Monday, November 30, 2015

Crafty Finishes - November 2015

Oh hey, I know I sort of dropped off the end of the world there. To sum it all up: I get headaches on a daily basis but, thankfully, my doctor has helped me be proactive about it so I take medicine for it nightly. However, if I've had an especially stressful day or I try to use my eyes too much (staring at a backlit screen, reading for long periods or small font, or staring intently at something/ cross stitch) the headache turns into a full blown migraine. With Thanksgiving, black friday, and some family issues (don't you dare start to assume to know what I'm talking about; you know who you are and if you don't know what I'm talking about then don't worry about it) all building up, I wasn't able to sit down and write up blog posts or edit photos until now. I'm sorry but I'm back and moving forward.

So, not a lot of words today, just some fun pictures of what I've been crafting. Leading up to Christmas my crafty photos will be a bit vague since the crafts are mostly presents but afterwards I'll be sure to share with you the finished products.

First up, the fun stuff I made for the Star Wars Swap. See the completed package on the swap page.

1-Hour baskets and headbands

And for my final swap for the foreseeable future, the Mermaid themed craft swap. Again, you can see the full swap package (and what I received) on the swap page.

A 1-Hour basket based off my partners mermaid colors and a fun scarf

Once I made the first 1-Hour basket I just wanted to make more. The pattern is free and I think it would be a great scrap buster to make them all quilty. Yup, that's definitely going to happen. If you too want to know what all the fuss is about get the pattern --> here.

Just in time for the big meal, Tom Turkey placemats that I started this time last year (those HST freaked me out back then but I've got them all figured out now).



Last year J and I each chose the fabric we wanted as part of our Mr. Turkeys and then I pieced them all together. Even after messing up the first few cuts, I think both turned out quite well. It was fun to finally have some sort of fall decoration up and I have some plans for next year's decorations. If you are the crafty sort and want to make one for yourself, its a free pattern offered by Bee In My Bonnet -> here.

Speaking of holidays, here are two Christmas gift sneak peaks that I posted to instagram earlier this week. Please don't try and guess what they are or who they're for, it'll spoil the surprise.


For the first photo, I finally conquered my fear of curves by taking on full circles. And the second photo is to show off my improved ability at matching up patterns and stringing strips together. I know the tail is a bit off but considering how crooked the pattern was to start with, I'm happy with it.

Finally, the piece I'm most excited to have finished, was my Christmas quilt. We even took it out for my first ever quilt photo shoot. I'm hoping there are many more of these in my future (and perhaps, someday, with a better camera than just my cell phone).


I wanted the quilt to have the feel of a traditional Christmas quilt to represent the traditions my family has always had and then its quilted with Scandinavian snow flakes to represent J and his family. So, the two together, make a new tradition for our new family - when the quilt comes out so does the holiday planning, music, and cheer. The importance that I was placing on it is what led to it taking me so long. I didn't want to mess up so I was afraid of even trying but, in the end, I'm glad I took that deep breath and went for it.

Here's a closer look at the quilt so you can get a better look at the quilting (there's a snowflake over each diamond and crosshatch quilting around the border).


It was a cold and windy day so it was a bit of a fight to catch a photo of the quilt not blowing in the breeze. The photo on the left was the most successful photo we caught of the back of the quilt. You can see some of the quilting on this side too.



Everyday since September 10th of this year we've been taking a selfie a day to countdown to our wedding, minus a few days that we got tired of taking selfies sitting on the couch (284 days to go!!). It just seemed fitting that we include the quilt in this day's photo.


Aren't we the cutest!? Yes I am definitely stealing more of the blanket than what J had but it was super cold that day!

That's it for my crafty finishes the last two weeks. I have plenty more on my list to complete especially with my Christmas gift deadline being 21 days from now so more pictures coming soon.

Oh, and if you're wondering about my completed book list. Please laugh with me as I say that I read a single book and 2 graphic novels this month. I did play Portal 2 start to finish in less than 24 hours, finish a quilt, work close to 30 hours a week, and keep up on my house chores though so give me a break :) Many of last month's books I still want to read so I've extended their due dates at the library to give me more time. I also have a growing list of books I've received for review so I want to give an honest review of those as well. Stay tuned for all that fun.

On Wednesday, since its the beginning of the month, I'll be sharing my bullet journal (what I had intended to share on the Friday I disappeared) past, present, and future. Hope to see you again and I appreciate your time. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my etsy shop. Until next time my holiday spirited readers, live long, give thanks, and prosper!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Written Word Wednesday - Leading Ladies

You thought I forgot about you guys. No way. Fun story: I did almost forget what I time I was supposed to be at work. At 9:45, sitting in my pajamas, still slowly sipping my first cup of coffee, my phone alerted me that my shift started in 15 minutes - it takes me 7 minutes to drive to work! Thankfully, I had remembered to switch the laundry so my work clothes were freshly clean. I've never changed so fast in my entire life. In those 15 minutes, I got dressed, minimal makeup, hair in my usual ponytail, packed my lunch, refilled my water bottle, closed off the various rooms to the pets (because the cats are having trouble coping with my absence in the form of peeing on things), and rushed out the door to drive to work. Clocked on at 10:00:14am. Nailed it! Anyway, that long story was to say that I'm sorry for this being a late in the day post rather than what I had hoped to be earlier in the day.

Today's "Written Word Wednesday" (what do you guys think of the name?) is focusing on leading ladies. Entirely unintentionally I've been reading quite a few books with a woman either as the author and/or as the main character. In some cases, the character is in the role typically seen by male characters and other times they fit the stereotype to the T. In all cases, they're books that I've greatly enjoyed and are certainly worth a look into. As with my end of the month reviews, I'll give an honorable mention in each category but I seriously, you should check them out!

Autobiographies/ Memoirs:

Yes Please by Amy Poehler -★★★★☆
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed -★★★★☆
My Year with Eleanor by Noelle Hancock -★★★★☆

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day - currently reading. I know its not really fair to highlight this book as my honorable mention since I'm only into it the first hundred pages but I absolutely love Felicia Day. She was the geek girl before it exploded and became cool to be all geeky and such (its cool now, right? Not that it matters much to me I just mean... I think its cool). Beyond her acting (Supernatural, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, and The Guild) and writing (The Guild) and video game skills, she is just a genuinely awesome person that I wish I could be friends with (I don't mean like besties because she's probably crazy busy but maybe just the kind of friend that occasionally texts a "hey, what's up? What level are you on?" sort of friend). The reason I highlight her book in particular is because, when it comes down to it, everyone is a geek about something - there's something that you absolutely love and could talk for hours about if someone were to ask. And what makes us geek out is special to each of us and we should be proud of that. Let our geek flags fly! And, don't worry, if you aren't the video game/ comic type of geek she writes in a language everyone can understand. (As with all these books here) I highly encourage you to look into the book or, at least, Felicia (okay, fine! She's my girl crush okay!? I'm allowed!)


Comics/ Graphic novels:
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson -★★★★☆
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson -★★★★★

Trekker by Ron Randall -★★★★☆ A lot of the books and comics that I highlight here are newer but Trekker started years ago when the story may have been considered a bit ambitious. The main character, Mercy St. Clair, is a bounty hunter (also known as a trekker) who takes care of the scum that others can't seem to catch or handle. There's a lot to love about Mercy and her action packed life and you can get up to date from the Trekker webpage. Trekker was the first official comic series that I bought at my very first comic con and I am so glad that I did! I even got to meet the creator, Ron Randall himself!! I highly encourage you at least check out the page and a few of the pages that he has up.

I Was the Cat by Paul Tobin and Ben Dewey - currently reading


Young Adult:
Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins -★★★★☆
Divergent (series) by Veronica Roth -★★★★☆

Throne of Glass (series) by Sarah J. Maas - ★★★★★ I absolutely love this entire series so I highly recommend it to anyone. The main character, Celaena Sardothien is the most infamous assassin in all of Erilea. Under the tyrannical rule of the King of Adarlan Celaena must fight her way to survival to become his champion and assassin. Partially inspired by Cinderella, Sarah J. Maas paints a beautiful story of a young woman's fight to be the best. Now, I must warn you that if you pick up this series, the first book is a bit slow in the beginning but there is a lot of set up. I also must warn you that by the time you start your way through the second book, you will be totally addicted to the story and want to rush through to the end of the last released book,the fourth, Queen of Shadows. The series is meant to have 6 books in total so there's still time to join the growing following of this spectacular series.


Just in case reading isn't your thing (or maybe it is and you need some more characters to check out) here are a few movies to check out and the women to keep an eye out for.

Movies & TV:

Lord of the Rings (book and series) - Lady Galadriel, Lady of Light, Lady of the Galadhrim, Lady of the Wood, Lady of Lórien; Éowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan; and Arwen, Queen of the Reunited Kingdom (Arnor and Gondor), Lady of Rivendell
Harry Potter (book and movie series) - Hermoine Granger and Professor Minerva McGonagall

Star Trek: The Original Series - Uhura and Number One (from the pilot episode) - Now, here is where I tell you how amazing Star Trek is and why it is so much more than just a tv show. Star Trek's first pilot featured a female second-in-command ("Number One" since she remained unnamed) which may not seem so crazy to us but back when it was first released, producers felt that a female in command was too far fetched that the audience wouldn't believe it and they rejected the pilot. Though rejected, they ordered a second pilot so the female lead was dropped and replaced with the much loved Spock, maintaining some of the same aspects such as her cool demeanor. Additionally, Star Trek:TOS featured the first black woman in a position of power and the first tv broadcast of a interracial kiss. Star Trek fought to push the limits on what was considered the norm, looking forward to a future that accepted everyone as they are and sought to learn more of other cultures rather than try to change them (hmmm, sound relevant to today?). If you happen to sit down and watch even just one episode, keep in mind how this show must have looked when it first aired. An asian man on the bridge played by a man who lived in a Japanese Internment Camp (in Rohwer, Arkansas). A Russian character also on the bridge during the Cold War. A black woman on the bridge during the push to black rights leading up Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Just take 30 minutes and watch 1 episode and consider the impact that Star Trek has had not only on sci-fi culture but how the actors and actress's, by being apart of this series, has shaped television and history!

Star Trek: Voyager (tv series) - Captain Kathryn Janeway, B'Elanna Torres, Kes, and Seven of Nine
Firefly & Serenity - The entire crew of Serenity! The women of the crew being Zoe Washburn, Inara Serra, Kaylee Frye, and River Tam
X-Files (tv series) - Dana Scully


And there you have it, a not nearly long enough list of some of the badass women I love. Any leading lady books, movies, or tv shows that I'm forgetting (or I may not even know about)? Please, let me know in the comments! Join me Friday (Free-for-all-Friday?) as I talk about my planning process and transitioning into bullet journaling. And/Or back again on Monday for another "Make-It-Monday" for some of the crafty fun I've been up to this week. I have the next few days off so its going to be a crafty storm up in here! And seriously, guys and gals, what do you think of the themed names? Do you have some better ideas for me because I'm all ears!?

Thank you for joining me on this crazy hump day. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my etsy shop. Until next time my lovely lady readers (and lady loving), live long, read on, and prosper!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Doodle-a-day & Retail woes

Hello! Welcome back to my Make-It-Monday (I'm trying out a fun name for my themed days! Whatcha think?)

Besides making plans and patterns for Christmas gifts, I didn't do much crafting these last few days. But, I still want to have something to show you all so I thought I'd share my House GlaDos doodles. First, an explaination: I recently joined International Geek Girls [Pen Pals] Club (IGGPPC or Iggles) and on their website they have a bunch of fun activities and challenges to take on that you can earn achievements for. I know I'm not artist but there's something meditative about doodling and its fun to give my brain a stretch thinking of doodles to fit the prompts.



So, the challenge I took on this month was the House GlaDos (the house I was sorted into) November doodle challenge. Since it is half way through the month right now, here are what I've drawn for the first 15days of the month. Some I'm pretty proud of and feel very clever, others are a little embarrassing and if you could just not look too terribly closely (its the thought that counts, right?) that'd be great!


Day 1: Cake




Day 2: Fire    Day 3: Orange    Day 4: Laser    Day 5: Blue
Day 6: Speed      Day 7: Portal   Day 8: Bottomless pit


Day 9: Test Subject     Day 10: Maze     Day 11: Potato     Day 12: Puzzle
Day 13: Jump      Day 14: Computer      Day 15: Gun



If you happen to be inspired to join the club, you most certainly can by going -->here<--. Sign ups just opened up for the next month's penpal match up so now is the perfect time to join (this month's theme is the 90s). If writing to total strangers isn't your thing, that's totally okay! There's activities and prompts for a wide range of things from fitness to video gaming and more.

One of the reasons I wasn't terribly crafty this weekend was because I worked almost all day Saturday. Now, I absolutely love my job - getting to work with fabric everyday, listening to customers creative ideas, answering questions based on my own experience and knowledge - I love it all. With the Black Friday frenzy nearing us, I thought I would be a voice for all us underpaid, understaffed, retail-workers. So, here is a short list of things to please keep in mind as you fight your way to that perfect present:

1. If you have a question that we can't answer, please don't get upset. During this time of year a bunch of people are hired as seasonal workers and are thrown right into the mess. For me, I haven't had a chance to map out the entire store and I don't have an ever-updating list of what we carry/ what's on sale/ if that coupon will work in my head. I've had a few customers (usually men, I might add) who ask me questions about a specific sewing machine or type of fabric that their spouse wants and then they get upset when I can't give them the correct answer. Here's the truth: I have a cheap machine that I absolutely love. I wouldn't buy a sewing machine from Joann's even if I was in the market for one but I can't exactly advise you to GTFO because that's not my job. I will tell you what I know but I don't know every little detail especially when you don't even know what you're looking for. We do the best we can but honestly, we may just not know the answer and we truly do feel sorry.

2. If you decide you don't want something PLEASE don't just put it down somewhere random or, in my case, on the top of a random aisle of fabric. Please just bring it to a desk/ the cutting counter. I have no problem putting away fabric but I hate it when I'm putting things away only to be attacked by falling merchandise or bolts of fabric that I couldn't see.

3. Please be patient!! Anytime I'm at the cutting counter (which is most of the time) and someone has had to wait more than a minute or two, they angrily yell at me to bring in some more people. Yeah, I would love to have more people come and help me but that's just not possible. Especially during the holiday season, as far as I know, everywhere is understaffed because that's how big chain stores make more money. Also, just because we aren't helping you, doesn't mean we aren't working. At Joann's, once finished with a customer, if there is a remnant piece of fabric (usually a cut less than 1 yd), I have to measure and write it up. At least once a day I have a customer tell me I was ignoring them and need to pay more attention. Dear inpatient person buying fabric that equals my month of paychecks: I'm not blind or ignoring you, I'm just busy doing my job as quickly and accurately as possible so that I can get to you sooner.

4. The back room is not some magical portal where we hide everything from you. Unless you looked it up beforehand and our website says we have it in store, assume that we don't have it. If you're coming in on the last day of a sale and are surprised to find that that unique, holiday-only item isn't out on the shelves, you probably missed your chance. The "back room" is more like a death trap and, to be honest, I tend to avoid it. It's poorly lit, cold, and like a scene out of a horror movie. What is in there is merchandise that will eventually be going out on the floor when the new ads go out but is not just some secret stash of extras. What we have on the floor is all that we've got. Sorry.

Okay, lets review: PLEASE be understanding, bring unwanted merchandise to us, be patient, and assume you missed out (aka look online first).

Phew, that was tense. But seriously, we're minimum wage paid workers who are working during times that you get to spend time with your family and enjoy your day off. As I said though, most of the time I enjoy my job. I'm actually one of those weird people that is enjoying the busyness of retail work. Its just the occasional mean person that just has to come in and be a jerk.

I'm really excited about this opportunity (though I suppose most people don't see it as that) and though I don't plan on this being my end in career searching, I'm learning what I can from this experience to apply in to my future. A recent way that I've seen working retail affect me is when I went grocery shopping on Thursday, instead of going through the self checkout like I usually would, I went through a a check out with a nice looking girl my age and enjoyed a conversation with her as she scanned my purchases. I typically avoid talking to people but I've discovered some inner extrovert/ worked through some of my social anxiety and have learned how carry on a conversation like a normal person/ a person with the only the ability to smile and agree to everything. The key: finding something you have in common. For example, working as Joanns, I can assume the customer is some sort of crafty or talking to the Fred Meyer check out girl, we both work retail.

That's all I have for now. The first half of this week is work heavy but then I have a few days off that I'll be starting my Christmas crafting so look forward to that next Monday. Also, join me Wednesday (Written-Word-Wednesdays?) as I go over some great reads that feature kickass women. And/ Or Friday (Free-for-all-Friday?) as I talk about my planning process and transitioning into bullet journaling. Lots of fun ahead!

Just for fun, can you tell what each of my doodles were and how I got to them from the prompt? What geeky thing first comes to your mind when you read the prompts? Also, if you're also a retail worker, what other things did you wish your customers kept in mind during this holiday shopping rush season? Let me know in the comments below!

As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my etsy shop. Until next time my shopping crazy (or maybe not so much) readers, live long, doodle on, and prosper!


Friday, November 13, 2015

November catchup

Hello!! So, going from unemployed/ working in my pajamas from home to standing for 8 hours 5 days in a row is exhausting. I absolutely love my new job, being around fabric all day and hear about all these fun and crafty projects. I'm sure customers get tired of us asking "So, what are you making with this?" but, at least for me, I honestly want to know. My feet are getting used to being used everyday and my hip is getting tough against me using it to balance as I reach across the cutting counter to make the final snips to some fabric (it was hand sized at the worst).

Besides work, though, what craftiness have I been up to? First up, I learned how to make a latte! Okay, so that's not really crafty but I'm pretty proud of it. You want real craftiness, oh okay. If you insist - I finished my Tolkien swap package:

Map of Middle Earth coffee mug with routes from each of the books
Lembas bread leaf wrap as a coffee cozy to hold some red dragon tea and some chai tea mix
Arwen quote cross stitch and a hobbit hole necklace


I made myself an incredibly unflattering sweater but, my goodness, it feels like wearing a blanket and that is totally okay with me. Please excuse my funky face, I was feeling uncertain with my work but honestly, it was a yard of fabric that I sewed up the sides and cut out a neck hole. Then, since it was longer than I would've liked, I chopped off a few inches at the bottom and turned them into kimono style sleeves and sewed them on. 30ish minutes of work and I have my favorite day-off outfit:

Let's see, I also bought a crazy amount of fabric for Christmas gifts. Well, the fabric isn't the gift, what I'm going to make it all into will be. I'm super excited to get started on it but I have 2 more swaps to finish off. I probably won't be able to show too many progress photos of the christmas gift stuff since I'm pretty sure the majority of you readers are those that the presents are going to.

Oh! And yesterday, though technically not crafty, I finally got a chance to go on a real grocery shopping trip, completely cleaned the entire apartment, tried out a new dinner recipe, and prepped 4 overnight oatmeals for each J and I (because we are definitely not morning people). Here's a few photos from yesterday:




Our bathroom really isn't this crooked, its just because I had to shoot this photo in panorama so it added a curve to it. I added another Mermaid to the wall from the Mermaid swap (switched out the frame she came in for a shadow box and put a layer of shells in the bottom) and hung fresh new towels. Also, look at how nicely the plants are thriving since this is the only room the cats aren't allowed into.





Our coffee cart is one of my favorite parts of our home. It used to be split with the top shelf devoted to coffee and tea and the bottom shelf devoted to alcohol. We were running out of room for our coffee cups and we had finally decided to bring J's college years espresso machine home so I moved to the alcohol to a cupboard and made this cart coffee and tea only. The cart is from Ikea way back when I first got an apartment and I stained it a darker color to better match both my tastes and the rest of my furniture. The wine cork board was an old window from the house I grew up in filled with wine corks collected from McMenamins Edgefield (don't worry, I did not drink all that wine). I'd eventually like to add a few more wall hangings (Like a Janeway quote about "coffee in that nebula" and a chart about different ways to prepare your coffee).









And, as I mentioned earlier, we ended the night with prepping some overnight oatmeal. We each chose 4 we wanted to try out, you can find lots of fun recipes on Pinterest (or google, obviously). J went with pumpkin pie (pictured), peanut butter and jelly, latte, and . I went for cocoa butter nut, butter nut bread, latte, and cinnamon apple. I ate the cocoa butter nut one this morning and it was pretty tasty:


 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1tsp cocoa powder, 1/2 banana, and 1/2tbsp chopped walnuts. Mix it all together and put it in the fridge. Bam! It really doesn't take that long and you could make it hot in the morning but I hate mornings so being able to roll out of bed and just grab some breakfast is pretty fantastic for me. Plus, making lattes takes up my usual breakfast making time and I really like me some fancy coffee in the morning.




In non-crafty news, I'm caught up on Supernatural (actually watching the most recent episode right now). I had to return a few books to the library due to not being able to renew them. I made it through about 1/3 of Armada (and loved it!) so I'm hoping to find it today during our library visit (when a book is recently released or a bestseller, they can't be reserved ahead of time or renewed). I also started reading Felicia Day's book last night and I'm loving it too. Its pretty hilarious that her writing is so similar to her acting/ speaking that I can read it in her voice. If you don't know who she is, you need to look her up, watch a few episodes of The Guild, and fall in love with her as I have.

 I'm working on a schedule for myself so I can stay on track with all my goals while also managing an inconsistent work schedule. I know I fell behind after the first but I'm back on the horse and excited to move forward. That's all from me for now. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my etsy shop. Until next time my most wonderful readers, live long, get crafty, and prosper!


Monday, November 2, 2015

November 2015 plans

Well hello! Did you remember to set your clock back? Me neither. Probably for the better since we're all nursing some sort of hangover (serious sugar hangover for me since I baked all day). This month is going to be so exciting since I finally get to start in my new job but that also means that my previously written out list of books, movies, and crafts isn't going to be nearly as finished by the end as I had hoped. I'll give you the full list anyway and we'll just see how it goes. Without further ado:



November theme = geeky:



To watch:

To craft:
  • Finish Christmas quilt
  • Finish final swaps (Tolkien, Star Wars, and Mermaid)
  • Turkey placemats
  • Christmas presents!!
  • Sweater for me
  • Zelda 3DS case for J
  • Start T-shirt quilt
  • 3/4 finish of crochet storm trooper blanket
  • cut pieces for norway quilt


Wedding to do:
  • Complete boxes and officially ask Maid of Honor & Bridesmaids
  • Book photographer and engagement shoot
  • Make final payment on Engagement ring. Here's a picture from when we gave the final okay to the carving (we had it completely custom made). Don't worry, the red is just the carving wax (its super fragile so I couldn't place the ring past my knuckle; my finger isn't that short) but those stones are all mine and the final ring will be in rose gold. 
  • Complete Wedding website
  • Research Florists/ alternative flower ideas
  • Research videographers (any friends out there really good with shooting simple video so we can relive our happy day?)
  • Research caterer's/ alternative ideas (maybe potluck? maybe make it ourselves?)
  • Check out my wedding pinterest board if you're curious about what we're planning

Misc. to do:
  • Research
  • Weekend (3 day period) unplugged
  • Hike
  • Thanksgiving tradition
  • Schedule dr appointment
  • Get first paycheck!!
  • Book rental car and hotel stops for Holiday road trip (check out how last year's went here)!
  • Find someone to cat-sit our furry family members

Lots to do but I'm looking forward to it all. I'll let you know how successful I am with everything :) Remember Monday = crafty update, Wednesday = book update, and Friday = everything/anything else. It's going to be a great month and I can't wait to share it with you all.

As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my newly opened etsy shop. Until next time my lovely readers, live long, work off your candy hangover with some carrots and celery, and prosper!