crafternoon.

(still no photoshop!)

My niece, Vanessa, has been begging to come over and I finally found a pocket of time to hang out with her today. We both really like glitter and glue.

I was rushing through A.C. Moore looking for a cheap, fun craft and this is what I came up with.

We ripped sheets of tissue paper into little pieces and glued them to ball jars and then sealed it with glitter mod podge. THE MOST FUN!

I kept calling them "candle holders", but you can put whatever you want in the jar, really.

While everything was drying, we made pumpkin bread with cream cheese filling (from a box, I have no business baking).

I had my first crafts class today! (More on that whole ordeal later, I may have to vent). We are making punch rugs as our first project. I'm going to do a Charley Harper inspired owl, I think. We'll what happens. Poppies would be cool, too. I don't know.

It's been an incredibly long day, and the melatonin is starting to do it's job.

Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite.

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Hurricanes and He-Man

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

mini-home tour: the bathroom.

(Shower Curtain: Macy's, Owl Picture: Thrifted and Painted)

Phew!

August must be the cruelest month!

First, a hospital visit and then an earthquake AND a hurricane?

(Not to mention, my photoshop problem!)

(Plastic Owl Wall Hangings: Gifted)

I'm trying to get back on track. I promise.

I edited the pictures for this post using PicNik, so think of them as cave drawings or something. I couldn't wait any longer to share.

(Reed Diffuser: Crafted, Owls: Gifted)

(Owl: Pier 1, Doily: Ebay, Lucite Grapes: Ebay, Ed Ames Record: Thrifted)

I'm really happy with the direction that my home decorating is going. When we first moved in, our condo was just a mass of "things" were thought looked fancy. As it evolves, it's becoming more indicative of our personalities. There are still a handful of things I want to do in the bathroom (maybe new towels + shower curtain) but I'm not really in a hurry.

<3

Robbie

Coming Up...

-Hurricanes and He-Man

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Time Machine: August 2010

Today, I was going to share another mini-home tour featuring my bathroom. However, something is wrong with my computer and photoshop won't load. Dave is going to check it out tomorrow for me but in the interim, I came up with yet another feature: "The Time Machine".

I'll go through my archive and share what I was doing the previous year(s). It's a good recap for new readers and a fun way to look back on what I've done (crafty or not). So, hold tight...

In August of 2010:

-I made boiled peanuts.

-I finished a summer class.

-I knitted a rug out of potholder loops.

What are you up to?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Hurricanes and He-Man

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-A Work in Progress: The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

What A Week!

(excuse my awful cell phone picture. haha)

Hey!

I've been pretty sick since last Thursday, hence no posts. I actually ended up in the hospital on Monday, where I found out that was having a minor "gastrointestinal" event. However, everything is okay now and I have a handful of different pills and elixirs to take for the next 8 days.

While I was laying around, I suffered from another (more fun) ailment; start-itis! Instead of working on my sweater or the hand towels for my bathroom, I became enchanted by Miss Stephanie Dosen's Beekeeper quilt. I got everything ready and realized that I didn't have the right needles, so I started my second Jaywalker sock(ravelry link). Last night, Dave drove me to A.C. Moore and I picked up needles for the quilt. I made my first little hexi-puff in about a half an hour!

384 more to go!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-A Work in Progress: The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

"Vintage" Reed Diffuser: A Tutorial.

We have a ton of reed diffusers all over the house. Every time Pier 1 marks them down we leave with BAGS full. It's not that I don't like them, I do. Really. They smell nice, and they aren't as scary as those plug-in apparatuses.

This specific one have been sitting in the bathroom looking modern and sleek for far too long, so at 11:30 last night I decided to glue some crap to it. You can do the same thing, by following my shoddy directions.

Things You'll Need:

-A boring Reed Diffuser

-Hand-Me-Down Fabric

-Sun-Faded Vintage Rick-Rack

-Weird Paper Mushrooms (also from the clearance rack at Pier 1)

1. Cut the fabric and rick-rack. Do it hastily. Don't measure anything. You're better than that, right?

2. Glue the rick-rack to the fabric in a haphazard manner. Make sure to get glue-y spiderwebs all over your project. DO NOT PULL THEM OFF. They are rilly decorative!

3. Hot glue the edge of the fabric and smoosh it on the glass. Pull it off. Repeat. Eventually it will look acceptable. You'll probably burn your fingers.

4. Pull the fabric taught around the vessel. MORE HOT GLUE. MORE SMOOSHING. It doesn't matter what the back looks like, does it?

5. Glue some rick-rack to the bottle neck to make it look more "fancy".

6. Jam the paper mushrooms in the top and go show your significant other. Ask them if the like it. Regardless of the actual answer, pout and question their "support" of your hobbies.

7. Take pictures and post them on the internet. Wait for compliments.

You're finished. Have a bottle glass of wine and go to bed.

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work on Hiatus: The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Hey! Pizza Face!

Remember that relaxing bath I was bragging about yesterday?!

I decided to do a facial scrub, to really ham it up. I didn't realize it, but I had like 5 zits on my face!

GROSS!

Now, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this adolescent nightmare (so let's not lose our heads or anything). Not too long ago, I had read about SPF moisturizers becoming a catalyst in certain types of cancers. Scary stuff, right?

I decided to toss the ol' SPF 15 day cream for a natural serum that I bought on etsy. I'm just having a difficult time adjusting, I guess? I ordered a second moisturizer, just in case.

In the meantime, I did warming facial mask and I'm going to follow up with some clove oil spot treatments.

Have you ever bought any skin care items on Etsy? Did you like them?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work on Hiatus: The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

sneak peek: paint-by-number clown.

Today has been the most lazy day ever!

-I put bean soup (from the Little House Cookbook) in the crock pot.

-I watched the kitties roll around in cat nip.

-I worked on my fall wardrobe and a halloween pinterest boards.

-I watched Dave play Paperboy for a while.

-I ate breakfast @ 2:30.

-I worked on a little clown paint-by-number.

and now, I'm going to get an obnoxiously long bubble bath before leaving to knit at Lea's house!

Sometimes, you just need to recharge your batteries.

What are YOU up to today?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Hey! Pizza Face!

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work on Hiatus: The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

vinyl monday: the gaslight anthem.

It had rained most of the day in Jersey. It's kinda bleak. However, I did see a girl with a really swell umbrella.

My boss calls the Gaslight Anthem "rainy-day-in-north-Jersey" music. I tend to agree, but I don't mind his negative connotation. I can't think of anything more sweet than walking around little North Jersey towns in the rain.

But I digress, interpret their sound however you want; please enjoy it.

I'm going to go work on a tiny paint-by-number-clown.

What's your favorite rainy day activity?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

tea time: Good4You tea.

I've been a super fanboy of Good4You tea for about two years! I could write a five page list all of the great things about Jess Morgan's shop. However, this post is dedicated to my favorite product, Mellow Mood Tea.

I don't want you to think I'm being paid in any way, shape or form for this post. I just really CRAZYSUPERLOVE this stuff. I'm an "iffy" sleeper at best. I wake up every 2-3 hours, and that's after tossing and turning for a while. I know it's from drinking too much caffeine but let's be serious, there's no way I'm cutting it out.

Mellow Mood really helps settle me down and make sure I stay asleep for a reasonable amount of time. If you don't believe in that "magick herbal witchery stuff", you really don't have to. This is the best tasting chamomile tea ever. And if you do take stock in herbal voodoo, it has valerian root to help you sleep :-)

Honestly, I don't know what I'd without it!

What's YOUR favorite type of tea?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

mini-home-tour: my (kitsch)en.

wip wednesday: cats + yarn.

I finally finished the back of the sweater! In order to celebrate, I decided to cast on a "quick and easy" project that ties in with my upcoming bathroom restyling. We've already painted, and I've pinned some exciting things. I just need to pick a direction and go with it. It's been the same for so long, I'm really excited about a little change. I may even try to make a shower curtain. It's proving to be crazy difficult to find a mid-century inspired shower curtain that isn't vinyl.

In the meantime, I'm working on some organic cotton hand towels in my favorite color. Regardless of the way the bathroom turns out, I know I'll love these.

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Evian/FredFlare Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Evian baby tee from Fred Flare is Jada of Minestrone Soup for the Teenage Soul!!!! Jada, you'll be receiving an email from me shortly :-)

I agree that having fun is definitely one of the secrets to staying young! Thanks for reading!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Wip Wednesday: Knitted Hand Towels

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

vinyl monday: hair.

Dave and I went to a Chinese buffet for dinner and I feel like I may have eaten far too much. I'm kind of drowsy. I can barely hold my head up. I'm a fool for those fluffy little donuts. I'm going to try to make this quick, because I'm going to feed the cat and hamster and then pass out on the couch.

When I was in that strange place between a teenager and an adult. You know the place, where you stay out late every night and drink like a fish? Yeah? It's near there. I would spend endless hours at my best friend Dan's house. His mom used to boil chicken in ketchup for dinner while we practiced jazzercise moves in his formal living room.

One (recovery) day, we sat on the couch until the sun went down watching his parents movies. That day was the first time I had ever seen "Hair"and it blew me away! If you haven't noticed, I have a sort of affinity towards the sixties/seventies; it seemed like "Hair" was created just for me!!!!

Dan and I aren't friends anymore, we both grew up; just in two very different ways. Our lives have both changed drastically, but I will never forget the smell of boiling ketchup or watching "Hair" three times in a row.

Are there any movies/plays/musicals that have had carved out a place in your memory?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Works Cited: Star Book #233.

A few months ago I won an auction on eBay that consisted of a handful of men's knitting pamphlets from the seventies. I didn't pay much, and I promptly forgot about them until today. I opened the mailbox and there was little manila envelope in it, but I wasn't expecting anything. I got kinda worried that I may have been sleep-shopping again.

Anyway, these things are god-damn amazing. Seriously. Look at these scans! These boys are getting it.

(and these are just the COLOR shots!)

Omigod! This is the dreamiest vintage knitting pamphlet I have found so far!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!!!

Do you have any favorite vintage pattern books/publishers?

Are there any really good vintage craft/knitting sites that I may have missed out on?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Thrifting: Last Week's Haul.

This little guy blew my mind! It was the first thing I picked up. I've been looking for cool vintage things to put in the Knitxcore etsy shop, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to give him up.

The collar is a little frayed, but I'm not worried about it. It fits like a dream!

I actually had two Polaroid camersa in my hand, but I clicked the shutter on this one and the flash went off so I decided that he was the winner. I'm hoping I come across a reasonably priced auction for some 600 film. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Okay, so the book isn't technically a supply but it was only 50 cents. The sock monkey was almost finished!!!! It only needs to be stuffed and sewn shut! I am so souped!

This week has been really quite busy. I apologize for the lack of quality content. I've been up late every night working on History papers and reading books about Gothic Architecture. Last night, I learned about "thrust equilibrium" and the importance of keystones. BLECH!!!!

I hope you all have been having much more fun than I have!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more