I could think to do, and I knitted myself a lovely hat from a pattern I found on my new favorite site: Ravelry.  It was really quick and easy.  And it looks great, if I do say so myself.  Now, I just have to get started on matching gloves and scarf, and I'll be all set for the long, cold months ahead.

Give a Little Bit

"It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." -Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet)

In the past year, I have discovered the joy of giving (and receiving!) hand-made gifts.  Sure, there is a financial benefit of making something for someone, but I've found something far more significant.

When I'm making a gift for someone, it may not take a lot of my money, but it usually takes a lot of my time.  And that's the best part!  When I get the idea to make something, I spend time finding or thinking up a pattern, and then taking the time to actually make the gift.  And all during that time, I am thinking about that person: thinking about what they like, what will be useful to them, hoping that they like it.

For Christmas last year, I was broker than broke because I had had to buy four new tires, and I was going to be moving a few weeks later.  So I got the idea to knit everyone in my family scarves.  At the time, it had been about a year since I had learned to knit and I hadn't picked up a set of needles since.  I also only knew how to do a knit stitch.  So everyone got a simple, rectangular garter stitch scarf.  But I thought about what colors they'd like, what colors they wear, that sort of thing.  My mom got a dark red, and my dad got TU blue.  My sister and brother-in-law went to OSU, so my sister got orange, and my brother-in-law got black.  And so on and so forth.  And I was really surprised by how much they liked them.  I somehow finagled them all into a picture wearing their respective gifts.

Seriously, how cute are they?

Back in April, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Grace, had a beautiful baby boy.  He is seriously the cutest baby ever.  I thought about what would be useful to a new mom and dad, and I thought of a diaper bag.  I wanted it to be cute, but not too cute, because Nick, Grace's husband, would probably carrying it his fair share as well.  I chose a neutral canvas for the outside, and a camo colored dinosaur print for the inside.  I still LOVE dinosaurs, so it was a little something I could pass on to baby Joe.

Unfortunately, as it happens, I found out today that the bag is not holding up so well...  But I think I can easily fix it, and considering it was my first attempt at sewing a bag, and it lasted six months, I feel pretty good about it.  :)

My dear friend, Sarah, and her husband recently moved into a "new" house.  I knew I had to make her a tea cozy, because we spent many wonderful hours sipping tea in Scotland.  And I miss her and her tea parties very much.  I had a hard time finding the right tea cozy pattern, because I knew Sarah's taste was somewhat similar to mine, in that neither of us would like a fussy cozy.  But I found this lovely pattern on Ravelry (if you knit and haven't joined Ravelry, you should).  Then I had to find the perfect teapot!  I knew I wanted it, too, to be simple and white and I found the perfect one at Crate & Barrel.  The little bird on top was too, too perfect.  I think I lucked out that the cozy fit the pot!

Next, it was my friend and co-worker Rebecca's birthday.  It wasn't hard at all to come up with something for Rebecca because we live in the same apartment building, walk to work together, and work in the same lab.  Needless to say, we spend a lot of time together, and having experienced numerous thrift store excursions, I have a fairly good idea of what she likes.  I also know her apartment is scattered with little owls...  So when I saw this pattern on Ravelry, I saved it for just such an occasion.  I chose a chocolate brown tweed, because she likes neutrals, and it has little bits of color mixed in, too.  And that suits her to a "t".