Showing posts with label J&A Wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J&A Wedding. Show all posts

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!

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!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Moving forward


Today I bring you not 1 but 2 posts! I meant to have this all ready to post on Saturday but then I went for a splendid hike (more on that later) and I spent all of Sunday/ yesterday cleaning so here I am, Monday morning. I've broken what I have to say into 2 posts because 1 (this one) is an update on how my 24 by 25 goals are going and the other post is a crochet pattern (which will be posted later today).

Goals that I made progress on in the last 2 weeks:

Orange and blue are a definite, just not sure on the exact shades




1. Plan our wedding - we sat down for a few hours and decided to start the planning with figuring out the venue (location, location, location - am I right?). I should note that we have a pretty good idea of what we want (colors, theme, attire, etc) so its really just figuring out the specifics. Plus, the wedding is still 410 days away (yes, I'm counting). Follow my pinterest.com/wedding board for more.
Defining the ceremony space with a doorway, backdrop, and trees

3. Read 24 books - continued reading through Storm of Swords and moved from 65% to 73% these last two weeks. J and I are reading through all the Song of Ice and Fire books together/ out loud, so we average, maybe, a chapter a night. Last Monday I also started reading through Divergent, I'm currently at 24% complete, and I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the week (since I need to average reading through 2 books per month).


4. Complete a Norway quilt - I pulled fabric and figured out the measurements of each piece and its looking like I may need to make more than 9 squares. Plans to sew up the first one by the end of the week.

Each pile of color = 1 block, except the grey which will be the +'s in the corners of each block, white is the background

5. Give up candy for 1 month - Last candy eaten was on July 9th so I'm at 18 days. This goal seems so silly but it is, honestly, really difficult. I've seen plenty of things that say throw all the candy out but that seems like such a waste so my still sealed candies I've been including in swap packages (though I didn't have that much when I started on this goal). I've decided that when the 1 month is up, I'm going to continue restraining myself because: 1. I'm an adult and there should be no reason I eat candy every day and 2. I've already experienced so many benefits (more energy, not feeling like I'm always hungry, weight loss!) that the immediate gratification of sugar just isn't worth it.


8. Fold 1,000 origami cranes - J & I sat down and learned how to fold one! I'm hoping to use them in our wedding so I need more paper that matches our wedding colors or just use white (which may be what ends up happening). 1 down, 999 more to go!

Unfortunately our cats think that paper is a tasty treat so the morning after folding these, the red one lost his wing tips and face...

12. Walk Worf 5x per week (Bonus: Take a long walk without the gentle leader) - Worf and I have taken up walking towards the max stop that J gets off at to meet him somewhere in the middle. The pup started on Prozac on July 7th and has greatly improved that we've been able to walk most days without the gentle leader. He does get agitated with his leash more easily now (easy agitation being a side effect) so that's unfortunate but he is calm enough to learn that being outside isn't so scary. He definitely still has room to improve considering he still acts like we're abusing him (screaming and crying only the way an abused dog can and dropping to the ground when he doesn't want to do something). I should note that he acts this way all the time when we're trying to get him to do things like go outside/ on a walk and not to the car, eat his food (there's been several days where he doesn't eat all day and avoids his food bowl), or even take a treat for doing something good (so much for positive reinforcement). 

"Nobody loves me... except those humans that give me treats all the time and take me on walks and play with me and let me go everywhere with them..."


15. Go on a hike 1x per month - Nailed it! We went out to Sherrard Point on Larch Mountain on Saturday (obviously the one of the only days that its rained this summer). I have no doubt that the view is spectacular but it was completely foggy (and did I mention it was raining?). We hiked up to the top and then back down the mountain 2.6 miles. Due to a lack of planning on my part, we opted to not do the 6.4 mile loop we had planned and just (lol, "just") hiked back up to the parking lot for a total of 5.2 miles. Even with the fog and rain it was a pretty great hike (I'm sore in a good-pain sort of way) so we will definitely be going back on a clearer day.

10 minutes into the hike (on top of Sherrard Point), J and Worf looking totally thrilled, and post-hike selfie (2hrs later) freezing cold but pretty stoked that we hiked 5 miles.

Our view of Mt. Hood (fog) vs a clear day's view of Mt. Hood (photo found here)


19. Blog 2x per month - how does 3x for July sound!? Yup, I'm awesome :)

20. Get a full doctor's check-up - scheduled (ugh!)

21. Daily devotion and journal nightly - I was actually really concerned I would completely fail on this one right away but I haven't missed a day! I discovered an app, The Fabulous, that has made making a morning and nightly routine much more simple. A [no longer] secret goal of mine was to also add brushing and flossing to my nightly routine and I haven't missed a day of that either. My teeth are way more white than I have seen them in a long time (another benefit of less candy and cutting back on coffee) and I catch myself smiling every time I walk by a mirror (yup, I'm a dork).

Every morning...

22. Finish all UnFinished Objects (UFO)/ Works In Progress (WIP) - 3/17 completed
  • Polka dot blouse resized - I've had this shirt for several years but at XXL, it was just too big for me. I was always afraid of ruining it so I didn't even attempt to bring in the side seams... until now. It was a simple fix (put it on and pinched in the sides, equally, until it was the right fit) and I think I look pretty cute in it. Completed 7/24/15
  • J's old polo into a shirt for me - Turned the shirt around, took off the pocket, brought out the neck line (but kept the buttons), and brought in the side seams for a more feminine figure. I think I may need to close the neck line a 1/2in on either side at the shoulders but it fits wonderfully and is crazy comfy! Completed 7/24/15
  • Cat purse (needed hole for flipping sewn shut and hardware for the strap to be put on) - completed 7/24/15
I'll eventually remember to take before photos

  • Christmas quilt (started with 1/2 of front pieced) - the entire front is now pieced, all fabric cut and partially assembled for the backing. I'm not sure how I'm going to quilt it, though (please, I need suggestions!), so further progress is going to be put on hold until I can figure that out.

Getting back to it, matching up points and lines, progress from 7/23, and final front pieced shot from 7/24

  • Sand display - I added 3 new jars to my display. I got a jar and sand from Englewood Beach, Florida in my Viva La Villains swap. The other two jars were from my mom this last week (super cute mini mason jars) and the sand was from my Grandparent's trip to Hawaii in 2013. I have probably another 15 baggies of sand/ rocks that need jars and I probably need another shelf at this point. 

Sand in order of when they were obtained

  • Pacman menu board - technically not a UFO since it was finished and just needed hung. It is now up, in use, and dearly loved. Each of the note cards has a meal on it, some are recipes while others are just pick-one-of-each-category cards. For example, this week we're having a meat and veggies 2 different days so there are two note cards labeled as so, with all the choices on the back. Using paper clips on the side, the meat choice and veggie choice is indicated. Having everything on note cards makes it easy to both plan for a month's worth of meals and write out a grocery list for what we need.


24. Watch every episode (and movie) of X-Files - I'm currently on season 7 (of 9), episode 6 (of 22). I had to skip the movie since it wasn't on Netflix but I will get around to locating it and watching it.

There you have it! I'm doing better than I had expected and am motivated to continue strong. I do admit that it all seems fairly easy right now, being that I am unemployed still (boo!) but I know (well, hope) that things will speed up soon and I'll be able to contribute more to the saving money goals and paying for that wedding we plan on having. Here's hoping! I update the 24 by 25 page every Friday evening so check that out. Also, I have more crafty finishes not mentioned here that you can check on on the crafty finishes page (duh). Finally, tune in this evening for the edited Loki crochet pattern that I made for my Viva La Villains partner - That is, the original pattern is not mine but, to help others, I kept notes on all how I understood the original directions and the changes I made. If you're not of the crocheting-craftiness variety, that's totes okay! I hope to see you again in 2 weeks (August 8th). Live long and prosper!