abby try again

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..

Wow! So yeah, this holiday thing has been keeping me busy lately-which is great-it's nice to feel overwhelmed sometimes-I think I thrive when I feel that way. Here's what's been going on around here. My friend April came up for a visit. She and I were cooks together at Watson's Veggie Garden in Visalia, Ca ( the best veggie/organic cafe for miles around-the only one!) and became fast friends. It was nice to have her around-we are strangely similar; finding pleasure in the most dull things, growing up in very strict religious households, our shared love affair with cheese.  My Mom also came up to visit-and that was great, too.
    The day April left -it snowed!

This is/was not normal for Portland. Her train rolled out of here as the drops began to fall. James came home from work early and I was able to snap the above photo of him before the darkness rolled in. It was fun to have the snow since I grew up in the nasty foggy winters of the San Joaquin Valley.
   My mom and I did a little shopping-here are my fav aprons I bought:

this one has rows of handsewn rickrack-some of it metallic!

This one is so pretty-I love the pattern!
     Because of the icy/snowy conditions-I was able to get a lot of knitting done. Her are some of the things I've been working on:

This is a screwed up version of the famous ruffly potato chip scarf. It is made out of the yarn Lisa gave me. Okay-this pattern is super easy-but I found it so boring I will never make another on. You basically cast on a bunch of stitches on a circular needle and increase every other row to make the ruffles. By the end--you are knitting hundred of stitches and casting off forever!!! So boring-but I like it...

James' Birthday scarf (his bday is the 27th). A variation of the man scarf in "Last Minute Knitted Gifts". Super easy-but I keep frogging it because I space out and mess up when I try to knit it while on the bus.

Hat for a friend-the yarn is Rowan biggy print and I love it. I am not sure if I can part with it.

    My first pair of mittens (also a Rowan yarn) using the pattern from "Weekend Knitting". I am scared that I will mess these up. Any knitting advice for mittens?
   I tried to sew some baby shoes and some slippers for me. I am so impatient when it comes to sewing. I am also so bad at it. I really need to learn some basics. I cannot "fake it 'til I make it" with sewing.  I am planning on making some resolutions-maybe that needs to be the first one-"learn to sew properly".
   To anyone reading-happy holidays!!! I wish you and your family peace and joy for the new year to come!
Here is a little wintry image to leave you with-yay for snow!

Thank you Lisa

Wow-the mail is roling in as fast as it's rolling out...thanks Ms. Postlady! I got this rad package from Lisa Solomn-her tags amaze me-look

here are some giant beautiful scalloped ones...my fave....

this darling bird with a clip on it...

yummy yarn...

and some more goodies...

thank you so much Lisa!
okokok---I am cheating-I am distracting you with tons of photos---I will write soon but my friend April will be here in the very wee hourse of the morning and I must go.....

What a strange week...

yeah. I am sure everyone is feeling a little stressed right now over all this holiday stuff, I don't even have children and feel a little nusto! I think I volunteered for too many swaps and maybe didn't anticipate so many people orderding from my shop as well as placing special orders. I am not complaining! I just need to learn better time management skills I guess. Work was totally creepy this week. One of our Armored trucks was robbed at gunpoint and actually stolen-the whole thing (I work in a cash vault)! Then our bank was robbed. Everyone is okay-I actually didn't see the "robber" because I was in the vault-but ew-so creepy. It is scary to think what would happen if he would have tried to come into the vault-yuck.  I know that is the risk I take when I go to work everyday -but I just try not to think about it-this week-it was hard not to.
Okay...onto happy times! Here is what I got from Alison:

Thanks so much! It made my day. The handmade pouch is so cute and sewn so professionally. I love it all.
With some of the money I've been making from my Etsy shop I treated myself to a little silkscreened tote made by threedogparty-here it is:

It is just the right size for all the stuff I take to work and I feel goofy carrying it (in a good way).
I also got the lovely Cotton and Paint mag from Momo-thanks momo! It is the one that Molly Chicken showed a while back. Here are some of my fav parts:

and this cute guy

I have been working my tail off carving and stamping-and hope to get my "Happy New Year" cards up in my "etsy shop today. I put up some new stuff yesterday, like these jumbo tags

and some other new tags. I am also knitting my arse off and ended up frogging almost an entire hat out of Rowan biggy print because the hat came out entirely too "biggy". Oh well...onward...

more stamps....

reflective Self Portrait Tuesday

Look, you can see me there-can't you? I never knew how hard it was to take a picture of your face in a reflective surface until I tried. This "theme" of sorts seems to be perfect for me right now. Lisa Solomon is doinga little project; she's gathering people's stories of why they write a blog, why they started, how it's changed-etc. Please go check her blog out, I wish I had more time to write, but I will save that post for another day.
Here are some reflections of myself I have/am currently thinking about myself:
1.I'm not terribly thin-but I'm thinner than I thought I was
2. I am a lot taller than I feel
3. I make the same gestures my Mom does
4. I cry at random things because I am so touched (commercials, songs, small babies smiling, nice surprises) and that is just like my Dad
5. I don't smile enough
6. I worry too much
7. I am SUCH an aries
8. I eat too much cheese
9. I am astounded by the kindness of strangers
10. If I say "hello" and "thank you " to my busdriver  everyday-he'll  stop  at the stop a little longer to wait for me if I am running late
11. I am a good wife, but I can be better
12. I need to be a better sister and Aunt
13. I love clementines (the fruit)
14. More people read my blog than the 6 I thought did-and I like that-and I totally thrive and the comments-thank you!
15. I am so lucky to be a woman in this day and age!
What are you thinking about yourself lately?

I need some sewing advice please!

Okay ladies (men?) I am kindly asking for your help. Let me say first that my Mother is an excellent quilter and though I've spent years watching her-I never remember her making something like this. Also-I have yet to actually LEARN how to sew-I'm pretty much self taught and am now realizing that maybe I need to take a class. Okay, I bought this book yesterday and I would really like to make these:

So here are the instructions from the book:

So, here are my questions (if you click on the photos-you may see them at a larger size):
1.page one step three shows you that you should sew together the top fabric of the shoe and the lining together right? Do I sew them right sides facing each other or-?
2. On step 5-to me- it looks like you pull apart those two pieces-sew the bottom lining to the inner lining and the top to the outside bottom of the shoe and leave a hole? Do you leave the hole so you can then push the whole shoe throuhg that and then sew it from the outside? Also-when i sew the two linings together-do I sew the shoe lining facing out or in?
3. What is the third picture in step five showing?
If anyone has any suggestions-I would love to hear them! Thanks so much!

I know I don't post a lot about knitting...

...but it is a big part of my life. I usually have an hour to knit at work (as long as I'm done) and of course I do knit on the bus. I really need to post about knitting because I am the worst secret pal ever and I don't want to be.
   My secret pal is so sweet! I got a package the day I left to go to California and when  recieved my second one this week I remebered I had forgot to post about the first one! So here is a marathon knitting post.
   My first package included some beautiful self-striping sock yarn (must try socks, must try socks) and my FAV pattern-TRUDIE.  Anna made the pattern (I really do love anything she makes) and I am so excited to try it!
The package I just recieved came with some beautiful bamboo needles, some glorious scarf patterns and yummy baby alpaca yarn shown here in a bundle:

Secret Pal-thank you soooo much! I am so sorry for taking so long to post-will you forgive me?
    Knitting hats is (one) of my new obsessions. I 've made two this week and started a third! James is now proud owner of a lovely navy blue watchman-esque beanie which lovingly covered his cold ears this week as the tempurature dropped and dropped. Look at this nice blurry photo:

The other hat a made is being sent far away to a lovely friend -I hope she likes it! I know, a white hat may be  asking for a stain-but I like the color (or lack of) I am thinking of adding a pompom-but maybe not.

Don't worry-I'm still stamping like a crazy person. I've sold some items from my shop-but mostly I worked on special orders that blog readers and people who I consider "flickr" friends have asked for.  It is exciting, fun, tiring, and strange to be committed to this hobby I picked up. I really think I may start doing other types of prints soon. I should have a gocco by now-but have continually put it off because I harbor the delirious idea of setting up a screenprinting area in our apartment. We'll see what happens......
     James and I went to the Japanese bookstore this morning. I really don't know why I don't go there more often-it's only about 30 minutes away-it is just hard for me to get there (I DO NOT drive) and James' doesn't exactly jump on the chance to take me. I did get a book-a wonderful book and a couple of goodies for some friends.
    Well, since so many people are putting "to do" lists on their blogs-I will be a copycat and post this week's:
1.send out package for Marion (aka"Miss Pompom")
2.send out package for Lisa Duran
3.finish and send package for Lisa Solomon
4.start and work on goodies for the swap with Alison
5.stamp, write, and send personal Christmas cards
6.finish new year cards for shop
7.make soup with all the fresh spinach and basil before it goes bad
8.finish hat presents for j,s,z,m,l, and j
9.buy my cousin Hayley's special gift
10.get a christmas tree (?)
11.figure out James' bday gift (his bithday id two days after christmas)
12.clean, oraganize, get rid of magazine collection