Resolutions for 2012

Why not? I actually accomplished quite a few things on my list in 2011, so this year could be even more successful. That leads me to resolution numero uno...

1. Think more positively. I get negative, like, real fast. Too fast, actually, especially where work is concerned. Time to stretch out those smile muscles a little more often, even if I'm not feeling it.

2. Take another sewing class. My first sewing class was fantastic, but I need to keep going. I will sew the hell out of 2012.

3. Have a baby. Yeah, you heard me.

4. Use more coupons. I have them. I have a lot of them, actually. I just don't use them. Silly, don't you think?

5. Be healthy and lose weight. Duh.

6. Blog more. Bet you can't wait!

Hell yeah!

Source: Aesthetic Outburst

2011 was a fine year

Time for the year-end List of Stuff That Happened to Me And You Likely Won't Care About But Who Cares Because This Is About Me. 


A List of Random Things That Happened to Me This Year:
1. Celebrated my second wedding anniversary with Hot Pants by going to France and Spain. It was my first visit to Europe, and it was just as magical as my brain had imagined it. Way to go, Europe.
2. Hosted my family for Christmas for the first time since HP and I got together. It was great to show off my Christmas crafting skills and to share our home with my parents, aunt, uncle and cousin.
3. Took a sewing class and have been going crazy on projects ever since. I can finally stop paying ridiculous prices for throw pillows and curtains.
4. Had a lovely visit from Ian, a  friend from college who lives in England, after more than a decade of not seeing each other.
5. Our two best couple friends both had babies, shaking up our social lives in ways I still can't properly explain without graphs and charts.
6. I paid off my college loans. 
7. I was in three weddings between January and June. Yowser.
8. I visited the set of "The Walking Dead" for work and got to meet many of the actors, makeup artists, costume designers and the rest of the braintrust behind the incredibly popular show. I even got a hug from IronE Singleton. It was a truly awesome evening that I can't really tell you about because I signed an NDA.
9. My grandfather _ my last grandparent still living _ died in April after 90-plus years on this earth. I miss you, Grandpa.
10. My nephew, Elias, was born in May.
Update: 11. Visited with a dozen of my very best friends on a reunion trip in Washington, D.C., part of our annual meet up in cities across the country.


Amazing Albums Released this Year:
Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues"
The Decemberists, "The King is Dead"
Wilco, "The Whole Love"
tUnE-yArDs, "Whokill"
Katie Herzig, "The Waking Sleep"
Adele, "21"
Noah and the Whale, "Last Night on Earth"
The Features, "Wilderness"
The Head and the Heart, "The Head and the Heart"
I'm From Barcelona, "Forever Today" 
The Submarines, "Birds"
Update: Beirut, "The Rip Tide"


Some Books I Read (and loved):
"Swamplandia!" by Karen Russell
"Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" by Mindy Kaling
"Bossypants" by Tina Fey
"My Life in France" by Julia Child
"The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender
"Anthropology of an American Girl" by Hilary Thayer Hamann
"One Day" by David Nicholls
"A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan
Harry Potter, books 1, 2, 3 and 7 (some for the second time, others for the third or fourth)


Some Awesome Movies I Saw (and loved): 
"Crazy, Stupid Love"
"Hugo"
"Harry Potter: The Freakin' End"
"Bridesmaids"
"Midnight in Paris"
"50/50"
"The Muppets"
"Ides of March"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"


Places I Visited: 
Paris, Avignon and Nice in France
Barcelona and Madrid in Spain
Norwich, NY
Grantville and Harrisburg, Pa.
Memphis, Tenn.
Washington, D.C.
Chicago
Dauphin Island, Ala.
New Orleans


Famous People Sightings:
Bill Clinton
Ron Livingston (sighting No. 2, this time in Atlanta, rather than New Orleans)
the cast of The Walking Dead, plus Greg Nicotero
Michelle Obama
Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef
Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef
Richard Blais from Top Chef
Gen. Larry Platt of "Pants on the Ground" fame
Spike Lee
Laura Bush
Ann Brashares

Tales of an empty fireplace

Hot Pants and I got rid of our gas logs about a year ago, mostly because we didn't use them very much. They made a loud hissing sound when they were on (likely due to improper installation by the genius contractors who renovated the house), making for unpleasant evenings having to talk loudly over the sound of the roaring fire.

But what to do with that big empty space? We had some limitations because the gas line sticks up in the middle of the space, and we didn't want to leave it exposed lest one of our curious cats figured out how to turn it on. They have hidden thumbs, you know.

First, I tried a candelabra, but it looked weird and mostly collected dust. Then I saw this photo.

Via Beach Studios

Absolutely genius! I had a shelf of old books I didn't want to toss but rarely touched. They immediately went in the fireplace. Check it.

Here are some other fun ideas for your non-functioning fireplace.

Via Flickr (though I think it's originally from Anthropologie)

Via Apartment Therapy

Via Real Simple

Via Retropolitan

Catlanta

There's a local artist who's turned his late-night graffiti sessions into citywide scavenger hunts for little bits of his art. Catlanta has an avid set of followers (including yours truly) who will drive like bats out of hell at all hours to snag his magnets stuck to random mailboxes and fences across the city.

I first ran across Catlanta when I saw this cute mural near my house a couple of months ago.

 Then a friend told me Catlanta had started making magnets of this little character _ called kittens _ and was hiding them around the city. AWESOMENESS.

Here's how it goes:  It starts with a tweet and a Facebook post linking to his Flickr account, where Catlanta puts a photo of where he's left his kittens. After that it's a race against the clock. These little suckers have disappeared almost instantly, it seems.

(Read this great ScoutMob piece on him.)

Today? I won. VICTORY IS MINE, CATLANTA! I found this little guy after hauling ass to a restaurant near my office (in rush-hour traffic, no less).

Isn't he so cute? Now the challenge will be not wanting to drop everything and run every time I see he's posted new ones. Hoarding is not a good look, especially when so many people are hunting for these. That would just be unfair.

These are the thoughts I was having when I got a text a few minutes ago alerting me that a new one had been put up less than a mile from my house. I grabbed my Pajama Jeans (yes, I said Pajama Jeans) and dashed out the door. I arrived at the spot less than five minutes after he tweeted and it was gone! But I did run across two girls who were also looking for the kitten and were just as disappointed as I was that it was gone. I justified looking for another one by telling myself I'd give it to a friend or maybe to Hot Pants for his office.

But who am I kidding? This shit's addictive!

Trends in handmade crafts vol. 2

You might remember my famed Trends in Handmade Crafts Vol. 1. The good news is there is a seemingly never ending supply of trends when it comes to the craft world. Be ready to have your mind blown.

Babushkas

This little cuties are freakin' everywhere. Like, for real. I made a treasury on Etsy and was overloaded with matryoshka stuff.

Tadpole Creations

Miss Bluebird Creations

Buttons and Badges

A Little Sweetness

Spectacles

Not the kind you make of yourself, but the kind you wear on your face. Geek is chic, just ask Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard.

Merry Blues Art

Mano Celebrates

Cyanide Stitches

Naomi Cayne

Typewriters

Click clack clickity clack clackity click.

The Craft Pantry

Pretty Messes

Lettershop

Nan Lawson

At the other end of the telescope

I bought myself a Nikon P7000 in anticipation of our trip to Europe. I wanted to get it early so I could play with it and get used to the settings. I've been a Canon user for a long time now, but it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment.

I took the new toy out for a spin today to shoot some of the cool graffiti in the neighborhood. Behold!