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!

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!