Highly Entertaining....

handmade holiday indeed

Happy December!

Have you made the "Handmade Holiday" pledge? Whether you are making your own gifts, or buying handmade, I have a *sweet* deal for you in my Etsy shop. With every order placed during the month of December, you will receive 5 FREE handmade gift tags... made by me, of course ;)

I have also listed some gift tags for purchase, enclosed safe and sound in a recycled paper envelope. Check them out!

 

There are several scarves in the shop, with more on the way in the coming days. Show the people on your gift-giving list how special they are to you by giving them a handmade present this year.

Also, a very special someone has opened her own Etsy Shop... filled with super-artsy prints and hand made lovelies. Make sure to check out 99missedkisses and show the love for a fellow artist! Natasha is so inspiring and talented, and I'm super lucky to have her as part of my *family* :D

Thanksgiving recap

 

There is nothing like a game of Scrabble before Thanksgiving dinner to rally the troops for an afternoon of fun.

So maybe we bent the rules a little bit. The whole point of the game was that we had a hysterically good time. Even though "i peed on us" and "o! a cootie" showed up, it was a relatively harmless game. Thanks to Mom, Griff, and KP for keeping my Scrabble skills in check ;)

(p.s. I totally won the game, btw. Just sayin')

We celebrated my Dad and KP's birthdays.... KP got Dad this fantastical shirt:

 

...and I gifted KP a fabulous Rooster tea pot that I completely forgot to get a picture of... maybe KP can take a pic of it adorning their stove top?? (hint hint hint ;)

Belle and her Papa took a rest on the couch after filling up on delicious dinner-things (Belle had a carrot and whatever food scraps landed on the kitchen floor).

 

We played a game of Shanghai Rummy (well, half a game). Note: Party Pat sneaking a peek at my cousin Maegan's cards. There had been a *little bit* of wine and/or beer and/or pumpkin martinis involved in the game [:-0

Then we busted out the inapropriate literature that mom rescued from being trashed at the Library book sale...

   

... you're welcome, Aunt Carol ;)

Yep, that pretty much sums up the Holidays with my family. Your Thanksgiving probably went something like mine, I'm sure. I know we can't be the only family that teases each other mercilessly, gets a little buzzed and breaks out the sex books to celebrate a day of giving thanks. Right?

....Right?

:D :D :D

gobble gobble gobble

So everyone in the blog-universe will be posting their gratitudes today, and I figured I should join in.

Grateful for family, friends, and me.

Yes, thankful for me.

 

For the opportunities I have had to get to learn more about myself, for the trials and tribulations and the ups and downs. For the growth and the soul searching and finding out WHO I AM.

I feel more like myself today than I ever have.

And know what? I like me. I actually like me. I've never really been able to say that before this past year.

This self-actualization comes from the support of my family and friends. From the acceptance and understanding and faith others have shown. From their belief in me.

I believe in me.

Thank you to everyone in my life who has ever taken the time to be my friend. To everyone who has let me find out who I am in my own way, for standing by me when times were tough. For understanding and accepting me. For helping make me what I am today.

I am who I am because of you.

Love, Melissa

melissa and erin's excellent adventure

So. Yesterday was an adventure.

The good kind, mostly. It was absolutely POURING when I was on my way to pick up Erin...

Once we got into Boston (using the directions that have been stashed in the passenger side door of my car formonths... ) we scored on-street parkng right at the corner of Boylston and we skipped our way over to Paper Source... dropped a few dollars then dumped the loot in the car. This is the point in the journey that I said I was going to ditch my ginormous puffy vest.... but then forgot. We hoofed it down Newbury Street and I literally sweat my you-know-whats off. The minute we stepped into Lush I know I was gonna be toast. Really, I have no idea how they can keep the temperature so high in that piece without melting all the soap. We were pretty quick about making our selections and ditching the place - between the extreme heat and the soapy smell I was about to get a my-brain headache (as Griff called headaches, once upon a time ;)

We sloshed through the rain to stop in at Anthro... God, I am in total LUST with that place. I want everything inside the walls of the store. EVERYTHING. This is NOT an exaggeration. If I hadn'e left my camera in the car I would have taken pics of the dress form covered in shingles and the corrugated cardboard wall scape they had going on behind the register. And the purse I was dying over. And the bedding that I have to own. And the everything else. *sigh*

We splashed a few more blocks down to Vinny T's for ultra delicious lunch, where I housed three enormous glasses of water to rehydrate myself from all the sweating I had been doing. Erin thought I was being all dramatic about my state of hot-ness, until I started peeling away the layers. First, let me remind you that although it was raining, it was still 55 degrees in the city. I was wearing my enormous vest, a fleece lined sweatshirt, a long sleeve thermal shirt, and a tank top. And a bra, obviously, but that doesn't really account for much in the over-heating deaprtment. Anyway.... I was hot. Point taken.

After eating SO MUCH GOOD FOOD we headed back to the car... six blocks, at least. After about two blocks, the paper bag containing the SOAP we purchased at Lush had soaked through and our purchases went all over the sidewalk. In the rain. I stood there for a moment, just staring at the mess on the sidewalk. Then up at erin. Then back to the soap. What the crap??? Some nice guy helped erin pick up the soap, which was tossed into the Anthro bag. I held the umbrellas. VERY important job, obvs. We thanked random nice dude and kept on walking. Now it is POURING again. My umbrella flipped itself inside out at least four times, our jeans were drenched, and we just kept laughing. And pouting (but just for the sake of documenting the event...  ;)

What happened next??? THE FRIGGIN' ANTHRO BAG BUSTS A GUT ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK.  Now we are the proud owners of wet soap and wet anthro crap, too. By the time we got back to the car, there was 8 minutes left on the meter and I was SO ready to get warm and dry. The drenched crap we spent too much money on was slpayed across the back seat and we were on our way home. Still laughing, still in good spirits. Still so ready to do the whole thing over again at the drop of a hat.

Next time, we need to invest in the following things:

Galoshes: EVERYONE in the city was wearing galoshes. Paired with tights and fancy raincoats.

Burberry Umbrella: Because the lady who walked by us while my umbrella was flipped inside out for the seventeenth time said thats what I needed.

A FRIGGIN" TRASH BAG: To stash our purchases in so they don't hit the pavement. Maybe someone will mistake us for homeless people and throw some spare change our way, too.

Peep Erin's blog for more pics of the adventure.... 

So now it's Wednesday. I think Erin gave me her cold, and no, we didn't make out or anything. At least not that I'm aware of. And I hope I would be aware of something like that.

Anyway, I have major crafting plans for today... so the crafty post will have to wait for another day. Gotta call my mom and see if there is anything I need to do to be helpful for the big day tomorrow. KP and Natasha are heading home for Thanksgiving, and for THAT I am truly thankful. Have a lovely, dry, soap-on-the-sidewalk-free-day!!!!!

today

1. is my dad's birthday... happy birthday, dad!!!!!

2. i already folded three loads of laundry

3. made griff egg-and-cheese wrap for breakfast

4. im'ed with miss breanne

5. took a shower

6. made myself a cup of tea and bobio a cup of coffee

7. checked emails

8. printed lush coupon

9. found my umbrella

why do i need my umbrella? because erin and i are a couple of cazy chicks who think it's a great day to traipse around boston. in the 40 degree rain. to buy soap. true story.

wish me luck!!!

p.s. update tomorrow on some crafty endeavors and a friend's etsy news :) :) :)

sunday, sunday, sunday, or, randomness and blathering

... and I've been a crappy blogger again. I guess I owe you an update, huh?

Thursday: worked and worked. Store was fine, BBC sucked big fat &^$#.

Friday: KP's birthday!!! I called to wish fantastical birthday wishes from the parking lot of the movie theater at 10:30 am. Why was I at the movie theater at 10:30 am? OBVIOUSLY to watch Twilight, duh. Yes, I am that girl. Well, not that girl who wore her best vampire outfit and all her promotional *twilight* swag and carried her book into the theater, but that girl who HAD to see the movie on Friday or she would have burst into a million little pieces in agony over being left out of the edward-bubble. *sigh*. It's SO high school. but I would probably be very happy to watch that cheesy movie every day for a week, maybe more. Maybe Bobio should watch it and learn how to get all Edward on me. There would be mucho-business-making if that were the case ;) Oh, I also got my hair did in the afternoon and had family date night with my boys... which included a trip to walmart to buy Wall*e... seriously the cutest movie. I can't tell you how many times i "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"ed :)

Anyway...

Saturday: made a baby quilt (will share when I get good pics... totally etsy bound!), ordered a pattern for crocheting a hat (woah! me, read a pattern and successfully follow it? we'll see...), did a million loads of laundry, hit up the church Chriztmas Bazaar and S.C.O.R.E.D. some fab-u-lous goods... some for gifting, some for crafting, some just for me... ate delicious cacoila sandwiches while at the bazaar (omg... you are so missing out on a real taste of heaven if you haven't had a REAL portuguese cacoila sandwich... really. your life sucks and you don't even know it ;P), went window shopping on Main Street with Mom and Griff, and then spent time at the arcade wasting a ridiculous amount of money on tokens to play "Deal or no Deal" so G could win a $3 basketball. Nice. The day was completed by going out to eat with my parents at the OG... good times. We were gonna try to hit up Tania's to spend time with my BF and the babes, but we didn't get home until 8-ish. Instead we watched ELF (the best christmas movie EVER) and I crocheted a pair of wrist warmers.

Today: heading to the store to teach my Pinecone Ornament class, then work for a while, then come home and attempt to crochet a hat. Wish me luck.

I'm SO looking forward to Thanksgiving... for the time with family and the stuffing and trying out a cranberry recipe I saw on Food Network. Wish me luck on that one, too ;)

the world is coming to an end!!!

 

Flurries in the east side! Flurries in the east side! Everyone evacuate!!

Well, at least I get some use out of this new vest ;)

p.s. check out the fantastically un-make-up-ed morning face I'm sporting. And those GINORMOUSLY HIDEOUS puffy eyes. Those lovelies are from playing Monopoly at the BBC until 1:30 am. Yes. Monopoly. We played until Drew spilled his guiness on his money and property cards. Then we microwaved them dry. Then we started to watch last weeks episode of Top Chef. Then realized there were little flakes falling from the sky. Then I thought to myself, "self, this is a good time to go home". So I did.

Best of luck to all Cape residents today in managing ridiculously slow traffic patterns due to the sixteen snowflakes that are spilling from the clouds. Really. I'm leaving for work two hours early to allow for extra travel time :P

november thankful, volume 2.

 

*eggnog latte from Starbucks

*warm and puffy chartreuse vest from Gap (thanks mom!)

*stacking my engagement ring over my wedding band again

*chilly days that are perfect for sweats and slippers

*a fabulous hubby that makes me tea every morning

*crafty time with the girls yeaterday, even though next to no crafting was actually accomplished

*a full day of work ahead of me... i know sounds crazy but i love my job(s)

... even though it is BOGO pizza night at the BBC.

... but it's tuesday night at the BBC, and everyone knows what that means....

*griff giving me a "gift certificate" for a back massage... from him... that will last all of 5 minutes :)

*a soft and warm and snuggly puppy-girl to keep me warm and cozy while i veg out on the couch at night, watching the wedding special for Jon & Kate plus 8 (don't kill me, breanne... i gotta have my vices ;)

*looking forward to Thanksgiving... with my family. lots of family.

becuase i need another hobby...

So.

A few weeks ago a certain friend of mine was im'ing me with all sorts of etsy goodies she was coveting for her babe-to-be. She was drooling over this quilt, which is absolutely gorgeous, and little wheels started to turn inside my head.

(sidenote: if you haven't already figured it out, I have LOTS of little wheels inside my head. They don't all turn at the same time, rather they revolve in shifts. Right now, the wheels turn in sewing-machine-related shifts ;)

Conveniently, JoAnn was having a splendid sale on oh-so-scrumptious fabrics, and I scored me some loveliness. Then, I made this:

       

Now, it's not nearly as yummy as the original inspiration piece, but I'm pretty freaking pleased with myself ;) I didn't have fantastical vintage chenille bits to incorporate into the quilt, but I found some touchy-feely oh-so-soft fabrics that were a close second. I also learned that some of said fabrics have a little more s-t-r-e-t-c-h to them than the usual cotton fabrics I work with, so some squares were a little bit *off*. Oh, and that satin ruffle. I stuck myself with about 6 different pins and cursed at least 17 thousand times while attempting to get it right.

In the end, the quilt turned out pretty great. I had it all packed up and ready to be shipped off to Miss Breanne, but ripped it open to pull out the blanket to show Jayne at the store :D

So now I can add "kind-of-quilter" to my list of things I waste my dollars on keep myself busy with. I have ordered a few sets of pre-cut cotton squares from etsy, and am looking forward to making a few more kid-sized quilts in the near future.

Now, because I can't sit still for more than 20 minutes without doing something, and my schedule last week didn't afford much hangin'-out-with-the-family-time, I also crocheted a few scarves. This is pretty much my favorite thing to do at the end of a long day... curl up on the couch with some yarn and make pretty things while the boys watch some boy-type show in tv.

 

These lovelies will make their appearance in the etsy shop later today. I'm thinking they will all be named after different food-related items... the first one reminds me of coffee, the second one reminds me of raspberry-chip ice cream, and the third one reminds me of whipped cream. y.u.m.

Today I'm hoping to get crafty... maybe this girl and this girl will join me? Who knows what I'm gonna cook up next??

TGIF!

Oh, blogland... where has this week gone?!?! Breanne so thoughtfully kicked my ass reminded me that I haven't blogged since Sunday while we were im'ing this morning. What has kept me away from the computer for so long when I was on such a roll updating the blog last week?

w.o.r.k.

After having six days off in a row for noooooo apparent reason (other than the fact that the schedule fairy at the store must have been in a generous mood ;), I guess getting back into the swing of things kind of threw me off a bit! Its a good thing that I <3 my job. And the peeps I work with. And that I have the best boss in the world. I'm not even brown-nosing. Really I love it all :)

Anyway. I have today and tomorrow off from work, which really ammounts to me needing to get a bunch of crap really important things done that I have been neglecting for the past week. Things like laundry and bill paying and grocery shopping. And having lunch with Alison. That's really important ;)

Really what will most likely happen today is that I will spend the entire morning in my sweats, poking around on the internet, watching Ellen, listening to pandora, and playing with fabric. Priorities, yo.

I actually have a major plan to try and get a lot of my Christmas gifting done in the hand-made manner. NOt so sure my dad will be in love with a silky scarf or a purse made from Amy Butler fabric, so I have a *little* bit of planning still to do ;) I hope to be able to get this ball a-rollin' ASAP. Meaning yesterday, obviously.

Are you planning on getting crafty for the Holidays? You should totally sign up for a few of my upcoming classes.... show the people in your inner circle that you care enough to make them something ridiculously cool instead of re-gifting the crystal platter you received in that yankee-swap last year ;)

 

way-fantastical-paper-wreath 

Seriously. I made these for teh girls last year using all kinds of papers... once you learn how to make one of these babies, you'll be crafting them for anyone you know that has a hook to hang one on!  Really, how cool are they... you know you want to get in on the wreath action :D

 

paper pinecone ornament

These are so flippin' cute. They can be funky or delicate or vintage-y.... it just depends on the type of papers you use! This is another example of being able to recreate the same idea over and over again in different styles for different people.

What are you waiting for? Call the store and sign up :D

Alright, bloggers. I have some  showerin  to do so I can actually try to be a little productive today. Wish me luck!