Friday Flowers

Many, many moons ago, when I was a 20-something writer living in England, I used to buy myself flowers nearly every Friday. I lived in a little village that had everything you could ask for: a post office, a train station that went directly to London in 20 minutes, a small grocery store, an even smaller corner shop, the best bagels I've ever had in my life, and a flower shop. 

We used to get out of work early on Fridays -- around lunchtime. Believe me, we still worked a 40-hour-week (sometimes much longer!) but those Friday were glorious. Unless there was a crazy deadline, I was out the door early. 

I'd clean my house, get food for the weekend, water my plants, and I'd almost always go for a walk. England has the best footpaths that make you feel as though you're miles from civilization, even though you're just a block away from a main street. And even when you're in a residential area, people are serious about their flower gardens.

My actual flower garden was in a sad state. The lady who lived in the house previously had multiple green thumbs and she left an amazing bunch of flowers for me to tend to. Sadly, I didn't have a clue what to do unless the flowers were in a pot. To make matters worse, in what was meant to be a good deed, my neighbor mowed my tiny front yard for me and hacked my flowers apart in the process. (They hadn't yet bloomed... and somehow he couldn't tell the difference between flower stems and the giant grass growing around them.)

Along my walk home, I'd invariably stop to admire the buckets of flowers outside the florist's. And then, I'd almost always purchase some. Even if my outdoor flower garden wasn't up to snuff, I'd have some gorgeous blooms indoors. 

Today, after going for a walk (the temperatures were above freezing, I'm happy to report), I stopped to get some groceries on the way home. At the entrance to the store, I saw these mini yellow roses, and I realized far too many Fridays have passed since I bought myself some flowers. I think the last time may have been months ago, when I bought these carnations.

 

I think it might be high time to re-institute the Friday Flower tradition. 

Have a great weekend! 

Let it (Not) Snow

So 'a chance of flurries' turned into snow yesterday... and the South made national headlines because apparently one inch of this stuff wreaks more havoc around here than a blizzard does in the Northeast. 

This is what's left of the snow on my porch. 

Mind you, it IS chilly and the roads are slick. And apparently salt and sand and those trucks that spread the stuff around are in short supply. 

Having a snow day with one inch of snow is a perfectly delightful way to get cracking on the rest of those fingerless gloves (I'm up four and just started the fifth...) 

I still can't believe how many people were stranded in the 'snowstorm' (kids had to stay overnight in some schools!) and I'm thankful I didn't have to go anywhere yesterday or today. I didn't expect that at all from an inch or two of snow.
 

This is the kind of snow that I grew up with.

That's my old car. 

I know you really can't see it, but I can assure you it was under there, because I'm pretty sure I drove it fairly soon after I shoveled out from under the white stuff. I had a trunk full of kitty litter and a shovel in there, too. Just in case.

A good snowstorm once a year that keeps everyone indoors with a day off is usually good. But I know for many people, this year has seen far too much cold weather. 

This is one of the reasons we moved South. The Sailor doesn't like the cold, or shoveling. I concur. The other night, the light at dusk reminded me a little of spring. It was still frigid out, but I caught a glimpse that winter doesn't last forever (even though in some parts of the States, it may feel like that right now!) 

Here's to hoping for an early thaw -- even if there is a just a dusting of snow in your part of the world. 

Seed Stitch and Plant Revival

This sweater is still a hot mess. I knit one sleeve, thinking that I just needed to give it arms and then I'd like it. 

Still not convinced. 

Right now it's laying in a ball next to the sofa awaiting its fate. I fear that if I rip it out, I'll regret it. After all, I was the one obsessed with seed stitch there for a while. But realistically, although it's a nice seed stitch design, it looks terrible on me. I even took a selfie while wearing it (with just the one arm...) in the bathroom mirror. My face is grimacing, which tells me that this is NOT the bulky, cozy sweater for me. And no, I'm NOT posting that photo. I can think of better ways to use this bulky yarn. Grimacing is not one of them.

On a completely different note (and because I like to end with a bit of positive fluff  -- much like the evening news) this plant had me convinced that it wasn't going to make it once winter hit. Almost months after I re-potted it, this thing is springing back to life.

Scrapbooking on the Cheap: Part II

Earlier this week I mentioned that I'd be sharing some tips on how to keep scrapbooking without breaking the bank. I have been 'scrapbooking' for as long as I can remember. Even when I didn't have a scrapbook, per se, I used my journal to store as much as I could in there, besides words. 

For years, I didn't go anywhere without my journal. It became my personal scrapbook, and one that I wouldn't share with anyone. After I got married, and perhaps as a way to reminisce about the years before, I did a whole 'official' scrapbook on my 12 years of World Adventures: The Solo Years. 

I did it mainly for me -- for something creative and fun, but along the way, I realized that I could share it with friends and family who had never before seen photos or heard stories from the places I'd traveled, because I had kept my journals so secretive.

In an era before email became the norm, people were lucky to get a postcard out of me for months at a time. My scrapbooks helped to bridge the gap once I returned to the States. Once I started, there was no stopping me -- especially in the months while the Sailor was gone to sea, I'd cut and paste all manner of life events.

They are not your typical run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter scrapbooks. They are messy, bulging, mismatched, and full of luggage tags and adventure... a little bit like my life sometimes, I suppose. 

I found it all so creative that once I finished a book, I didn't really care whether I or anyone else ever looked at them again. I just had fun with it. I never really planned anything -- I'd just cut and paste and the whole process became very organic. Even after I glued something that didn't quite look right, I'd challenge myself to fix it without ripping the whole thing apart. 

Although I still splurged on some things (and still do), I've discovered a few ways to stay within my budget for my paper passion, besides simply waiting for stuff to go on clearance.

1. Look for inspiration everywhere. 
You don't always need something encased in plastic with a UPC symbol on the back to get the job done. One of the most amazing pieces of art I've ever seen in my life was by a little Belorussian girl who created a scene with a horse out of tree bark and twigs. TWIGS. You may not have to go that far, but think of the fun things you could make out of those throwaway cardboard coffee sleeves and a bit of leftover ribbon from an old wreath. 

Like a wood fire, for instance.

2. Save everything. 
I'm not talking about turning into a hoarder, but you know those handmade wedding invitations and Christmas cards you're about to throw away? See what you can salvage first! Torn wrapping paper? Paste it as a layer on one of your pages. Used stamps? Extra photos that accidentally got printed? Magazines with creative flair or neat type? All of these items can be turned into bits and pieces for your scrapbook pages. 

I'm quite partial to stamps, myself. 

3. Don't be afraid to use everyday objects. 
This kind of goes along with #2, but sometimes I actually buy stuff that I know I can get a secondary use out of later. I've used sandpaper on several pages, food labels and calendars, and I purposely buy tissues that have neat designs on them, so I can reuse the cardboard later. 

Besides sand, I have a whole garden of flowers currently growing in my scrapbooks. 

 

4. Look for items in unconventional places. 
My recent addiction to SMASH Books has been fueled by the fact that I just found a bunch half off the normal craft store price, at TJMaxx. Those, coupled with vintage sewing and knitting magazines from the thrifts, and I had half a book finished in no time. Scour thrift stores and flea markets for old ephemera like maps, magazines and even sewing patterns, to add a vintage touch to your pages. 

Vintage is very in vogue at the moment and what better way to recycle? 

5. Swap and share with a friend. 
One of my childhood friends is an avid scrapbooker, and she regularly sends me extra paper or bits that she eyes as my 'style'. Personally, I swoon at those giant stacks of brand new paper. If you can't find them on sale, find a buddy who will split the cost with you. Most of the stacks contain multiple sheets of the same design, so you can easily share. 

And even when you can't think of a way to use the stuff, 

stick it on an inspiration board in the meantime. 

6. Find your own style!
Even though I've just given you my tips on crafting cheaply... find what works for you! The creative process will be null and void if you do all of the above and gain no satisfaction out of it. The same friend who mails me paper has a very different style from me, but I absolutely love looking at her scrapbooks. She has a neatness and meticulousness to her layouts that I envy. But if I tried to do things her way, I don't think I'd find the process as fun. Likewise, if she tried my style! 

So find your own style and have fun with it. And if you decide to do things on the cheap and save some cash, you have all the more reason to splurge on something later. 

Favorite Fingerless Gloves

I found my new favorite fingerless gloves pattern, thanks to a friend who asked me to make a pair for her sister-in-law. She chose 'treads', which is a free pattern download on Ravelry.  

However, at first, I was a little apprehensive about making them. 

Don't get me wrong, I love fingerless gloves -- they're so practical (also good for layering OVER regular gloves when it's really cold!) plus they're generally easier and quicker to make then gloves with fingers. But the pattern looked like I had to make short fingers in any case. Plus it all looked a little complicated -- an Estonian braid?? What in the world?!

I'm happy to report that it was really simple. The pattern offers great instructions and once I got the hang of the Estonian braid, it was super easy. So simple in fact, I had no hesitation starting the second glove. (You know about the 'second sock syndrome' right? Right after you've made one sock, you don't even want to go near sock #2. Well, the same principle applies to gloves. After all, you still need two.)

And once I finished these and tried them on for size, I decided that I also needed a pair for myself. 

My local yarn store had one skein of this yarn left (I used Berocco Vintage in cracked pepper), so I nabbed it and calculated that I have enough yarn leftover from the first skein to make one more glove. So skein two should yield three more gloves. That's three pairs total for those of you counting. One pair for the original gal who wanted them, one for me and one for my friend who started this all in the first place. 

I'm just hoping that third, fourth, fifth and sixth glove syndrome don't kick in at any point during this whole process.