Remember me? No? Oh, umm...

Hi.

It has been a while.

However, I've been keeping busy with friends, sewing, work, and apartment-y stuff. So don't worry, I didn't fall off the face of the planet. :)

I'm counting the days until I see hubbs again (six, in case you are wondering) and trying to keep my hands busy. I've posted two skirts to my Etsy shop but they don't look nearly as cute on a hanger as they do on a person. I'm hoping they sell, but even if they don't, I've had fun making them and putting my special touch on them. It often astounds me how wrapped up I can get in a project. I love the challenge of taking a pattern and changing it up or trying new techniques. Who would have guessed all those years ago that I would have loved sewing and crafting so much? Well, my mom probably would... :)

Hubbs made fun of me via Twitter about naming my Etsy shop after our kitty, but to be honest... am I supposed to make up a cheesy name for it or use my own name? Heck no. So, ElliePenelope seemed sufficiently fun and quirky, which is what I hope the overall look of my shop will be once I get a few more items in there. I'm hoping to eventually have a consistent photo style, too. Baby steps, right?

Anyhow....

I spent some time with a lovely friend today. I love how I am re-discovering these great female friendships. Even though I miss Hubbs so much, God has really turned this time into a blessing. I don't think I would have spent as much time with my lady friends this summer if it wasn't for Hubbs being out of state. Once he's back, I'm going to continue hanging out with the girls and cultivating those friendships. I think it will also make Hubbs happy to see me getting out more since I'm a bit of a homebody. :)

Well, I should probably get to making some things I bought fabric for this weekend. I've got a sofa pillow to make and (hopefully) a blouse out of a pattern I've drafted myself. If it works, I'll post pictures. Promise.

He's coming home soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a bit excited.

Adios.

A dinosaur ate my hat!

Ok, so I can't actually let the dino take the blame...

I may be chopping up a straw hat I bought years ago and then replaced with a cuter and floppier one. I'm going to a tea party in the very near future and I'm supposed to wear a "tea hat." Now, googling that term brought up quite a few vintage options.

Not my photo, but I'm a fan of the style and hats.

So I did my Etsy search in case I found something buyable. But since I'm a cheapskate glutton-for-punishment creative lady I thought I'd try to fashion my own. I've done something similar for the costume shop I worked in and I think my millinery skills are just itching to be used. :) Plus, I'm having a crafty night tomorrow with some lady friends and that will be a good project.

Cut it up and cover her with flowers! The "before" shot. Obviously not my favorite hat.

Today I discovered that I need to be more adventurous with my food choices. I've been reading a Mary Higgins Clark book that described a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato slices once or twice (or maybe my brain multiplied it?) and I had to give it a go! Sooooooooo delicious! Next time I'm adding sliced peppers and maybe some salsa. This could really escalate my already high cheese consumption, but I'll do it in the name of culinary adventure.

I've been storing up more ideas for my Etsy shop lately. So far I'm thinking felt wreaths, hair accessories, man/lady scarves, skirts, and beanies. These are all things I can make pretty well and that won't be too brutal of a cost up front. They are also things I enjoy making. And I suppose that is the trick. Make what you like and hopefully others will also. We shall see.

Felt bow headband I made.

Kitty helper while I crochet.

Skirts we made! Bad picture, cute skirts.

Well, I guess it is time to start cleaning, cutting, and kittening. :) See you later!

"Couponers" are weird.

That's the revelation that I'm working with right now.

I happen to love watching certain channels on cable, one of them being TLC, the others being History and Discovery. I may sound like a bit of a nerd, but those channels have The Coolest Stuff. Except for "Extreme Couponers." Hubbs and I always manage to catch a few minutes of this show and usually end up yelling at the people on TV and changing the channel. Insert angry rant here. Grrrr...

In other news, I'm teaching a friend of mine to use patterns for sewing this week. I went with hubbs to the fabric store to pick out a pattern and material already. I know I've mentioned previously that I'm not good at math, but for some reason, I understand sewing and patterns. It is a weird skill that seems to get better with every garment I make. Anyway, I decided to cut out and familiarize myself with my pattern ahead of time, though, so that I'll actually be helpful. I chose this awesome floral linen blend that is perfect for the season and should line up with fashion trends, too. Of course, when I'm sewing, cutting, or crafting, the Fluffy One feels a need to help.

Such a flirt.

She's adorable, but generally more trouble than help. Unless you consider her favorite trick, which could be considered help if done at the correct time during the process. Ellie has a preference obsession with anything shiny. It can be diamonds, rhinestones, or the pearly straight pins that I use for sewing. She likes to pull my straight pins out of the fabric with her mouth. It is a very delicate process that she takes quite seriously. It doesn't take much to see how this could be detrimental to my work.

She's just waiting for me to turn away to grab that green pin...

I didn't realize when I started writing that this would become a kitten and sewing post. Apparently that makes me a bit of a crazy. My apologies if you don't like kitties, but with a face like the one below, you must be the crazy one to not at least admit she's cute.

Adorable.

I should go now, since it is drawing near time for my shower. However, I feel proud to notify those few faithful readers that I will soon be writing a guest blog for the awesome Emily F. If you aren't familiar with Emily's blog, she writes (and has guests write) about their first experiences with things. It is one that I read every chance I get because it is, more often than not, quite funny. I threw her a few ideas for firsts which I'll tease you with below:

-The first time I try to catch a bunny.
-The first time I have Kogi.
-The first time I let Ellie try to catch and kill a spider but instead it got away and now I'm afraid to let my feet touch our carpet.
-The first time I paint a dinosaur.

I know these are all tantalizing and you can hardly wait. But, until I get around to doing and writing one of the above, check out Emily's blog, Anything Once.

Adios!