Ugh!

Okay,
I'm needing to do an update especially since I'm a fickle blogger. So, while I try to find my digital camera to upload my most recent escapades I'll post this as a "bridge" until then. Apparently, though I earned my GI Bill, the veterans' affairs department is so overwhelmed that I'm going to experience an indefinite "delay" in getting my claim processed. That really sucks because it screws up my plans to go back to school at least for the moment. Ah well. Sooo, in the meantime, after much thought, I've decided that it might not be a bad idea to go back to work since the kids are a bit older and don't require my constant attention. I've got several ideas but I'm not completely committed to any one of them just yet. Then, there's the fact that I've not worked for quite awhile since deciding to stay home with the kids. In the current economy, I'm feeling a lot less than competitive in the job market. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful I don't HAVE to work but it would be nice to get back out there and the extra money sure wouldn't hurt. Soooo, if any news ever develops on the "Alicia would really like to be gainfully employed again" front, I'll post it. If not, I'll continue to post about what the heck ever it is that I'm currently up to. Here's a snapshot till I get the camera from the depths of whatever bag I've managed to put it in:

In my glass:
2007 Sebeka Cabernet-Pinotage

In my ears:
George Washington Biography audiobook by A&E
Tao of Healing by Dean Evanson and Li Xianting
Koyasan Reiki Healing by Deuter
Sacred River by Gandalf
Reiki Whale Dreaming by Kamal

On my needles:
Bed Jacket by Jennie Atkinson
Military Cardigan by Red Dog Knits (test knitting)
Firestarter socks by Yarnissima

Books and other stuff:
Veil of LIes by Jeri Westerson
Many paper related and screenprinting projects
Jeans pattern by Sandra Betzina

Socks and stuff

Okay, soooo I've been supah busy with back to school and all. Back to school means a new, faster paced routine. Kai is doing tackle football this year and everytime I turn around we have practice. The upside is that they have a criterium course around the practice field that tons of cyclists use to warm up for the velodrome on. Ding-light bulb moment!-Let me start bringing my bike so I can ride the course while Kai practices. Tomorrow we're apparently supposed to ride a 50 miler with our bike group. Lord I hope we stop at an Ihop for some pancakes at some point during that ride. My body is pretty sore from getting back to a more intense weight and cardio routine. So, now that all that is established let's talk crafty stuff. I've finished yet another pair of socks. These are a heavy weight cabled pair.I'll post pics this weekend along with another post. I'm been asked by a friend to host a stamping birthday party for her daughter in October so I'm really looking forward to that. In September, my buds and I are getting together to do a Halloween treat camp. Our goal is to get all of our kids' treat bags put together in one (or more) sittings so we have it done and ready to send to school with the kiddos. The plan is to do things early this year. I'll be hosting a Christmas Club in November for the same thing. Speaking of Christmas, I've made mention of a blog candy "contest" so to speak. I'll hash out those details and post on them this weekend. Later ya'll, Alicia

Sahara is done!

Well, I finished my Sahara yesterday and I'm really happy with it. I confess that I did mess up a few times due to not paying attention to the directions. Still, I enjoyed knitting it quite a bit. A new goal of mine is to knit up what I have currently residing in my house before diving through my garage for more yarn/projects. Not sure what I'll move on to next but I'll make up my mind tonight. Take care ya'll! Alicia

Mojo Monday card # 97

Okay, here is my Mojo Monday card as promised! I finally sat down this afternoon and got my creative cap on and cranked it out. Funny, I actually started out with some old buttons as inspiration but ended up going in an entirely different direction. Still, I'm pretty happy with the final product. Okay, now for the deets:

(all stuff is Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock:
Earth elements--chocolate chip (I think) textured
So saffron
razzleberry cardstock and DSP
faux croco paper I got from Michaels-don't remember who made it

Other:
square fire rhinestone brads
canvas cuts elements circle
chocolate chip classic ink pad
soft suede classic ink pad
razzleberry stampin write marker
melon mambo stampin write marker
barely banana stampin pastel
chocolate chip stampin pastel
pretty in pink stampin pastel
gold glitter glue I got from michaels
SNAIL adhesive, zyron adhesive and glue stick

Whew! That was a long list!!! Dinner is on the stove so I'll save my knitting post for tomorrow. Later ya'll!

Bread and butter

Hey all! It's been rainy rainy here in Colorado Springs. I don't really mind it though. Still, I have been a bit behind in my Mojo Monday submission. Okay, I haven't even started it yet. But, I will have it done by Friday and posted. In the meantime, let me show you what has taken my attention. There's a little blog I like to read call Farmgirl Fare She makes awesome stuff! She has a recipe for some raisin bread which I whipped up Monday. Baking is so therapeutic and so yummy! So, I got on a bit of a baking jig and the kitchen was a complete wreck. Tuesday was pretty much dedicated to getting it back in order. I'm also almost done with my Sahara top. When it's finished. I'll post a pic and a link to it on Ravelry. In the meantime, I'm planning to showcase a number of handmade Holiday projects here on my blog. I have a big handmade goal this year that will be easier to tackle if I start early. If you want to join in, please feel free. Who knows? There could even be some blog candy involved!!! Later ya'll!

P.S. Almost forgot, Hope made a great comment on my raw mohair posts in regards to yoke. Do read her advice in the comments section in addition to my posts if you plan on doing some fiber processing with mohair. Thanks Hope!

Wednesday Round up

Thanks so much for the comments! It's nice to know that someone reads the blog! Well, I was going to do a Technique Tuesday post but spent the whole day in bed sick as a dog. Since I'm feeling better today, I'm going to do a longer post to make up for it. First, let's talk about stamping with bleach. I hadn't done this before but really wanted to give it a try. The resulting Best Wishes card is what I made. Here's how I did it:
Tools:
a plastic container and a very old rag soaked in bleach (not dripping though)
stamps
cardstock, ink, ribbon. pastels and adhesives.

Once I assembled my card the way I liked, I decided to stamp a bleached background for my sentiment. I simply dabbed my stamp onto my rag and stamped onto the cardstock. Don't worry if it takes a minute to show up, this is normal. And, voila, that's it! Now, it's very important to clean your stamp off properly right after. I use my stampin mist and stampin scrub to do that. I'll definitely be using this trick again. I'd like to try it on some darker colors for a more dramatic effect.

Now for the bonus item. Recently, I breezed through Michaels and picked up some $1 journals in the most fantastically bright colors you can think of. I love journals. I love notepads. I'm a bit obsessed with them. After seeing the spiral punch, I decided this little tool would allow me to make some great journals out of dollar store finds. I was right. Introducing, the Poe journal!
Deets:
(all materials are Stampin Up unless other wise noted)
Cast a Spell DSP
Perfect Plum cardstock
Black Grosgrain Striped Ribbon
Square " Fire" rhinestone brads
Canvas Cuts
Stampin Pastels
Stampin Write Black Marker
Blender Pen
Snail adhesive
Sticky strip
Tombow removable adhesive
Spiral Punch

Basically, I simply measured , diassembled and reassembled the journal after covering it with my chosen paper. Too easy. I love the Cast a Spell paper more than I thought I would. I didn't want the journal to be too Halloweeny so I almost didn't use this paper unitl I saw the sheet with the birds. It made me think of Edgar Allen Poe. Thus, the Poe journal.

Hope this inspires you to make your own journal and try a new technique! Thanks, Alicia

Monday Mojo Card

So, time for another submission for Mojo Monday. I'm digging this because it's getting me to use my paper and stamp supplies. My husband is not digging this because I've commandeered the dining room table. So, we've been eating picnic style on the floor. Still, I'm doing some sewing stuff Wednesday and he's lined me up to do some hemming for him. I've decided whether school is in the cards for me in the fall or not, I'm the type of girl who needs a schedule and some concrete goals. So, today, I've established some workout goals to last until school starts in August. I've been floundering a bit since the triathlon at the end of May. Perhaps I'll do another triathlon in September before the season is over. We'll see. I"m contemplating moving my blog and renaming it to more accurately reflect my interests. If I do, I'll keep this one live and link the new site. Till then, here's my Monday card. I used all Stampin up supplies. Deets as follows:
Cardstock:
Apricot Appeal
Walk in the park DSP
Mellow Moss
Ink:
Whisper White Craft Stampin Pad
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin Pad
Ribbon:
some vanilla colored ribbon I got on sale ages ago at Michaels.

Mojo Monday card

Hmmm. Okay, here is my Mojo Monday card. I can truly say that I inherited none of my grandfather's ability to take photos. Something about cameras I just can't figure out. Ah well. So, now that we've established my non photo taking ability, here are the deets for the card:
All supplies are Stampin up unless otherwise noted...
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Razzleberry, and dusty durango. I also used a tiny bit of the Razzleberry Designer series paper as well.
Other stuff: Canvas cuts (sadly now discontinued!), and Stampin' Write markers in razzleberry, crushed curry, and bermuda bay. The ink I used for the stamping was Classic stampin pads in Soft suede, dusty durango, and chocolate chip.
Stamps: Rustic rooster (now a retired stamp set) and fundamental phrases.

The new holiday mini catalog coming out in September has some great stuff in it. I can't wait to make several things. Can you say big August preorder for me!!! I'm also, in knitting news, working on Sahara by Wendy Bernard. I'm using knit picks shine worsted in Wisteria. When I have more progress, I'll post a pic. Most of my knitting stuff though, will likely be on ravelry with the exception of the big projects. Well, I'm off to enjoy another cup of coffee before we head off to the Celtic festival. I earned it after a pretty grueling (for me anyway) 26 mile ride yesterday that consisted mostly of climbing. I rode with the "enthusiastic" group! They hand my arse to me everytime!!!! Still, it's good to ride with folks who push you. No other way to get better! Take care ya'll!!!

First Triathalon in the books!!

Well, I finished my first triathalon and am quite proud of myself. I finished second in my age group but must confess that there were less than 50 females in the whole thing so I'm not sure that's such a big deal. Still, I'll claim it! My total time was 1:25:06.9. My swim was 13:20 for 400 meters. Definitely slow but I also made a very conscious effort to pace myself so I wouldn't gas out. I'd like to take some swimming lessons when the kids go back to school so I can improve my stroke. My bike was 35:54 for 11.2 miles. Slower than I would have liked but I'm still pleased with it. My run was 29:58 for 3.1 miles. Very slow but considering that I'd only been running for about a month and a half prior to the event after a several year hiatus, I'm happy. The thing I like about first races, well, any race. It gives you a nice yardstick to try to improve. How can you set goals if you don't know your current limit? So, my goal is to do another sprint triathalon and then an olympic one. Long term, before I'm 40 I'd like to do an ironman.

Stuff I've been doing

Okay. Not sure if anyone still reads this but I'm going to update anyway. I've relocated to Colorado Springs and except for the wind I really like it. My time is very focused right now on training for my first ever sprint level triathalon. Since I am a really bad swimmer this is a big goal for me. Really, I just want to finish and not require any emergency service in the process. So, that said. here are some pics of my projects.