Mountainous Adventures

Hiccups really are the worst.  I'm trying to remember if I've done something karmically tragic that would have incensed the powers at be and afflicted me with the worst case of hiccups known to man, but I'm just not sure.  I suppose it's possible that it was that post-dessert chocolate bar that I ate.  But how could something so delicious cause something so terrible?  I may be being a little melodramatic.  

On a lighter note, I just returned from a magical trip to Banff, Alberta, Canada, where I participated in a music festival for most of July.  The trip itself was less than magical (twenty-four hour travel days plus a cello and waaaaaay too many clothes jammed into waaaaaaay too many suitcases makes for a rough day of travel.)  While everybody thinks they are being just so clever when they think to ask you and your cello "do you have a body in there?" or to exclaim "that's as big as you are!" or to knowingly inform their child "that is a guitar, sweetie." or to just shout the word "cello!" at you each time you pass by, it's really just part of the charm of traveling with a  large instrument.  Who doesn't like to have a little extra attention thrown their way when they're making their way from gate to gate in a busy airport?  Speaking of extra attention, my cello got lots of it on our travel days, including being strapped down like a wild beast in this contraption, which took the ENTIRE CREW OF THE PLANE (including two pilots, three flight attendants, and two men of the ground crew) to strap onto the seat.

Air Canada does it right.

It was just like being in first class, except that we were in row thirty-four, and I couldn't see the window or straighten my legs because my cello was in the way.  I mean, twelve of one and a dozen of the other, if you ask me.  Anyway, it was all worth it for the trip, which was incredible.  Can you think of a more beautiful place to spend a few weeks?  Not to mention the amazing people I met, worked with, played with, and got to know over the course of my program.  I'm one lucky girl.

Beautiful sunlight on the way up to the top of Tunnel Mountain

Myself (left) and friend, Rachel, on top of Tunnel Mountain (photo credit to the sweetest German traveler, who we met up at the top)

Lake Louise

A small lake on the hike up to Lake Agnes

Lake Agnes

The view from the main dining room.  Can you think of a better way to enjoy your morning coffee?

But now, it's back to the grind in Pennsylvania, which means spending a few wonderfully relaxing weeks of swimming, playing with dogs, cooking, practicing, and sewing, before I return to school in a few weeks.  It's a lot to ask, but somebody's got to do it.  

I've got quite a few projects on my plate for the coming weekend, including adventures in dip-dyeing, and lots and lots of little bags and pouches.  Can't wait to share them with you all tomorrow!

And just like that, folks, my hiccups are gone.  Like magic.  Thanks a bunch!

Home again, home again

Hello, hello, hello!  I've made it safely back from the land of practicing and hiking (also known as Banff, Alberta, Canada) to the land of practicing and crafting (also known as Pennsylvania.)  Although he's pulled a few naughties since I've been back (he sure does love those trash parties...) I don't think Oliver gave my parents too tough of a time in my absence (or perhaps, compared to their little monsters, his naughties just didn't stack up…)

My little guy's nose and a book, what a little gentleman!

My parents' dog, Ricky, just being weird.

But since I spent so much time away from all things bloggy, I really do have a few things to catch up on.  First and foremost: pies.  It happened like this: the other day, I mentioned to my parents that I wanted to try strawberry rhubarb pie.  My mom wrinkled her nose and offered a non-committal response, and my dad informed me that rhubarb is "hillbilly food."  So, I went to the store and picked some up.  After whipping up Smitten Kitchen's strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, I decided that my parents were undoubtedly and unequivocally wrong about my new best friend rhubarb, and I'm already planning to make another pie in the morning.  I also stopped by the farmer's market in town this morning and picked up some fresh blueberries and peaches, and made them into a pie today, too.  Pies really are something to write home (or online?) about.  

Also, before I left on my long Canadian adventure (pictures to follow, if I ever get around to uploading them onto my computer) I whipped up some packaging for the goodies in my little Etsy shop.  I picked up some tags at JoAnn's (about $1 for 20 tags), tissue paper, butcher's twine, and some stamps, pads, and gold pens.  I made the polka dots using a regular old pencil eraser on a stamp pad (I didn't not feel proud of myself for thinking up that little idea) and now my goodies are all packed up and ready to go!…hint, hint…

Speaking of my Etsy shop, I have some new things in the works, hopefully to be added soon!  I spent the day playing around with some dip-dyeing techniques, and I can't wait to post some pics of the finished products!...Once I get around to finishing them, that is.  Back with more soon, thanks for stopping by!

Oh, the places I've been!

Hello, friends!  I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about you all, but the truth is...I have.  Just kidding!  I have (quite unfortunately) been spending the last few weeks making audition trips all over the place.  Here is a brief recap of where I've been:

In case you don't know me (and aren't aware of the fact that I am not a very patient traveler) it's been a difficult couple of weeks.  I've spent way too much time in my car, way too little time sleeping in my own bed, and even less time than that doing things other than driving around and playing the cello.  On the upside, I got to see some great friends that I haven't seen in ages, and I'm in the home stretch of my audition tour, so I'll be done in just a couple of weeks, hooray!

I've been pretty behind with my projects.  I'm so behind that I still haven't finished a certain someone's Valentine's Day present (although the end is almost in sight!)  But I've got some plans brewing for projects now that I'm past the bulk of my auditions, so I'll keep you all posted!  I just wanted to pop in and say "Hello, do you remember me?"  Happy Friday!

Have lunch, will travel

Hello, friends!  I am back from my trip safely, but inundated with out-of-town rehearsals; cars were made to be driven, right?  I'm thrilled to have the work, but not so thrilled that I missed the Bachelor last night...boo!  Thank goodness for TiVo.  I know posts have been a little spotty lately, but in addition to my travels, I've been working on some top-secret projects that I won't be able to share until later in the month (stay tuned!)  So I'm back today with another early project of mine to share.  A couple of summers ago when I was on my first serious sewing kick, Sean had just started an internship down in Florida.  So one of my first real projects (that made it to completion) was a lunch bag for him to take to his new job.

In an effort to be practical, I lined the insides of everything with a clear, plastic fabric.  It was difficult to sew with (that stuff sure is sticky!) but I wanted the bags to be spill-proof, and I think the lining did the trick!  To avoid needing so many plastic baggies to pack lunches, I made some smaller baggies (also lined with plastic) to complete the set.

 

I made the baggies from some leftover fabric scraps.  They both have Velcro closures; one is sandwich-sized, and the other is just a little pouch for snacks.  I've made many, many lunch sacks since this one (most of them following Martha Stewart's instructions in this book) but I'm still pretty happy with this fully-lined set of my own design.  I lucked out with the striped, heavyweight fabric for the sack, and I just love the clouds on the cotton.  Every project needs a dash of fun (and Sean works at Disney World, for crying out loud!  Any workplace that has "costumes" instead of "uniforms" calls for something more exciting than your average, run-of-the-mill lunch set.)

If I were making this bag now, I would have done some things differently (like lining up the stripes on the sack, adding a closure to the sack, hiding the seams better on the pouches, etc.) but I love that these look handmade.  I also love looking back on old projects and seeing that I've improved!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to.  I hope you all had wonderful weekends, and I wish you a happy Tuesday!   

Nifty Gifties - Parts Two and Three

As promised, I finished my final two gift projects this afternoon.  First, I made some simple blue napkins to accompany the place mats I made yesterday.  Here is the finished product:

 

I used Martha's instructions from this book, and I love the way they turned out.  Such an easy way to get neat corners!

I think the simple design is the perfect contrast to the festive place mats, and together they make complete place settings!  Don't proper place settings just make you want to sit down to a proper meal?  I picked up some artichoke pesto downtown today to pair with the table settings, and that's a wrap for gift package #1!

For the my second gift, I bought two microfiber dish towels, and embellished them with a little trim.  Here is how they turned out:

 

I found the trim in the sale bin at the fabric store, and somehow left with almost seventy yards of various patterns.  Oops...hey, they were on sale!  To pair with these towels, I got a fancy lavender mint dish soap, and that completes gift package #2!

Meanwhile, Oliver took a personal day today.  

He's saying "Mommm, give me a belly rub!"  Actually, he's yawning.  But he loves when I put words in his mouth.  And yes, I got that thread sticker off of his paw (somebody has been running wild in my sewing room!)

I'm off on my trip tomorrow, so I will catch up with you all when I return!  Have a happy week!

Nifty Gifties - Part One

Hello friends!  I know I've been MIA for a few days, but it's only because I've been working on something big.  It's really big.  It's so big, in fact, that it's not actually finished yet.  But I had a more time-sensitive project that I had to squeeze in this afternoon.  Not to worry!  I will finish it soon, and you will hear all about it.

But for now, I wanted to share a little project I did this afternoon in preparation for a trip I'll be making this weekend.  I'll be doing a little audition tour, and I am staying with a few different friends in a few different cities.  Not wanting to show up empty-handed (but also not wanting to give up a ton of time to complicated, overly-ambitious projects) I've been working on a few little gift items to take with me.  So here is Nifty Gifty #1 (out of 3) and it is: a set of 4 place mats!

When I went to the fabric store earlier today, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do.  But once I found this beautiful batik cotton I decided to go with a simple design.  I just love the swirls of color...I couldn't stand to cover those up!  I used a plain grey cotton on the flip side, and just added a little gold and blue trim (you know, to make it fancy.) 

I'll be back tomorrow with Nifty Gifties #2 and #3, and then I'll be all ready for my trip!  Hope everyone had a happy Monday!

Little black bag

Although I survived the audition yesterday, one thing quickly became evident to me: I didn't have the right bag.  In my haste to ready all of my essentials, I grabbed a black bag from the attic that was not only too small to hold all that I needed, but also had a broken zipper.  Why did I still choose to bring this bag with me, knowing it wasn't really going to work?  I just don't know.  Life is complicated.  But after walking around for the day with a tiny, bulging, unfastened bag, I returned home this morning with a new project in mind. 

And here's my new bag!  

I made a basic black tote, with flap pockets on the front and back for extra loose papers and things.  I slapped a big bow on the front flap (every tote needs a little flair!)  I lined it with some fabric that was passed down to me by one of my lovely sisters over the holidays, when she was cleaning out her own fabric closet.  I sewed a couple of inner pockets: three for pencils, and one each for my wallet and phone.  Here is the inside:

For the straps, I used some trim I had in my stash, and I double-folded the edges in, so that they would look a little neater.  Here is a close shot of the strap:

I'm thrilled with my new bag, and I was able to make it completely from supplies I had sitting around!  What a rush!

I'm thinking my next project will be this adorable clutch.  As a Christmas gift this year, I received a kit with all of the supplies I will need to make the project from start to finish.  It should be a breeze...I'll let you know how it goes!

Ooh la lavender

While I'm still trying to work through my scrap pile, and I was also in the mood for another mini project, I decided to spend the afternoon making some sachets for my sister.  In an effort to combat the dreary Pennsylvania winter day we had today, I chose some cheerful scraps from my stash and set to work.  Overall, it was my favorite kind of project: cute, easy and fast!

I filled them with dried lavender, and doubled up on the fabric (so none of the lavender flowers would get wild and start poking out!)  I added some embellishments to each one just to make them a little more interesting (although I didn't intend to put those rosettes on the hounds-tooth sachet, but I had a little whoopsie with the green trim and I had to put on a little something extra.  I'm okay with it!)

I really do love the scent of lavender.

I'm gearing up to tackle some of my larger half-done projects (although to say that some of them are half completed is quite optimistic) so I'll keep you all posted!  Happy Friday the 13th!

Late night sewing

After finishing my work for the day and (finally) organizing my fabric a little bit, I couldn't keep myself from making a little something.  I wasn't up for starting a major project (or continuing one that desperately needs to be picked up) so I whipped up a much-needed case for my iPad.  I have a shell and a screen cover to protect from scratches, but nothing with padding to protect it from bumps and bruises...until now, that is!

I picked this stripey fabric up at our local craft store around Thanksgiving, with no specific plans for it (shocking, I know!)  For the lining and the buttons on the front I used some red and white polka-dotted fabric I had left from a Christmas project I did this year.  I used some Velcro pieces I had in my stash to secure the front (and the buttons are just for fun!)  

I used some flat batting between the layers, and after my first-ever attempt at quilting, I'd say the project was a success.  I used one of my all-time favorite color combos, the cover seems to be pretty practical, and it actually fits!

 
And now it is much past my bedtime.  I hope all are well and thanks for stopping by!