Just a few quick updates since my computer decided to crash.
The spring semester for school started on Monday and so far it has been a little crazy. I'm taking four classes this semester with two online, one half online, and one that is the regular in-class style. These are my first actual online classes and I'm afraid I really don't like the set-up of them, one of them especially, and it's kinda got me bummed.
In project news I have officially strung two entire tubes of beads and am starting on the third. I found, or rather rediscovered, a way to string a few beads at a time rather than each individually so that has sped things up a little.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
The First of the Projects
Like I mentioned in my last post, I am going to try blogging at least once per week and much of said blogging will be about my craft projects.
I really should be starting with the one project I have that has an actual due date (October) since it will take me a long time to do it right. However, that project is intimidating me right now so I've decided to work on something else for the time being.
The Beaded Scarf
This is one of those projects I found in a beading book of mine that I thought looked cool. I originally began the project in 2011 but set it aside while I waited for some beads that were on backorder. By the time the beads arrived I was busy with other things, the project got shoved aside, and eventually I forgot about it. But when I sat down to think of projects I could do the scarf popped into my head again.
There are a few challenges to this project. First, I've never really knitted a complete project. Second, there are something like 38,000 beads in this scarf (I wish I were exaggerating that number). Here are some pictures to illustrate.
I find this white plastic tub is perfect for keeping everything in the project together and it makes for easy transportation (within my house) but most importantly it is great for corralling the tiny beads I am working with.
For those of you that bead, the beads I am working with are size 11/0 seed beads (in the tubes on the right).
For those of you that knit, the needles I am using are size 0000 (that's them on the left).
The red "string" is perle cotton.
That should hopefully give some idea of the scale of this project.
My first task is to string every last one of those beads onto that perle cotton. I already strung one tube of beads back in 2011. Last night I started stringing the second tube (out of five total) and after three hours straight I only got maybe a quarter of the tube done.
At least I can watch t.v. or listen to music while I work on this project because I predict several more hours spent stringing beads.
I really should be starting with the one project I have that has an actual due date (October) since it will take me a long time to do it right. However, that project is intimidating me right now so I've decided to work on something else for the time being.
The Beaded Scarf
This is one of those projects I found in a beading book of mine that I thought looked cool. I originally began the project in 2011 but set it aside while I waited for some beads that were on backorder. By the time the beads arrived I was busy with other things, the project got shoved aside, and eventually I forgot about it. But when I sat down to think of projects I could do the scarf popped into my head again.
There are a few challenges to this project. First, I've never really knitted a complete project. Second, there are something like 38,000 beads in this scarf (I wish I were exaggerating that number). Here are some pictures to illustrate.
For those of you that bead, the beads I am working with are size 11/0 seed beads (in the tubes on the right).
For those of you that knit, the needles I am using are size 0000 (that's them on the left).
The red "string" is perle cotton.
That should hopefully give some idea of the scale of this project.
My first task is to string every last one of those beads onto that perle cotton. I already strung one tube of beads back in 2011. Last night I started stringing the second tube (out of five total) and after three hours straight I only got maybe a quarter of the tube done.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Endings / Beginnings
Goodbye 2013
Overall I would say I am happy to be rid of 2013. It wasn't exactly the worst year I've ever had but it ranks right up there thanks to plenty of lows and very few highs.
All I can do now is put it behind me and move on to bigger and better things.
Hello 2014
Already this year feels like it will be better. I have several things I hope to accomplish and I am excited to get started.
First on the agenda - my Year-Long Project.
I thought about doing a photo a day but my camera is not doing very well. It's almost eight years old and it's time I replace it.
Then I thought about my current craft projects, and while I realized that none of them will take a full year by themselves, together they might equal a year.
So I decided that my Year-Long Project will actually be to blog at least once a week, but a lot of the blogging will be documenting my crafts (hopefully with pictures if my camera cooperates).
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Overall I would say I am happy to be rid of 2013. It wasn't exactly the worst year I've ever had but it ranks right up there thanks to plenty of lows and very few highs.
All I can do now is put it behind me and move on to bigger and better things.
Hello 2014
Already this year feels like it will be better. I have several things I hope to accomplish and I am excited to get started.
First on the agenda - my Year-Long Project.
I thought about doing a photo a day but my camera is not doing very well. It's almost eight years old and it's time I replace it.
Then I thought about my current craft projects, and while I realized that none of them will take a full year by themselves, together they might equal a year.
So I decided that my Year-Long Project will actually be to blog at least once a week, but a lot of the blogging will be documenting my crafts (hopefully with pictures if my camera cooperates).
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Pat on the Back
I spend a lot of time putting myself down. All I have to do is look in a mirror to get the inner commentary going. Yet saying nice things about myself to other people feels like bragging. So often in real life I just keep quiet and hide my accomplishments. It seems easier that way.
But in the spirit of being nicer to myself I thought, for once, I would like to give myself a pat on the back. So here goes.
I got all A's in my classes this semester, a 4.0 GPA. This isn't the first 4.0 GPA I've gotten but it is the first where I've walked away with nearly 100% in every class, even 115% in one class thanks to getting 100% on every assignment and test plus bonus points!
I was worried about returning to school seven years after I graduated college the first time but apparently studying for tests and writing essays is much like riding a bike - it all comes back when you need it to.
One more school-related pat on the back. For my business class we had to come up with a business for our final project that was different from everyone else in class and we were randomly called on to shout out our ideas. When my turn came I said my business would be crafts. My professor was skeptical of this and joked to the class that the idea sounded like crap.
Because I am stubborn I went with it anyway and while I noticed he critiqued several other people's business projects he told me mine was great just the way it was and that I was his best student. He even told a friend of mine at a bar (long story) that should I ever need any help starting my business to give him a call and then left his number with my friend. (Not in a creepy way, he genuinely was offering his help if I need it).
But in the spirit of being nicer to myself I thought, for once, I would like to give myself a pat on the back. So here goes.
I got all A's in my classes this semester, a 4.0 GPA. This isn't the first 4.0 GPA I've gotten but it is the first where I've walked away with nearly 100% in every class, even 115% in one class thanks to getting 100% on every assignment and test plus bonus points!
I was worried about returning to school seven years after I graduated college the first time but apparently studying for tests and writing essays is much like riding a bike - it all comes back when you need it to.
One more school-related pat on the back. For my business class we had to come up with a business for our final project that was different from everyone else in class and we were randomly called on to shout out our ideas. When my turn came I said my business would be crafts. My professor was skeptical of this and joked to the class that the idea sounded like crap.
Because I am stubborn I went with it anyway and while I noticed he critiqued several other people's business projects he told me mine was great just the way it was and that I was his best student. He even told a friend of mine at a bar (long story) that should I ever need any help starting my business to give him a call and then left his number with my friend. (Not in a creepy way, he genuinely was offering his help if I need it).
Sunday, December 15, 2013
The Eternal Optimist?
Anybody else do this? Whenever I see a guy who is my type, or close to it, and we have at least one thing in common my mind runs away with me and I start to picture how our future together could play out. Little vignettes of me introducing him to my friends and family, of us falling in love begin popping into my head.
It seems to be an instantaneous reaction that most assuredly comes from my heart and not my brain because one thing I've learned over the years is that my heart lives in a candy-coated world of rainbows and unicorns where maybe, just maybe wishing hard enough will bring true love.
It took me many years, and a couple embarrassing instances of one-sided "love" to finally separate my brain from my heart. Now when my heart begins it's little song and dance the rest of me just laughs and gets on with reality.
It seems to be an instantaneous reaction that most assuredly comes from my heart and not my brain because one thing I've learned over the years is that my heart lives in a candy-coated world of rainbows and unicorns where maybe, just maybe wishing hard enough will bring true love.
It took me many years, and a couple embarrassing instances of one-sided "love" to finally separate my brain from my heart. Now when my heart begins it's little song and dance the rest of me just laughs and gets on with reality.
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