The Thrillz of Hillz

Rawr!

2012-02-28T15:15:00.001-08:00

Happy Tuesday!

This past weekend, I worked to give my copper triceratops a few friends!

Unfortunately, the new guys aren't going to stick around ––

they're being donated to a silent auction to benefit this awesome agency.

It was a sleepy weekend around here –– full of painting, snow storms, cereal for dinner
and country drives, and let's be honest, I'm ready for the weekend again already.

Who's with me?

Have a great week, friends!
Work hard so you can play hard.
_______
HH

Come on in: Our livingroom

2012-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

DJ Husband once suggested that our house looked different every time he came home.
He claimed that, when he returned to the apartment after work each day,
at least something had changed; a couch position, a shelf, wallpaper...
What he meant was, Chill out on the rearranging and decorating and moving stuff, yo.

I've always been a nester, and a compulsive one at that, but I do admit that there was a period, not that long ago, when our house was an ever rotating showcase of furniture; from the awesome vintage finds to beat up pieces of crap I promised to rehab ASAP. There was also a time I was going crazy trying out new curtains and rugs, and wanting to make all new pillows,
and I just couldn't stay busy enough making our home totally homey.
No, I wasn't on crack. Though I find that inspiration is a bit of a drug.
I go through periods, phases, of total designing and crafting craziness.
(This happens to other people, right?)
Daniel has learned to live with it, poor guy, and knows how to get me to compromise,
and when to intervene when I get too crazy.

It's been about eight months since we had too much furniture blocking the fire escape routes.
I think we've found exactly how we want things around here. (Until I find the next discarded chair, or excellent Craig's List Posting, of course. I've told you before: I have a problem.)
DJ Husband and I have eclectic, quirky style that allows for a lot of different pieces to be on display.
Some cute. Some weird.
All perfect — for us.

When I take pictures for this blog in my home, I usually choose from three different backgrounds: One in the kitchen, one in the hallway, and one in my craft room.
I express myself through my writing, and my crafts and projects, but my home tells a bit more about my personality than anything else; and ready or not, I thought I'd show you around a little bit.

Check back next week for a peek at the kitchen, bedroom and my craft space.
We'll start today with the living room.

_________
HH

Great minds think alike/A Valentine's Day review

2012-02-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

DJ Husband and I gave each other home-made gifts for Valentine's Day.

When I suggested the idea, he originally balked, claiming no creativity for that sort of thing.

He had no time either, he said, having two jobs and all.

Later, he smirked as he finished his gift way ahead of schedule and then taunted me with it, wanting to present it to me early, while I slaved to get my project right and battled problems with execution.

Ah, love.

We were able to dodge each other in our small apartment, neither having any idea what the other was making. Well, I knew his involved spray paint, and he new my work led me to need band aids on several occasions.

We eagerly presented them to each other late in the evening, after I'd banished him to the bedroom so I could finish it last-minute. We laughed as both of our gifts revolved around the ice cream tree, a sweet little inside sentimental thing from early in our relationship.

To Hillary, From Daniel:

Daniel created and cut an ice cream tree stencil for me and sprayed it tri-color on an accordion folder, adding little felt leaves. I'm very impressed, and love the practicality of it, since he knows more than anyone that I collect small pieces of things (paper, ribbon, metal) that I can't seem to keep organized.

On the front, he stenciled "Pidge Craft," which is me and The Thrillz of Hillz in another sense, and when I get my act together, will be an online store.

To Daniel, From Hillary:

I'm still interested in working with upcycled light bulbs, so I learned how to hollow one out. (I'll show you all how to do it soon.) Then, with a little Sculpey, I created a mini ice cream cone, attached it to a tiny bottle brush tree, and inserted it into the bulb on a toothpick. I used a piece of cork as a base.

Underneath, reads "I will always meet you under the ice cream tree."

I think our gifts were pretty spot on. Then we celebrated the night together.

I believe I predicted we would play Rummikub, and make dinner. Then we'd wash the dishes, and cuddle up. What we actually did: Neglected the dishes, ordered pizza, watched a movie and fell asleep by 9 p.m.

And there wasn't even any ice cream!

Oh well. It was still just perfect.

_______

Grammie's soup-stew and soap operas

2012-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

In winter, when it's cold and frozen and icy and damp, there's nothing I want to do more after work than go home and cuddle up by the space heater in my jammie pants.

Who's with me?

My Grammie used to make me vegetable soup when it was cold, and we would watch "As the World Turns," cuddling under the reindeer blanket in her den. She'd scold me for not drinking all the broth,
("the starving children in Africa!") and for dessert, we'd have spumoni ice cream,
and discuss what the heck Lily was thinking leaving sweet Holden Snyder for that sleazy Damian....

This is a take on my grandmother's soup, but since I don't want to have to scold myself for not finishing all the broth, (and because I prefer stew,) I cut the vegetables into chunky slices and use less broth.
If your more of a vegetable soup person, either cut down on the vegetables a bit, or add more broth.

I make this stew at least once every winter to warm myself while
I'm cuddling up in my jammie pants, and, well, you should too. You deserve it.

What you need:

3 tsp olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion

4 large potatoes, (peeled or unpeeled,) cut into bite-sized chunks

2 32 oz. cartons of chicken broth

2 medium zucchinis, sliced then quartered

4 carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 16 oz. can tomatoes

1 can kidney beans
16 oz. bag frozen corn

16 oz. bag frozen peas

3 tsp. rosemary

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
1. Start by browning your garlic with olive oil on a low heat in an 8.5 quart soup pot.

2. Add the onions and rosemary. Stir and simmer.

3. Add the potatoes and chicken broth. Cook on medium-high until potatoes are just starting to get soft.

4. Add the zucchini, celery, and carrots. Cook for five to seven minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes and kidney beans, draining the cans first.

6. When the vegetables are near done, add the frozen corn and peas.
7. Cook for three minutes, then serve, topped with a little mozzarella cheese if you like.

I think this stew would taste good with artichoke hearts, too.

You could also add some pasta, chicken — as my highly carnivorous often begs me to do.

Spumoni ice cream for desert is also most definitely recommended.

_________
HH

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I don't need one stinkin' day -- and I hope you don't either -- to tell the people around me that I love them.

Hopefully, my forthcomingness about love aren't just in my head, and my friends, family and especially my DJ Husband, know daily how much they melt my heart.

But just in case: I love you.

(Yes, you.)

Tonight, I plan to be working on DJ Husband's present until the last minute.

We decided we would exchange hand-made only presents this year.

Right up my alley, right? Right?

Well, my time management sucks, and my ideas were grandiose.

My project has hit one snag after another as I try to work in a shroud of mystery.

I may just end up handing Daniel a broken light bulb and going to sleep in tears for being a crafty failure.

I'll push on, but hopefully, I won't deliver it to him still wet

while he's reading in bed before lights out, like I did last year.

What will we do tonight for realsies?

Doing the dishes sounds romantic, doesn't it?

Home cookin'

Cuddle fest.

Maybe a few rounds of Rummikub, the game we played like crazy when we were falling in love.

Sounds pretty good to me.

xoxoxox

_____

Gutteral noises and drooling: My public performance in review

2012-02-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

Toward the end of my presentation in front of the Colfax Arts Council last week, I announced that I would be doing a demonstration.

A demonstration involving fire. Just a little fire.

We didn't know what the alarm system at the Whitman County Library was going to do.
We could be assaulted with sirens!

Welcome to crafting with the Thrillz of Hillz. You never know what's going to happen.

I wasn't nervous about the presentation until I packed up my crafts (everything from this, to this and this,) and headed to the meeting, DJ Husband driving. I was totally nervous. Like, puke-out-the-window-of-a-moving-car nervous.

My good friend, Debbie, took me out to dinner beforehand. She encouraged me to have a margarita to take the edge off. Aw, Debs, you knew I needed it. That was a good idea.

When my blog showed up on the big screen and I was offered a laser pointer I about wet myself. People actually showed up. And they asked questions. I think my answers were intelligible, instead of just standing up there making guttural noises and drooling out of nervousness. (Actually, hopefully, I said something like this ... but better.)

I was encouraged to do a demonstration — something quick, but something that would make an impact. Show my stuff, yo. I turned to the most viewed tutorial on my blog: Simple glass cutting with nail polish remover, yarn, fire and water.

I've done this process dozens of times, (and it's not, not dangerous, seriously,) but I still half expected that there would be some kind of random, ridiculous fluke (like the bottle not breaking, or worse, impaling me) that would embarrass me — or leave me bleeding — in front of a room full of strangers. It would be so like me for something like that to happen.

But my demo worked.

I mean, of course it worked. It does work.
But it worked! Wahoo!

The alarms didn't go off, either.

Everyone survived, and I hope the audience had a good time. I did. I met some new people, showed off my crafts, and am honored by council's recognition as an artist.

And, I got to light a small fire in a library. Other the juvenile delinquents, who can say they did that?

Also: No one was impaled.

That would have been embarrassing.

___

Make Something: Heart's A Burnin' candle holder

2012-02-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly but surely getting my act together for Valentine's Day.

Most of my efforts have been working up something for DJ Husband.

I know what I want to make him, I just foresee some problems with execution.

I want to share it with you, but I can't, since I'd ruin all kind of surprises, and that would be no fun.

Until then, I'll share this instead: A fun Valentine's Day craft that will add a bit of ambiance. It's also a way to show someone that your heart's a burnin' for them without actually having to set yourself on fire.

That would be no fun, either.

What you need:

Jar or bottle

Scissors

Hot glue

Embellishments, optional

• Obtain your jar by rummaging through your recycling bin and using the simple glass cutting method. I used a cool salsa bottle to get my little glass. (If you're not up for it making your own, a mason jar would work.)

• Measure out a strip of red felt that will cover the jar.

• Fold the strip in half and cut out half a heart to reveal, when unfolded, a perfect heart.

• Attach the felt strip to the glass with hot glue.

• Embellish further if you like. I added a simple bit of lace.

• Insert a tea light or votive, and set your heart on fire.

________

Stayin' out of trouble...

2012-02-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's crisp and blue skied out there right now. The more than a foot of snow has melted (except for the huge piles still remaining in parking lots,) and the week-long rain storm seems to have moved on.

I hear rumors of the temperatures rising into the 50s this weekend.

If the rumors are true, someone will have to stop me from trying to get on my shorts and flip flops for fun in the sun. Who's ready for slip-n-slide? It's been a while since we've seen the sun around here, so excuse my over-enthusiasm.

I'm just glad it's Friday, and though I do have a weekend check-list, (belated Christmas presents for my parents need to be finished. Worst. Daughter. Ever.) I'd like there to be plenty of plain ol' chill time.

I always plan on that, but then I walk by my craft closet, it lures me in, and I make myself busy, busy, busy.

I suppose it keeps me out of trouble.

Happy weekend.

Just wash your hands afterwards.

2012-02-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Brandon teaches speech classes at the university.

I told him I've got a presentation to prepare for an upcoming appearance before the Colfax Arts Council. His advice: "Make sure the beginning and end are good."

That's practical advice, and it means I better get my act together, because right now, I've got the "HI, MY NAME IS HILLARY!" and "THANKS FOR COMING!" parts down, but that's not going to impress anybody.

I'm the first blogger they've ever asked to speak, so I better make sure I've got my act together. While preparing my 3x5 card, I realized I've never told you all how I got started in blogging, or why I do what I do.

So I will. Now. And we'll consider this practice for tomorrow:

I'm a 31-year-old Portland, Ore. native.
I was a good kid. A weird, energetic, good kid. I wanted to be a ballerina but was 6-feet tall by the seventh grade. I played the viola through middle school, trading out the Suzuki Method for sports in high-school.

I went to Washington State University, originally to study broadcasting, but eventually graduated with a degree in journalism — deciding my junior year that I was more happy asking questions and writing than doing anything with cameras, microphones and public speaking.
(HA! Public speaking. Too bad for me tomorrow, right?)

I wrote for a newspaper for five years, covering beats including, but not limited to, arts and agriculture (my favorites,) Washington State politics, county and city governments and features. I left the paper in 2010 to pursue a job at a local non-profit, though I still write the periodic freelance story.

Right about now I should note that I grew up in a chaotically artistic family — the boisterous, dark-humored, creative types. "The Louds," Mom calls us, though I prefer "The Weirds." Dad has a resume filled with pottery, painting, printmaking and woodcutting, while mom is also a talent and paints, draws, sews, and knits.

My mother and father have, through their own art and thoughtful competitive nature, helped me discover how I want to exhibit my creativity. There was a time I was crazy for painting cigar boxes,

then I was crazy for making cards. I did furniture restoration, then felt crafts. I tried making clothes. For years, I attempted painting, before I realized that, really, I am not a painter.

My parents are supportive, even when I took an interest (which still persists) in crafts involving dental molds.
The Weirds.

Most of my past crafts either went to friends and family as gifts, or into the Dumpster as failed attempts. I had a modest supply of craft materials, and my hands were always in something, but I had no real creative focus. Actually, my focus was writing; as a full-time journalist, and I had no real time to pursue much else other than happy hour.

But then I quit the paper and was no longer writing regularly. Then I got engaged and wanted to design and create my own look for the wedding ... on the cheap.

I started reading DIY and design blogs. I planned the wedding and through it, came to identify the kind of crafts I really wanted to focus on — the stuff that got me all hot and bothered: Cheap, recycle, upcycle, DIY. And through that, home decor, styling, and this blog. Now my head is full of projects and my craft closet full of old light bulbs, string and weird stuff from thrift stores that I have big, big plans for.

I'm honored to be chosen as Artist of the Month by the CAC. I hope I don't ruin everything by setting off the sprinklers in the library. I am doing a crafting demonstration involving fire.

I started The Thrillz of Hillz in late 2010 as a way to document the things I make, along with a sprinkling of my real life for those who care. I like taking pictures, and I realized I missed writing. Here, I get to write on own terms, and in my own voice.

This blog is about being creative, and passing along ideas. I found my passion here. I want to encourage other people to seek out inexpensive ways to create whimsy around their home, or in their gifts to others. You don't have to go to Michael's craft store for all your materials, you can go to the recycling center, or through your own trash.

Just wash your hands afterwards.

And that's it.
The who, what, when, where and why.
Though, I should probably not end my speech with "Just wash your hands afterwards."
I'll work on that part.

_______
HH

Make Something: Cascading hearts from TP tubes

2012-01-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple — and practically free — way to add a little Valentine's day cheer around the house.

What you need:

• Toilet paper or paper towel tube(s)

• Fabric, felt or paint

• Embroidery thread, twine or yarn

What to do:

• Wrap the tube in paper, fabric or paint.

• Cut the tube into roughly quarter-inch length strips.

• Form a heart shape out of each strip.

• String a needle with embroidery thread through the cardboard.
Knot it, and cut the thread at different lengths. Reform the heart, if necessary.

Hang from a window.

You could also string these from an embroidery hoop for a mobile, or use them to make a garland.

Have a great week, friends.

______

Make Something: Upcycled Lightbulb Chandelier

2012-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm hot for lighting.
Built-in lighting is never adequate or cozy enough for me, so there are at least two additional lamps or lanterns in every room in our apartment to add ambiance.

Maybe I'm afraid of the dark, maybe I'm going blind, or maybe I'm just one of those people who like light fixtures and goes all soft walking into a place like Restoration Hardware.
I don't have much money, but I'm hoarder of unconventional items, like burnt-out light bulbs, (no — really!) so here's my most recent fixture:

Upcycled Light Bulb Chandelier!

I've seen a few of these dead light bulb projects around, but I here's my own version.

Wanna make one?

What you'll need: 

Dead light bulbs (30+ small, large, colored —whatever you want!)
Fishing line
Dental floss
1 7-inch 45 rpm record (the kind with the big hole in the middle) Note: I used a scratched record that was not playable. Do not use playable or valuable records for this project.
Twine
Jute
Small dowel or skewer
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Scissors
Light chord
1 Working light bulb

What to do:

• Gather your bulbs. I used about 35 for this project, because I didn't want any of the lit bulb to be showing. The more there are, the better, I say, but play around with what you like the look of best.

• The most tedious part: I used dental floss on the white bulbs and fishing line on the clear bulbs. I securely knotted on about three feet of floss or line to each bulb. (Note: I did end up cutting off a lot in the end, but it's better to have too much than not enough.)

It can be hard to make a firm knot. A little hot glue helps keep the twine affixed to the bulb, if you need it.

Cut loose ends.

Now it's time to start working on the top.

I was lucky to find this neat clear record, though a traditional black one would look good, too.

• Cut the dowel or skewer(s) into six pieces, each about two and a half inches long.

• On one side of the record, you're going to build a kind of lattice to later string up the bulbs.

With hot glue, attach one dowel piece like this:

• Next, string the light chord through the record. Make sure the bulb is coming out of the "bottom."

• Now that the chord is in place, finish building the lattice. Attach another piece of dowel.

Then two more on the outside.

• With the chord wedged between them, securely attach two more dowels on top of the others.

If you make a mess with hot glue, that's OK, since this will all be covered up/not visible in the end.

Avoid getting glue directly on the chord.

• Because there will will be weight hanging from the chord,

I attached a piece of light rope to prevent the record from slipping down.

• Now, it's time to start adding the bulbs. With the light rope, I determine how far above the chord light the record would rest (and, how far the bulbs would dangle... I decided on about three feet.)

• Thread the floss or fishing line from the bottom of the record, adjusting its length to your liking and knotting it securely on the lattice above. Tie on the bulbs so they drape naturally around the main bulb.

Note: Both fishing line and dental floss can slip when knotted. This can be good, if you want to make changes later, (bringing a bulb down, for instance,) or not so good, (say, if a bulb is too low.)

The inside layer of bulbs won't be seen much, depending on how many you use,

so just make sure things are even. As you string the bulbs, the floss and fishing line may criss-cross and things may get a bit knotted. That's OK, because we'll cove it up later, but don't let it get out of control.

DJ Husband helped me out in the beginning of this process, before his arm undoubtedly, started to get sore.

I later used a horizontal bamboo rod to hang the chord from so I could assemble more easily.

• While you're working, it's not a bad idea to periodically look at it with the light on. The bulbs will be a bit re-arrangeable forever, but get a sense of what it looks like all lit up as you go. This photo was taken before I'd added many of the clear bulbs.

• Play around with things until all the bulbs are at heighths you're pleased with.

Side note: Try not to be driven completely crazy by the clink, clink, clink of the bulbs as they brush each other.

• When you've strung all your bulbs, gather the excess dental floss/fishing line and knot it securely several times. Cut loose ends.

• Now, you're ready to add the jute.

I started on the outside of the label and spiraled the jute in, attaching it to the record with hot glue. I started the process on the floor, thinking it would be easiest, but went back to hanging soon enough.

Hanging it helped keep the floss and fishing line from getting too criss-crossed.

I kept winding and winding, attaching with glue. I wound all the way down the chord and fishing line and dental floss, stopping about six inches from where the bulbs began. Secure your ends well with glue.

• Make sure you clean up any hot glue messes with a pair of small craft scissors.

In the background below, you'll see the first light bulb chandelier I made a few years ago, using blue and white bulbs, and a book cover in place of a record.

• To make the top of the chandelier more attractive, I also wrapped it in jute,

though since it'll be way up high, no one will see much of it.

• Move the bulbs around until they're even and .... you're done!

Turn it on, put your feet up, and enjoy.

_______

Snow Day/Why I'll never be a fish photographer

2012-01-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

I love the snow.*

I love waking up to the whisper of snowflakes floating to the ground — the silence only broken by the shout of an excited kid, or the beeping of snow plows.

I'm pretty much in heaven right now. We're up to 10 inches of the white stuff, and more is expected.
A lot more.

I'm home on a snow day — still wearing my jammie pants and drinking coffee well into the afternoon, working on a few freelance stories due tomorrow.

I best close the curtains and get crackalackin' so I'm not distracted by the snow dumping an inch an hour outside. Work before play, right?

Last night, DJ Husband and I took a long walk in the snow at dusk, attempting some SNArt. The layer of ice on the snow prevented really good results, (and made it a bit painful,) but we'll be back out tonight, you betcha.

Because the art didn't work out, we consoled ourselves with high school nostalgia as we passed a convenience store, buying sugary, syrupy flavored coffee drinks to warm our tummies. It was good until it made us sick. How did we manage to drink so much of that back in the day when we thought it was "real" coffee?

Here are a few more updates you may be ~~totally un~~interested in:

• I am going to be the February Artist of the Month for the Colfax (Wash.) Arts Council! I'm incredibly honored. This will be the first time I talk about my art live, and if you're in the area you should come by and watch me sweat and likely give unintelligible answers and/or pretend to know what I'm talking about when faced with audience questions. No, I'm not nervous.

• We got a new bed! My parents decided that they would gift us a good night's sleep for Christmas — in the form of a new mattress.

That means the 20-year-old sunken-in hand-me-down I've been carting around since 2002 can finally be passed on. DJ Husband and I didn't sleep well in the first night on the posh new pillow-top. I kept waking up not knowing where I was. Last night was our third sleep on this thing, and we're well adjusted now. And feeling quite spoiled.

Until the snow calms and the other mattress can be moved out without getting sopping wet, it's in the middle of our living room, creating a bigger than ever Boat — perfect for a snow day.

• We have a new family member!

Zombie Face the Betta was welcomed into our household a few weeks ago. We were smitten with her during an unexpected trip to the pet store, and the coloring on her face looks like blood splatter and decay (but in a good way,) so Zombie Face she is.

Unfortunately, I do not posses fish photography skills, so you can't quite tell how really pretty she is, but she loved the camera.

I'm off to get one more cup of coffee and hunker down to write. Work then play, work then play ...

_______

* I love the snow ... until it gets gross. When the gravel and the oil from cars makes it grey, and it's soupy and ugly and makes the back of my pants wet to the knees. Ick.

When you want it, you want it

2012-01-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

My friend and neighbor Alisa made me dinner last night. We ate chicken and Potatoes Au Gratin. We talked about cats and the teenagers who got busted for climbing on our building's roof the night before.
We laughed, we cried, and we had a craving...

At almost 10 p.m., we realized that something was missing —something only an on-the-fly chocolate cake would fix.

So, we left her the cats to party on their own, went down to my apartment, and got busy measuring cocoa powder and confectioners sugar to make a moist chocolate cake and to-die-for butter cream frosting.

(Here's the recipe, and note: We added a tablespoon of cinnamon to the frosting.)

Alisa and her incredible cheekbones read the directions, while I whipped things together.

I layered on the frosting, and she licked the spoons.

It was a pretty good partnership if I do say so myself.

Bonus points to Alisa for recommending milk — in cold, frosted cups —to compliment the cake.

There was surprise cake for DJ Husband when he got home from work,
and plenty extra frosting for graham cracker sandwiches later this week.

Here's a conversation with Alisa today:

Me: Do you have a printer?

Her: No, but I have yummy cake.

When two girls want cake, two girls will have cake.

_______

Make Something: Simple Knotted Garland/Me blabbing about resolutions

2011-12-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

I really only have one strict resolution each year:
Don't celebrate so hard on New Years Eve that the first day of the new year is spent with a hangover.

I want to wake up feeling fresh, make a hearty breakfast and welcome the morning and new year with gusto, not feeling nauseous or headachey, or venturing out
for Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru breakfast after waking up at 4 p.m.

Of course I learned that the hard way in my 20s. That fresh start, turning a new leaf idea of the new year is what I try to focus on now – making smart choices from the get-go, like not having that extra gin and tonic.

What are you all doing for New Year's Eve?
Will you be out celebrating with friends, or staying in with family?
Either way, maybe you need a little extra cheer around the house, or a flashy way to remind you what year it is if you've had one to many drinks.
It's not too late to make a simple knotted garland to show off a little extra whimsy this holiday.

It's also an easy project and adaptable for any party or occasion.

Do you have goals for the new year?

Other than the no-hangover resolution, my others are simple, and can be accomplished if I challenge myself and focus on good time management:

I want to spend more time with DJ Husband away from the craft closet or records.
I want to continue helping my community by volunteering my talents for good.

I want to try to scowl less and cook more.

I want to start writing snail mail letters to people ... just 'cause.
I want to learn more Photoshop and html code.

I will launch Pidge Crafts on Etsy in early 2012.

This past year has been a year of movement for Hillz and DJ Husband.

There have been adult reality checks and a few gloomy clouds, but resolution, growth, laughter, and creativity, too. This year produced our first wedding anniversary, and a new couch. I got paid for the first time for my crafts, DJ Husband for his music.

I can't wait to see what 2012 will bring.

________

Top 5 of 2011

2011-12-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

2012?

You've got to be kidding me.

I'm pretty sure I was just parading around the block banging on pots and pans welcoming in 2011.

But, February followed January just as it always does, and the other months came and went, too.
Time just goes fast when you're having fun, I guess.

This lil' blog of mine is just more than a year old, and every moment has driven me insane with creative energy and excitement in finally being able to share all the crafts I make.
And that's all, of course, because of you, dear reader, who may or may not have stumbled here
by Googling something like "sheep eye" like 16 other people did.

Nonetheless, here's a look at the top five most-visited posts of the year
— all craft tutorials, and not in the least bit sheep eye related.

In particular order:

1. Simple Glass Cutting

2. Dino Toy Planter

3. Paper Punch Garland

4. Fabric Covered Notebook

5. Doily Bowl

I'd say it's been a good craft year ... only minor cuts and hot glue burns, and more often than not, a project turns out to my liking.

I think I've posted about some neat stuff, but it should be know that I don't show you everything because, well, sometimes a project result is too ugly, and I'm embarrassed.

Here's a lumpy, bumpy, stiff, glittery mess I came up with last month. My intentions were good, but I made a series of irreversible bad decisions, and it ended up far from the
symmetrical delicate paper doily snowflake thing I envisioned.

My failed (not real meat) bacon bracelet was such a flop, I won't even show you.

Well, you live and learn, and I'm not giving up on the bacon bracelet.
On to the new year .... I hope you'll stick with me.
_________
HH

PS: You should check out DJ Husband's (professionally, DJ HSBND) top album and song picks of the year on the KUOI (89.3 FM, Moscow, ID) blog. Check it out here, and scroll down to mid-page.

Christmas road-trip/A recap

2011-12-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

DJ Husband and I trekked to Ryan Hill, a wonderful place surrounded by cherry orchards in the valley

of Wapato, Washington to spend the Christmas holiday. It's land DJ's family has worked for nearly a century,

and it's just as breathtaking in the dead of winter as it is in summer.

It's always a treat to arrive at the door of Grandma and Grandpa's ranch.

A brother, sister-in-law and crew visiting from Australia, and a new baby nephew, added to the family around the table this year. We stuffed ourselves silly and appreciated being in each other's company.

Here are a few highlights of the trip:

A handsome and loving husband; A good-humored grandfather in his new Christmas shirt, who tolerated his (grown) granddaughter dressing him like a present:

An adorable, insatiable and squishy nephew:

Crisp and beautiful sunsets; Unlimited XOXOXOs from kitties and doggies.

Stealing a few minutes alone with my DJ Husband:

Additional information:

My nieces taught me that I'm not very good at the card game Liar.
A passed out so hard after the Christmas feast that I'm pretty sure I snored and drooled while we all watched a move pre-dessert.
I am 100 percent infected with Baby Fever.
Daniel got me a pair of boots I doubt I'll take off until July.

I was so crazed to get everything done before our lift off to Washington, that I had no time to photograph any of my home-made gifts. It was a great time, (and only slightly stressful,) getting bulging goodie bags (chocolate crinkle cookies, roasted rosemary almonds, traditional Scottish shortbread, and ginger molasses cookies) together, simple polymer clay ornaments made, and fabric notebooks complete.

I'm peacefully writing now as Daniel utilizes my one store-bought gift: Wireless head phones.
Excellent. I don't go into convulsions from hearing Zelda for three hours, and he doesn't hear me yelling.

I made him something, too, out of embroidery thread, wood and nails.

Any guesses what it is?

I'll share it with you, but not yet.

I'm too lazy, and on complete sugar overload grossness. Anyone else suffering?

Blerg.

I'm off to stuff my face with vegetables.

Happy Monday.

_______

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Friends, I hope you are warm and surrounded by those you love today.

I hope you give and receive thoughtfully, and are thankful for your time with friends and family.

Thank you for sticking around with me this year, and hope you do in the new year, too.

Onward and upward to 2012.

Merrily,

Hittin' the road/DIY colored sugar

2011-12-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

We're all packed up and are going over the river, but not through the woods to grandmother's house.
DJ Husband and I have wrapped the final present, baked the final cookie and cleaned the house, (I'm totally anal about ensuring I come back to a clean house after a vacation,) and we're hittin' the road for Yakima, Washington to spend the Christmas holiday with his family.

It was touch and go there in the end — OMG would everything get done? ... OMG will I ever sleep? — but it all worked itself out by one o'clock this morning when the final bow was tied.
The stress is over. Now it's time to party.

While the car is warming up, I thought I'd share a fun baking DIY with you. If you're in a panic to finish everything before Christmas like I was, this is a cool way to make even simple recipes a little more fun: Colored sugars. (And, making it includes a little stress relief, too.)

Are you making last minute cookies like did?

Add some colored sugar to ~~cover up your mistakes~~ make things more seasonal.

What you need:

Sugar

Food coloring

Sealed sandwich bags.

1. Pour your desired amount of sugar into a bag.

2. Add several drops of coloring in the bag. A little goes a long way, so start off easy.

3. Seal the bag well, eliminating as much air as you can.

4. Start start shaking and pushing it all around. (This is a brief stress-relief exercise.)
The coloring will make the sugar clump up, so just make sure things are evenly distributed. Before you think you need more color, check that there's no clumping left.

5. Ta da! It's that easy. You can use regular white sugar, or raw sugar for different looks and textures.

Good luck!
May your holiday be as stress-free as possible!
Remember ... this is all supposed to be fun.

_________
HH

Good morning to you and you and you

2011-12-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Alexis arrived!

Bestie is in town, and we're ~~distracting each other~~ teaming up go get our Christmas crafts complete.

I showed up at the airport a few minutes late and found her disgruntled, waiting for her baggage. I still waved my battered "Mrs. Bacharach" sign, though it was stained with coffee (my jeans, too,)

because I always think I can drive and drink coffee at the same time.

Welcome to a weekend with Alexis and Hillary!

Our first stop was Michael's craft store, where we spent an hour wandering the aisles, and being obnoxious, high on our reunion. Back home, we got busy right away, cutting, gluing and sewing.

In to Day 2, we were busy again, bright and early.

So far:

Ginger pear scones, (recipe here,) and about six cups of coffee each ...

Lex is working on an adorable doll — Juliette from "Gnomeo and Juliette" —for her 2-year-old daughter.

I'm experimenting with Sculpy and making ornaments — this one for our 6-month-old nephew, Teddy.

While Lex and I are busy, the dining room floor littered in felt scraps, pins and clay, Daniel is getting unadulterated time with his new Zelda game on the Wii.

The grunts, groans, sword-slashing sound effects, and the mystical fairy's auto-tuned voice can be a bit overstimulating. Alexis likes when Link yells out, (she thinks she hears expletives, and added, "I think they recorded me at work! *#&%@,") but I feel like I'm slowly being driven crazy.

Maybe.

It's a cozy day in to craft and eat and play today.

I hope your weekend is equally warm and productive.

________

Make Something: Felt candy garland

2011-12-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

The 12 days of Christmas are upon us.

I haven't done squat yet to make gifts for family, instead, spending any downtime I have making silly holiday decor. It means I'm in the spirit, but it sure blows my

"I don't do seasonal crafts" theory out of the water, doesn't it?

Here's what I got myself in to earlier this week....

What you need:

Felt

Polyfill

Pom poms

Something to trace to make a circle

Embroidery thread

Needle

Scissors

Hot glue gun

1. For each "piece" of candy, you'll need two felt circles and a four triangles.

Start by tracing out your circles. I traced a small glass to make them, then free-handed the triangles.

To speed up the process, I folded over the felt and cut them all out two at a time.

2. Next, start hot gluing your circles together. I did it in sections so I didn't forget to insert the triangle pieces. Just glue around the circle, not in the middle, since you'll be stuffing it later.

Leave at least a one inch opening.

3. Insert your polyfill to your liking. I only used about a 50 cent piece worth per candy to provide a little dimension. Push it in with your finger, or the back of a pen.

4. Glue the opening shut.

6. Trim around the edge to get rid of any jagged areas or glue residue.

6. Make as many candies as you want. My garland is about seven feet long and uses 12 candies.

6. Once all your candies are complete, begin to string them on the embroidery thread. Just thread your needle through about a one inch on the back. I spaced the candies with red and white pom poms.

7. Hang and enjoy!

For more red and white holiday inspiration, check out my Grammie peppermint wreath.

_________

The Modern Peg Bracken/Alexis is coming!

2011-12-13T16:33:00.001-08:00

Do you all know who Peg Bracken is?

Well, she was a advertising copy writer who publicly revolted against what was considered the womanly duty in the 1960s. She wasn't a smiling happy domestic, and she didn't pretend to be, either. She didn't like to clean or cook, and in fact, her subversive 1960 bestselling book was entitled “The I Hate to Cook Book.”

Here's an excerpt from her 2007 obituary

in the New York Times:

"Long before the microwave became a fixture of every home, 'The I Hate to Cook Book' was creating a quiet revolution in millions of kitchens in the United States and abroad. Three years before Betty Friedan touched off the modern women’s movement with 'The Feminine Mystique,' Ms. Bracken offered at least a taste of liberation — from the oven, the broiler and the stove.'"

"Some women, it is said, like to cook," the book began. "This book is not for them."

She liked the quick and easy, using canned and frozen foods more often than not as the main ingredients in her cooking. If a recipe called for alcohol, she would instruct readers to bypass the instructions and pour the booze right down their throats instead.

A passage from the book reads: "Start cooking those noodles, first dropping a bouillon cube into the noodle water. Brown the garlic, onion and crumbled beef in the oil. Add the flour, salt, paprika and mushrooms, stir, and let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink."

She penned other books, including “The I Hate to Housekeep Book," an etiquette book, “I Try to Behave Myself," and a memoir, “A Window Over the Sink."

I do like to cook, and housework is my pleasure, but behaving myself isn't one of my virtues. If Peg Bracken were alive today, I would definitely want to have her over for drinks and some frozen vegetables.

I mention Peg Bracken as an introduction to my best friend, Alexis.

Alexis is the Peg Bracken of 2011.

Alexis is a wife and mother who has recently been flung into the role of stay-at-home mom ... while she tries to keep her sanity, and write a book. She's documenting all of this through her hilarious blog, that, if you're not easily offended by things, will make you LOLOLOLOL at the real version of a modern domestic.

It's called Don't Bother Me, I'm Writing.

Alexis and I met while working at a newspaper in Idaho (*gulp*) 10 years ago. She was petite with a bowl cut and a denim jumper -- and a total loud-mouth who appeared to be a total goodie goodie.

I was tall, quiet and meek in those days.

But we were both artistic and jaded, and while it wasn't love at first sight, there was eventually a forced bonding moment over karaoke, and the rest is history.

Alexis is a sullen, no-nonsense, veteran journalist, who really, just wants to be left alone.

She doesn't like to clean, and she doesn't like to cook -- at least not when anyone expects her to.
She has a mouth like a sailor.

She drives like a crazy woman.

She's got a sick sense of humor, and quite the temper.

She's my bestie.

I will pick up Alexis at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport tomorrow morning.

She'll be arriving from Seattle for two whole days of quality mischief!

Don't worry, Lex. I have the martinis ready.

_______

Dreaming of jammie pants...

2011-12-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's cold out here today.

Twenty-two degrees. Foggy. Everything is frosty.
It's beautiful, but so cold I get goose pimples just thinking about it.

I wore a skirt and tights to work today.

Professionalism is a good idea, but so is investing in a thicker pair of tights, ASAP.

Keeping me thawed is the space heater blasting under my desk, but I'm dreaming of being at home, in my jammie pants, cuddled in front of our little tree.

A warm hot buttered rum wouldn't hurt, either.

I'll have to venture out a dozen more times today before I get home to slip on my jammies.

When it's cold like this and I have to be outside, I hum luau tunes to try and make myself warmer.

I hope ya'll are staying warm out there!

________

Dino planter winner!

2011-12-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my first blogiversary giveaway!

And thank you, again, for reading, following and even wanting this crazy thing. Ha!

It was difficult to pick a winner, since all answers were good.

I decided on Katie over at Lemon Jitters, though, because she addressed two main points:

1. Dinosaur names are difficult to spell, and;

2. Flying dinosaurs are awesome.

Katie, you'll hear from me soon!

I do hope you all will stick around, keep reading and join me in my thrillz.

I plan to have more giveaways in the future, maybe even ones open to my international friends!

And remember, you can make your own dino/animal planter with this tutorial.

Have a great week!

__________

The Tree Hunt/A Hallmark tradition

2011-12-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm finally in the spirit.

Any last bit of bah-humbug in me is gone.

We got our Christmas tree, all my holiday decor is out,
and it's really feeling like Christmas time around our house.

This year, we bought a $5 permit and drove deep into Latah County to cut down our own fresh little tree. After several disagreements on height and needle density, and remembering and forgetting trees we liked based on landmarks, ("Where the Two Stumps Meet," and "Where the Tree Fell Over the Fence,") we found a keeper.

Our little tree put up quite a fight, and it took the two of us trading off at hacking to convince this sucker to come home with us. I kept saying,
"It may be gruesome now, but we have a nice place for you ... It's OK!"

I kind of lied to the tree, though.

The screws were stripped in our old tree stand, so it was a tourcherous 30 minutes of the poor thing falling over, being abruptly pulled up and surrounded by people cursing.

Then the electric screwdriver came out, but maybe we shouldn't talk about that.

Finally, DJ Husband went and bought a new tree stand, and everything is now right with the world.

DJ and I made hot buttered rums, sang Christmas songs and decorated the (now very stable) tree.

Then, he forced me over my spirit limit by making me watch a Christmas movie, and I fell asleep.

I thought I would share one of my family traditions with you all, since we're talkin' trees.

My mom and dad started taking me to a Hallmark store every Christmas season

starting when I was eight to pick out an ornament.

I would hem and haw in front of the large ornament display, and sometimes, I'd con my parents out of enough money to buy two. I collected about 20 through my senior year in high school, and it's a treat each year to pull out the box and savor in some childhood memories. I don't care for all of them, (I didn't have consistent good taste,) but each year as I decorate my tree, I chose a few to hang.

Here's what I picked this year:

It really feels like Christmas around here now.

Do you have any holiday traditions at your house?

________

HH

PS: If you want in on my first ever giveaway, you better enter now! I'll announce the winner Dec. 12 at 9 a.m.!

Make Something: Doily snowflake

2011-12-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here on the Palouse, we'd usually have snow by now. Mother Nature has teased us a bit with a couple inches here and there, but nothing's sticking. Not that I'm complaining,

because too much snow can be a real buzz-kill after a while,

but it seems weird to be approaching Christmas without at least a consistent dusting on the ground.

Wanting a little snowy wonderland, I compromised with a craft project.

This was easy peasy and created a simple, delicate winter display.

And the morning light shines through them oh so pretty.

What you need:

Doily
Fabric stiffener, which you can buy, or find recipes for online
Wax paper
Fishing line or clear thread

I used the same technique as I did in my doily bowl project, but after I saturated the doily, I laid it out flat on wax paper. To finish, I added some fishing line and hung from the ceiling.

_________

Cards Complete!

2011-12-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

Whew!

What a week it was.

Every night after work, the floor of my little craft room (former dining room,) was littered with paper, ribbon, glue sticks, (and the more dangerous items like paper cutters, scissors and rogue needles,)

as I worked on an order of art cards. (More, here.)

I sent them out yesterday, and to conjure my high school self: I'm stoked.

This 16 card order really got me excited and experimenting with all sorts of things in my toolbox, like sewing on paper and using more dimension.

Much to DJ Husband's chagrin, I rarely take a day off from doing a project.

Tonight: Something else to add to my ode to Grammie's Christmas. I can't wait to share it with you.

I'm also happy to report that all rogue needles were retrieved before any injuries occurred.

Tomorrow: We're headed to the forest bright and early to find our Christmas tree!

Happy weekend, and don't forget about my giveaway!

__________

Make Something: Vintage Christmas wreath

2011-12-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas at my Grammie's house was enchanting.

She had a electric tree stand from the 50s with settings that rotated, (I can still hear those ancient gears squeeeeaking,) played holiday tunes and turned on the bubbler tree lights. Table tops displayed vintage holiday decor that delighted my little kid brain, such as the Kewpie-like elves,
and a wind-up Santa, who even after 40 years, still marched and played his cymbals.
(I do, however, cringe when I think about the big ceramic table-top Christmas tree thing
that seemed to serve no purpose at all except to somehow offend me greatly.)

That one particular item aside, when I think about Grammie's house decorated for the holidays, I get all Christmas spirity. I've been slow to break into Christmas this year because, frankly, I feel like I've hardly digested my Thanksgiving supper. But this weekend, I hung up some lights, made gift to-do lists, and stood blankly in front of my craft closet trying to think of something to make to kick off Christmas.

After some huffing and puffing, some swearing and Christmas carol humming, I proudly strutted to the front door and hung this weath.

It's gonna be a vintage Grammie Christmas around here.

To make this, I used some excess styrofoam from my Lego Halloween costume, and cut it into wreath shape. (Not perfecly round, but I find that endearing... kind of Who-like?) I then wrapped it in red and white ribbon and attached some regular cotton balls as snow. I added some tiny vintage deer figurines and an only slightly creepy angel ornament I got on the cheap at thrift stores.

This wreath makes me smile every time I walk in my house.

Happy Holidays!

____________

Don't forget about my giveaway!

Thank you!/A giveaway...

2011-12-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Doh!

I missed my 1-year blogiversary!

Oh, well. I may have lost out on an excuse to treat myself to a double-scoop sprinkle cone last month,

but my loss is your gain!

In the last year, I've published 94 posts with countless tutorials, recipes and general nonsense, and you keep reading! Each comment, click and feature gives me support to keep doing what I'm doing, and allowed poor DJ Husband some respite from my constant craft yakking.

You guys really liked my dino toy planter, so as a thank you for reading, I thought it would be fun to give one of you a chance to win a pink brontosaurus!

From head to tail, this dino is about 14 inches long. The opening for the plant is about

4-inches long by 3-inches wide. It is about 4-inches deep and will accommodate a small succulent.

(Plant not included.)

To enter, just join my site as a follower, and answer the question below in the comment section. Make sure your e-mail address is included in your comment or profile, so I can contact you if you win!

For bonus points, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

I'll announce the winner at 9 a.m. PST Monday, December 12, 2011.

(Give-away is open to residents of the continental U.S. only.)

Question: What's your favorite dinosaur and why?

I think this still calls for a double-scoop sprinkle cone!
__________

Cards, coffee, cards, coffee...

2011-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Since I spent Sunday away on a business trip, I got an unexpected comp day today.

And thank god. I've got my first ever order of greeting cards to finish by ... like, yesterday,
and I'm trying not to be distracted by all the Christmas crafts I have on the brain.

I thought I'd pause a moment to chug more coffee, maybe change out of my jammie pants and give you a peek at a few of the cards I've been working on. I use cut paper, collaging and sewing techniques, and each card is one of a kind from recycled books or unique papers.

My goal is to begin formally selling cards (and more!) under the name
Pidge Crafts, early next year, so stick around for that!

Oh! And comeback tomorrow for my first ever giveaway!

__________

The Stud withers/Some sad news...

2011-11-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Remember the Stud Carrot?

Well, all studs get old.

Maybe it was my own neglect, or maybe it was just the natural progression of things.

Either way, this guy has withered to ~~the compost~~ his Holy Produce Heaven.

I found him this morning, while doing a post-Thanksgiving holy-crap-we-have-a-lot-of-food fridge rearranging. The details aren't pretty, but I can tell you he was lying peacefully in the back, sheltered by the half and half and some leftovers. He was so small I could barely see him, tucked snug in his boxer briefs.

RIP.

_________

Turkey Day: A feast in review

2011-11-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

DJ Husband and I spent 12 glorious hours celebrating Thanksgiving with our friends Max and Robin.

We donned Pilgrim and Indian head wear.

We cooked. And cooked. And cooked.

We ate. And ate. And ate.

We danced. We had howling contests with the doggies.

We all became very good at making turkey calls.

We played Settlers of Catan.

We were thankful.

Good zombie dogs wait their turn.

The food was delicious. Here's a peek at the menu:

We also had shortbread cookies drizzled in white chocolate, whipped sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy and .... god knows what else.

Just reviewing these pictures make me feel stuffed, though I am eye-balling the apple pie and am contemplating a left-over piece for breakfast.

I didn't venture out for Black Friday.

I took a long bath, read, crafted (READ: Come back soon for a give-away!) and digested my feast.

DJ Husband went to the mall solo, only to return 20 minutes later.

"It's too #*$^@# crowded!" he said, to which I replied, "DUH."

I hope you all survived the holiday.

Now, on to Christmas!

____________

Gobble, gobble, gobble...

2011-11-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

I've been making turkey noises all morning.

I bet I look pretty ridiculous doing it, (I can make some strange faces, sometimes,) but it's a pretty darn good turkey call, if I do say so myself. DJ Husband got in on the gobble, gobble, gobbles, too, and I wouldn't be surprised if we woke the neighbors.

Friends, I hope you are warm, cozy, full and surrounded by people you love today.

I got up early to make the pie and bread. My breakfast was coffee, coffee, coffee and a bit of dough.

DJ and I will soon venture up the street to join our dear friends Max and Robin -- and mutts Ruby Doomsday and Oliver -- for a day of eating, lounging and happiness -- while wearing our themed hats, of course.

A roughly 15 course meal is being prepared for the four of us, and strangely enough, Robin,

a vegetarian and diabetic, is making the turkey and spare ribs, along with pies, cakes and

cookies (including shortbread dipped in white chocolate.)

She's somethin' special, let me tell you.

I'm so thankful that I am able to have a roof over my head, food in my belly,

a good job, and supportive and loving friends and family.

I'm a very lucky girl.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

What are you thankful for?

_________

First snow fall....

2011-11-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

I bet Mother Nature would unload her first batch of snow on the Palouse Region November 15.

Instead, she held out until today, and this morning, I woke up to puffy clouds creating a snowy paradise.

It's still early enough in the season that snow is a novelty ... and I'm excited.

Especially since it's Friday, I'm leaving the office early, and have nothing planned for the next two days but being cozy inside, working on projects, and listening to tunes by my DJ Husband.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Happy weekend!

_________

Make Something: Fall Felt Foliage

2011-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

I work in an office without windows.

I have a door that opens into a lobby that has windows, but to get a good look at what's going on outside, it requires a lot of chair scooting and neck craning.

Point: I don't get to enjoy the fall color as much as I'd like to, especially with this dark by 4:30 p.m. business.

I needed a little seasonal pick-me-up at home to make up for it the inconveniences.

This would be a cute centerpiece, or look divine as just a pop in a corner.

1. Find some small branches. Make it fun ... go on a walk around the neighborhood!

2. Pluck off any unwanted twigs, and gather the branches into a bundle you find appealing. Secure with twine.

3. Position the branch bundle in the vase (I pushed it into a piece of floral foam first,) and add the decorative rocks over top to keep everything vertical.

4. Cut your felt into leaf-like shapes. I used fall colors red, yellow and orange.

5. Hot glue the felt leaves onto your branches. I chose to attach two per twig, which made for a cute little heart shape, and also hid any hot glue gunk.

________

I live here ....

2011-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

.... and I am so lucky.

_______________

Bag Lady/Moscowrade Fashion Show

2011-11-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

The goal was Heidi Klum.

But between concept and reality, I got a bloody knee, chose ill-fitting shoes, and created a paper bag dress.
I came out more Divine than Klum.

The Moscowrade gala/fashion show/party/fundraiser for Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse was last weekend. About 50 designers, (many of them students in the University of Idaho fashion program,) put together amazing wearable art. Thinking I knew what I was doing because I've watched every episode of "Project Runway," I got in on the party.

I entered the upcycled category with my bag dress.

I used about five paper grocery bags, crumple, crumple, crumpled until they were soft, and started sewing. I created the ombre pattern with cardstock paint samples. I finished it off with a few
paper punch garland necklaces.

It was mayhem behind the scenes.

Lots of last-minute final touches, sweaty palms, nips of rum, squeals and shop talk in the back room, where the air was heavy from hairspray. I alone went through nearly a whole can of Aqua Net Extra Hold.

Then we hit the runway, with my DJ Husband and good friends Max Gash and Sweet T providing the tunes. It was a 47 second blur. All I really remember is that my dress didn't fall off, but my shoes tried to.
Also, I didn't fall.

(But speaking of falling .... As I was leaving the house for the venue, I abandoned my 5-inch heels for more sensible Danskos so as not to fall in the fresh snow slop. I scuffed to the car, and I fell. Hard. Splat. I showed up at the show wet, with a bloody knee. I just rubbed some coverup and lotion on it -- good as a band-aid.)

I didn't win squat, but I'm pleased to say that my friends at Chizalah, Christen, Kim and Ronna, who collaborated on a design, won the upcycle prize.
They created an ah-maize-ing flapper dress using bread tabs. Yes. It was ridiculous.

The next day was spent entirely in my jammie pants, eating junk food and lounging with DJ Husband.
I was suffering the aftermath of wearing 5-inch heels: Blisters, sore gams, 50¢ piece scab and a body that felt like it got hit by a bus. Ah, the model life.

Now back to reality, and my day job.

_________

Stud Carrot/The Parents Visit

2011-11-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

My mom not only grew this lil' guy in her garden, but she also fashioned him some custom-made boxer briefs. Why? Because he was just offensive otherwise, and he really needed the support.

I like offensive things, so she made him just for me.

My mom is so rad.

My parents came to visit last weekend.

They brought with them the Stud Carrot, and presents from Trader Joe's. (Ah, big city luxuries...)

We BSed over too many pots of coffee. We shlupped around in our jammies.

Dad and Daniel putzed with computers, while Mom and I fussed with this and that. We gossiped and I showed her this simple glass cutting project. We ate big breakfasts, and Ma and Pa met all our crazy friends.

We also stopped by the KRFP station to catch DJ Husband's radio show live.

(Every Friday night from 8-10 p.m. Stream it here.)

Ample time was spent in Tri State, a footwear, clothing, sporting goods, hardware and housewares store. It's dubbed "Idaho's Most Interesting Store," but we'll just call it "The Store Mom Would Live In If They'd Let Her." And with good reason.

Purchased: Two pairs of slippers.

(Thanks, Mommy.)

Dad gets his slipper on.

We went hiking on Moscow Mountain. We hiked the Idler's Rest trail that took us through a shady cool forest and opened onto a snowy meadow. Perfect winter day.

Ideal walking sticks located: Four

Spotted: Two chipmunks.

Injuries: Zero

Thanks for visiting and keeping it weird, guys!

xoxoxox

________

Ducks in the office

2011-11-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

I don't often get the chance to interact with birds.

In fact, in the past, I've run in tears from opportunities to meet birds, such as the raptors at the fair, my friend's parrot, the plucky pigeons in the square, or the chickadee eating crumbs under my table at the outdoor cafe.

It's only when really cornered, when I need to seem like a total bad ass, or when I want to test the boundaries of my phobia, that I stifle the urge to bolt. In these circumstances I just observe, get goosebumps, and later that night, check the bedsheets for dead birds.

When I worked at the newspaper and interviewed farmers — who often don't have time for any kind of sit-down, so I would toddle along next to them as they worked — I'd have to be totally cool if I had to step over a dead bird in the barn, for instance,

because what kind of pussy agriculture reporter is afraid of a stupid dead bird?

The fear is irrational. No bird is going to peck me to death, or "pidge" me, as I called it as a kid.

I've slowly overcome the phobia. Baby steps.

I touched pet a chicken at the fair about five years ago. Major hurdle there.

And then, there was Ducks in the Office.

Through circumstances I don't remember, my friend Amy was raising ducks in her apartment a few years back. One day, she decided to bring the ducks to the office

for a little meet and greet with Hillary, the girl with the phobia.

It was utterly terrifying ... at least in the beginning.

I present to you a myriad of Hillz emotions in

"DUCKS IN THE OFFICE"

No ducks were harmed during this interaction.

PURE EVIL

Therapeutic, right?

The initial greeting was a nightmare. They were cute, soft baby birds — which were only lovely as a poster in someone's office cubical, as far as I was concerned — but instinct said get the hell out of here.

But then I was urged to pick one up. And I did.
They didn't peck, "pidge," flap their wings, or try to intimidate me.
They may have wanted to, but they didn't.

Then entered the well-as-long-as-I'm-holding-you-I-may-as-well-have-a-good-look-at-you stage....

.... followed by the oh-so-cute-and-soft-and-not-so-bad-after-all-
I-wonder-if-my-landlord-would-let-me-have-a-duck phase.

FRIENDS

I'm not to the point of really wanting a duck, but they're the only bird I can really tolerate up close.

Fun fact there, people.

"Ducks in the Office" was a major turning point.

Thanks, Amy.

___________

Tim Gunn, are you there?

2011-11-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

I've been crafting my ass off.

But because it's been go, go, go! I've had no time to show you what I've been up to. It's also a bit top secret.

See, I'm participating in this on Saturday:

This is a wearable art fashion show. It's a glamorous event, a gala, a fundraiser. Food. Drinks. Dancing.

And of course, my DJ Husband will be providing the tunes.

I'm in the midst of creating a combination of costume and fashion.

Part of my dress is draped on a hanger taunting me from 15 feet away, while the rest is still stored up my old gray area, or scribbled on bits of scrap paper.

I'm procrastinating by paying bills. And, writing this, of course. Laundry is also a good avoidance tool.

I'd show you what I'm making, but 1. I'm a bit too shy; 2. I'm a bit too nervous; 3. It's not a real dress yet, so I'd show off too much skin and; 4. It's a surprise, OK?

And maybe, just maybe, I don't really have a clue what I'm doing with my first foray into fashion.

Where's Tim Gunn when I need him?

_________

Boo!

2011-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

If you can't make and display a baby head lamp today, of all days, then when can you?

Boo.

__________

Halloween/A run in with the Tooth Fairy...

2011-10-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Halloween is the most justifiable day of the year to gorge yourself on candy.

Kids out trick-or-treating, the adults at home waiting for trick-or-treaters, or the 30-something blogger who lives in an downtown apartment that doesn't get trick-or-treaters, we'll shove our faces with Tootsie pops and Butterfingers tonight, 'cause everyone's doing it.*

Well, not me. Not this year. Not today.

I went to the dentist this morning and was advised to steer clear of any carmely, sticky, Tootsie goodness so as not to harm my temporary filling. This horrible, anti-Halloween news was delivered via my dentist wearing shiny/fuzzy wings and holding a magic wand. "I'm the Tooth fairy," he said, warming up the drill. "I'm sorry I can't just grant a wish and make this be over, but I'm not that kind of fairy." He then apologized in advance should his wings shed on me during the procedure.

I'll be okay without candy tonight — though I'm sure I'll find a way to have some, even if it means gumming at a piece of Fun Size Snickers on one side of my mouth, or sticking solely to sucking on stupid Lifesavers.

I got much of my sugar fix out of the way when we officially celebrated Halloween over the weekend.

Did you guess what I was?

I bet you didn't:

All the styrofoam mess on my living room floor was worth it as my friend Jordan and I stepped out as LEGOS. A 2-inch thick, 5-foot by 8-foot piece of styrofoam was carved and sanded and painted until we got these:

Rubber yellow gloves and a painted-on pearl necklace and that was it.

We ended up at a crowded party. My head suffered some damaged from 1. Being rammed into door jams (I'm tall and forgot to factor in an additional 8-inch clearance,) and 2. Falling off my head when perched on top for conversation or drinking. I lost both pigtails by night's end.

It didn't matter, though. I was with all of these wonderful characters:

The "Adventure Time" crew.

It was another wonderful Halloween.

I'm already brainstorming ideas for next year. Maybe I'll reuse my LEGO head and become a marshmallow. Maybe a smore?

__________

*My mother is definitely not eating candy today. She'll be handing out handing out granola bars. If any trick-or-treater poo-poos her offering, she'll give them — and their parents — a lecture about childhood obesity.

Welcome Fall. I finally accept that you've arrived.

2011-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I like to eat my way through fall.

I don't really mean that. What I mean is, I could eat my way through fall.

We've discussed my love of pears, but right up there in second place, is apples.

Geez, what a blessing for my palate, stomach and love of baking that both pears and apples are all ripe and perfect right now. Apple pie, pear crumble? You've got my attention. With apple cider? Yes please.

I say all of this yumminess helps me transition more easily from one season to another.

You can't be too abrupt with all of this, you know.

To celebrate fruit, and to go on an adventure to see the beauty of fall, (the trees are so pretty it takes my breath away and makes me bite my tongue when I start to complain about why the hell can't it still be summer?) DJ Husband and I wrangled up a few friends and headed out to Bishops' Orchard, in Garfield.

We grazed on juicy Granny Smith, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Spartans and more.

Sweet Ozzy finds a keeper, while sister Lola shows off her purple nail polish. Trendy girl, this one.

Pops Brandon, Ozzy, and Ozzy's stick.

It was a wonderful day as we escaped a rainy Moscow to find blue skies at the orchard.

We returned home with six pounds of apples, and I immediately made pie. There was a feast for us all.

Welcome, Fall. I know I'm a bit late, but I finally accept that you've arrived, (just in time for winter, I suppose.)

________

Styrofoam in my underwear/Costumes of the past

2011-10-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is what my living room floor looks like. Actually, this is what my living room floor looked like yesterday. Today, it's much worse.

My OCD is totally overstimulated right now as I wade through styrofoam. In fact, DJ Husband even asked, What has happened to my normally compulsively clean wife??

Well, in the name of one of my favorite holidays of the year, I've lost my mind, rejected my need to vacuum regularly, and I'm halfway through my costume-making process.

Styrofoam it's everywhere. It's under the couches, in the fridge, in the bed. Outside the front and back doors, in the yard, and I bet if I attempted a farmer's blow, a little styrofoam would come out my nose. I even found it in my underwear. How does that happen?

It's going to be worth it, for sure, if my lungs don't corrode because of some crazy styrofoam inhalation disease my mom keeps talking about. Anybody have any idea on what my costume is going to be? Thankfully, things are coming together, but this has been a trial and error process. I'll reveal ... soon.

DJ Husband and I take Halloween pretty seriously around here, and since I've got the decorating part out of the way, (ideas here, here, and here,) now I've got costumes on the brain. DJ and I usually work weeks in advance to prepare our costumes, making them ourselves with craft supplies and thrift store finds.

Our first Halloween together, 2008: Mr. and Mrs. Fancy Lion. We made tails and headdresses out of yarn to mimic lions' manes: His multicolored and longer, mine more demure, you know, like a lady.

2009: We were lazy this year. I reused my mane, but this time, for an Exercising Mrs. Lion. She was joined by Mr. Lion, who rather than stretch it out, took tea after supper.

2010: I was a zombie Girl Scout (using patches from my own circa 1986 Brownie sash,) and buckets of blood. DJ went all out as a member of the "Warriors" gang from the 80s movie, with a mullet wig, ominous baseball bat and pretty authentic leather vest with gang insignia I made, ifidosaysomyself.

For the last two years, DJ Husband and I have participated in the Moscow Zombie March, proceeds of which are donated to the Idaho Food Bank and the Humane Society of the Palouse. Bloody good time...

Since we're talking costumes, I though I'd share some photos from the costume parties DJ and I have had over the years. We love having costume parties, just as an excuse to get whacky.

Yeah, I said it.

Whacky.

2011: 80s Night

2009: Geriatric Convention

2009: Robots vs. Pirates vs. Ninjas vs. Zombies

Polygamy: 2008

What's your favorite costume over the years?

Do you prefer to make or buy your costumes?

Do you dress up, or leave those shenanigans to the kids?

Here I am at age seven, dressed as a lady bug. A headband, pipe cleaners, balled-up foil, some face paint and, BOOM, who's the cutest lady bug ever? Well, not me, but it did just fine.
______
HH

Make Something: Framed "Taxidermy" Crow

2011-10-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest with you.

I have a weird phobia.

Actually, I prefer to say I had a weird phobia. To an extent, I consider myself cured.

For an unexplainable reason, I'm afraid of birds. More specifically, dead birds.

I know. Weird.

Theories on the cause of the phobia mostly point to my childhood cat, Roto, who was an avid and very successful bird hunter. She'd bring them into the house in various states of injury ... or consciousness. I can't remember how many times she'd bring in a live one who flipped around the bathroom skylight until Mom caught it in a towel or a Tupperware container, and things were safe again.

Sometimes, the birds weren't alive, and that's when I'd really freak out.

I credit DJ Husband of weaning me off the fear, which really can't be rationalized in the first place. But, at least I'm not phobic of tin foil or balloons or peaches, like I've seen on Maury Povich. Grown men and women running from kittens and balled up foil? Man, and I thought I was crazy.

DJ likes to tell the story about how, during our early days of dating, he had to stop me from jumping out into high-speed traffic to avoid a dead crow on the sidewalk. And don't even get my started about the time my dad brought a pigeon wing into the house to show me because he thought "it was cool."

Or the time at the dinner table that Dad though it would be appropriate to tell the story about when a bird claw dropped out of a tree and into his shirt pocket, and I spent the rest of the meal in the fetal position.

I'm all over the seasonal crafting thing this year, so when I saw these birds at the Dollar Store, they had to come home with me — you know, as part of my ongoing self-therapy (which now includes taking pictures of dead birds, but don't worry, I won't share my "art" unless you really want to see it.) I will admit that rifling through the box of birds at the store was a bit unnerving, but not nearly as traumatic as years prior when the raven/crow selection at Michael's Crafts almost drove me to tears.

Framed "Taxidermy" Crow

What you'll need:

Styrofoam decorative crow or raven ... at this time of year, they have tons at the Dollar Store

Frame

Craft Paper

Scissors

Serrated knife

Hot glue

1. Cut the bird. I know. I can't believe I just typed that, let alone did it! Figure out at what angle you would like your bird to come out of the frame, then slice.

2. Prepare the frame. I got a black one at the Dollar Store, which I was happy with, but you may want something more decorative, glittery or whatnot.

3. Cut out decorative paper that fits the frame. I went with a simple geometric pattern in black and creme and tucked the frame's glass behind the paper.

4. Hot glue the bird to the paper.

5. Enjoy, but don't be too scared!!

________

Make Something: Melty Crayon Art

2011-10-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

I instantly fell in love with the idea of melty crayon art when I first spotted it on Pinterest about a month ago.

It's so cute and cheerful! Not to mention cheap, easy, and totally kid friendly.

I had to try it. It's just getting crayons hot, and melting the wax. Badda bing. I was a bit worried, though, because melty wax and I don't always work well together (ie: the failed attempt at delicate wax doilies.)

So, for back-up on this project, I called on my friend Holly for some good ol' Hillz and Holly High Jinks.

What you need:

Crayons

(For this, definitely use Crayola brand)

Canvas

Hot glue gun

Hair drier

Optional: Painters tape + scissors + x-acto knife

Wax is messy. And it's a bitch to clean up when it hardens. So protect your work surface!

1. Attach the crayons to the canvas in any configuration you like. I used up a 24-pack of crayons, plus two additional 8-packs. I took out the browns, grays and blacks and went for a rainbow pattern, while Holly used blacks and opted for a more random look.

2. I wanted to give mine something a little more personalized. Because I'm not always creative, and I'm still a newlywed sap, I went with the classic H + D that I spelled out with painter's tape. You could even do a little design.

3. Now, heat it up. Turn on the hair drier to high heat, and get going. The melting process is almost immediate, and there can be a little splatter in the beginning, so watch out! I started by heating the crayons from the top, then moved to the middle, then hit the lower portion just so the melting would be consistent. Holly even tipped hers over so the wax melted in two directions. Looks very cool!

Holly's up/down technique. She hated her final result, but I loved it.

There are do-overs to a degree, as you can play with moving the wax around with the air. The wax dries quickly, but it also remelts, so don't get too frustrated.

4. That's it! If you have tape, pull it off for the final reveal! My tape was buried under layers of wax, and I worried that large chunks would break off as I peeled back the tape with my x-acto knife. It didn't, but the tape (hit hard with the heat) did stick (like stick, stick) to the canvas around the edges of the letters. I think I might like it, though. It gives the letters a bit more definition and character, and, there's nothing I can do about it now, is there?

This project was fun, and overall, took about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Now let's just see how it holds up in the summer...

______

My Vacuum/Shout Out...to You!!

2011-10-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have some bad news, then I have some good news.

Then I have some good, good news.

1. My vacuum broke, and I was told to fix it, it could cost as much as the machine is worth. I was in an utter panic, and wished the Vac-U-Mart was like some mechanics, who give you a complementary vehicle while your car is in the shop. It was a long two weeks of picking detritus off the floor by hand.

2. My vacuum was fixed for $35!

3. Now the really good news:

Seemingly overnight, my blog readership has skyrocketed, people are joining up as followers, and ya'll are providing me with very uplifting comments about my projects.

I would like to give a shout out to my readers, old and new.

Thanks so much for reading!

I write this blog for me, 'cause I think I'd drive myself crazy if I didn't have some outlet for all this mumbo jumbo. While my No. Fan is DJ Husband, the poor guy can only stand so many conversations about wedding styling, glitter weight, bias tape, craft scissors, hole punchers, bla, bla, bla or

Why the $%*@& isn't this project coming out right????

Please keep coming back.

If you like something, let me know.

If you hate something, let me know.

I read every single comment and will reply.

I've even started a The Thrillz of Hillz page on Facebook! Find me and "like" me!

You can also find me on Twitter, and Pinterest and of course, e-mail.

Really.

Welcome to my world. I'm glad you're here.

Stay a while.

__________

Make Something: Simple Glass Cutting

2011-10-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

I need a little thrill every now and then.

Like a joy ride in the country, jaywalking, going on a scary carnival ride ... or lighting stuff on fire.

You heard me.

This is a fun, easy, and surprisingly safe project to make your own vases, glasses or candle holders that — I'm warning you, now — get's addicting. And it's not only a thrill, but it's also fun to apply physics to crafting.

You'll need:

Bottles

Acetone, like nail polish remover

Yarn, I've found that a poly-cotton blend is good

Sandpaper

1. Clean your bottles thoroughly and let dry.

2. Wrap the yarn three or four times around the bottle where you want the break of to be.
Knot and cut the yarn. If your glass is pretty thick, you'll want to double up the yarn.
Beer bottles are the easiest to break, while wine and liquor bottles take a bit more juice.

3. Take the yarn off the bottle, keeping the loops intact. Saturate it in the nail polish remover.
I put some in a little bowl and dipped the yarn in it.

4. Put the yarn back around the bottle. Arrange it so the edges are straight (especially the top layer of yarn,) unless, of course, you want it angled, which is cool. Try not to manhandle it too much, though.
You want to keep the acetone in the yarn, not dripping down the bottle.

5. Fill a your sink with water. You want the water as cold as possible — I even added some ice.

6. Over the sink, light the yarn on fire. Rotate the bottle continuously until the flame extinguishes itself — about 60 seconds. This sounds crazy, but the fire really does stay contained to the yarn, and this is a safe inside project. Wash your hands after handling the saturated yarn and lighting it on fire, though, and for god's sake:
Use good judgment!

7. When the flames extinguish, plunge the bottle immediately into the water. It should crack on its own, but a small tap with the back of a spoon could help a stubborn bottle along.

Sometimes, they won't break at all, and don't force it. You'll just have to try again, and double up on the yarn. It probably didn't break because the glass was thicker than you thought. Remember, please: It's not perfect. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't. Sometimes your edges will crack, sometimes it will break clean. It's science, but it's not exact. Experiment with it.

8. Thoroughly sand the edges of the bottle, inside and out. I tried both sand paper and my Dremel (which, if you chose to do, use eye protection and do it outside!)

If sanded correctly, these former bottles would be safe enough to drink from.

Make one — or if you're like me — go clean out the recycling center of all the cool bottles and have a ball! The vases in these pictures were made from Peirre water, olive oil, Fanta and Tabasco sauce bottles.

Come back soon to see what I did to them for Halloween.

________

Make Something: Halloween Wreath/I am a seasonal crafter

2011-10-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

This post wasn't supposed to happen.

I shouldn't be writing this at all.

See, I ~~don't~~ didn't do seasonal crafts, let alone show them off.

I could appreciate them made by others, but I long poo-pooed making my own seasonal decorating. Wreaths? Garlands? A table runner? That's something moms and old people do.

When I was thinking of making a Halloween wreath, I called my mom.

I needed her to talk me out of it, but she didn't, only responding with, "you're nesting, honey."

Well, whatever heck it is, it's happening and it can't be stopped.

Historically, DJ Husband and I have decorated for Christmas with a tree and some well-placed tinsel and Santa hats on a few of the mannequins. For Halloween, we occasionally will carve jack-o-lanterns and put up some decorations like spiderwebs or bloody hand-prints.

Spring, Fourth of July, Winter, St. Patrick's Day? We don't do squat.

I've been steadfast in trying to keep our seasonal decorations limited to Christmas tree trimmings and costumes for Halloween. After all, we have very little storage space, and wigs, fake blood and the treasured Christmas ornaments are the priorities.

Until now, of course. Some hidden balloon of craft desire has exploded in my head, and now I'm buying wreaths and leaf doilies at the Dollar Store, I've created a seasonal board on Pinterest, and I've had two seasonal craft-related dreams.

Just wait until Christmas. I've already got Christmas craft ideas coming out of my ying yang ding dang. Valentine's Day? Look out! I'm about to take things up a notch, yo.

I'm also about to make more room for holiday storage...

To make this wreath, you'll need:

A wreath form — I picked up a 9-inch wicker one from the Dollar Tree

Felt

Ribbon

Cardstock

Glitter

Glue/Hot Glue

Scissors

Here is the tutorial for a posable mummy.

Wrap the wreath in the felt. I used some dark gray I had on hand, cutting it into long 2-inch strips. Wrap it snugly, and overlap the edges. If one strip isn't enough (depending on how long your strips are,) just hot glue several strips together. Glue down the end in the back.

Next, weave the ribbon around the wreath, using an over, under pattern.

I hot glued the end of the ribbon at my starting point at the top. I wrapped it over, then under the wreath until I got to my ending point at the bottom. On the back side, I held the ribbon taut after each loop and gave it a dollop of hot glue.

Draw a moon and bat silhouettes on the cardstock. Cut them out.

Glitter 'em up!

(Not only am I crafting seasonally, but I'm starting to enjoy glitter. What's happening to me?)

Attach the moon and bats to the ribbon. I used tacky glue.

Add you're optional mummy, a ribbon or twine loop, and hang!

_________
HH

Make Something: Posable Mummies

2011-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

I was immediately taken with this adorable DIY mummy from the creative mind of Camilla Fabbri over at Family Chic. And I wasn't the only one: The project has been pinned all over Pinterest lately.

I knew I had to try it. This is my budget rendition using items I had—

and you might, too — around the house.

What you'll need:

An old white sheet

Floral wire

Wire cutters

Googly eyes, optional

Rip the old sheet into strips, about a half-inch.

I cut slits along the side of the sheet then ripped all the way down.

Bend the wire into a body form of any size you'd like. I made mine nine and six inches, respectively. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it should be sturdy.

Not pictured: I used a pom pom to keep the head shape on one of my mummies. It worked well.

Start wrapping! I started with the head, and worked my way down, then worked my way up again. I went over the arms and legs several times to give them a little more bulk.

To secure the ends, use a drop of hot glue.

To give my guys a little more personality, I added googly eyes.

You could do this with a dot from a Sharpie, too.

To make the pumpkin, I punched out 10 circles of orange paper. I folded them each in half like a taco, then glued them back to back until it was plump.

I inserted a little bit of brown pipe cleaner for the stem.

Presto, pumpkin.

_________

Project Peek: Side Table Redo/Short Story Long...

2011-10-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Right after I graduated from college, I was working at a newspaper and living solo in a cute attic apartment.

One winter night, after an evening out with friends, I came home, got cozy with a bowl of ice cream and got on the Internet. (Dial-up back then.)

Not much later, I noticed flashes from outside.

Yellow, orange and red. Warm colors, flickering from the corner of my eye.

A peek out the window confirmed a fire had started, and it was coming from the house next door.

I tried to call 911, but I was connected to the Internet, and all i heard was cceeeiiiiiicccckkkkhhhhhkkkkkk.

After a few curse words and some spilled ice cream, I got through, and the fire department came.

I had called quickly, but the house — an old Victorian — had been covered in vinyl siding that didn't leave it any chance of survival against the licking flames.

My own house was evacuated and my south-facing venetian blinds were melted by the time I was able to return home — after interviewing the fire chief, of course.

It was a sad day. Not only because the beautiful house was ruined by, it turns out, a neglected cigarette, but also because it displaced about 15 people who'd inhabited the apartments within.

The former residents eventually combed through the wreckage and took away belongings they couldn't live without, but the rest was left to a demolition crew, who planned to

tear it down and build an apartment complex.

But before that could happen, the house just sat there.

For months.

And, being the curious neighbor I was — curious of the damage, and how the house had been structured into apartments — I went inside. Long enough has gone by that I can admit that I hauled out of there a bunch of stuff — mostly smoldered, water damaged pieces of furniture I figured I'd take since no one else wanted them. A metal stool, a wooden trunk, an old school chair.

There on my little attic balcony, I sanded, painted and labored until the things were good as new.

I tell you this story ~~to bore you~~ because it was then that I began collecting sad pieces of furniture with sympathetic and grandiose plans to rehab them — and I do ... most of the time.

I had very little furniture then, so it was OK. But that was eight years ago, and since then, I've accumulated a lot of crap. I pick up things at thrift stores, cheap from garage sales and free on the side of the road.

It's a bit of a problem, but my friends generally benefit when I do routine clean-outs, and DJ Husband puts up with this behavior, though on some situations, he'll put his foot down.

[I remember a chair I wanted in San Francisco. It was teak, mid-century, discarded on the sidewalk amazing. It just needed a little TLC — and a cushion, but I could have done that. I called DJ, and he said no, no, no, reminding me that I would have to either walk with it back to the hotel, or find a bus driver that wouldn't mind me hauling on a chair, which is highly unlikely.

In the end, DJ was right, along with my mother, who was present, and would have acted like she didn't know me had I actually taken the thing. And had I taken it, I probably would have only lasted five blocks, but I'm sorry, ilovefurnitureanditdrivesmecrazy! ]

Fixing something up comes with a sense of accomplishment. Hard work, paint in your hair and the paint remover perfume is all worth it when something is complete.

For instance, I bought this shabby, water damaged little side table at a garage sale for $2 years ago.

Since then, its been covered by a little cloth in our living room, relatively unoffensive and displaying a grouping of houseplants. I pass this table 20 times a day, and I don't think much about it

until the end of the day, as I turn off the lights and survey the room and think:

"Oh that thing. Someday I'll feel motivated to tackle that."

That time came last weekend, while I was busy on a bookshelf repainting project for work.

With the drop cloth down, the brushes out and my hands already dirty, I thought I'd start another project instead of just sitting around and, literally, watching paint dry.

It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. A work with what you have kind of thing. What I had was some flat gray latex paint, semi-gloss royal blue latex, and a bunch of spray paint —

I went with copper for a little (jazz hands) excitement!

As far as prep, this little table needed extensive sanding, after which I painted the entire thing gray. I ~~measured~~ eyeballed out the Chevron pattern, laid down the painters tape,

and went over the lines with my blue and copper.

My tape didn't work well, and exhausting touch-ups were necessary, but well worth it.

I didn't know if I liked it at all, but a layer of polyurethane gives almost anything that finished look.

Now, love.

_________

How I know it's time for Halloween....

2011-10-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

1. DJ Husband wants to make the bed

2. DJ wants to make the bed to ensure the glow-in-the-dark monster pillowcases are used.

Happy October, and the countdown to Halloween!

___________
HH

Need a button? I'm your gal.

2011-09-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I absolutely could not say no to this Bag o' Buttons at the thrift store.

For 99 cents, there was no second guessing. These buttons were mine —all 300-400 of them.

I was lured in by their ombre coloring — and let's be honest here —their quantity.

There are so many dang buttons here. A Costco-of-Crafts situation!

I get suckered into awesome deals far to often, but I'm not ashamed. Guess who's going to come to the rescue next time someone needs 100 tissue paper acorns, 50 old polaroids of houses,

a leaf press or three dozen empty thread spools?

And have I mentioned: If you need a button, I'm your gal.

DJ Husband barely reacts anymore when I lug in thrift store scores that don't, to the practical person, make sense. "It's OK," he said, when I — with great pride — showed him my new collection. "It's a Bag of Buttons. What are you going to do with them?"

And that, my friends, is a good question, but I'll certainly keep you posted.

Actually, a better question may be Where did these buttons come from?

___________

Hats and Pancakes

2011-09-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the end of summer with a party.

A party to not only say "sayonara summer" with a bang, but also to celebrate our newlywed friends, Ross and Tanya, and the fun that is eating breakfast for dinner with pancakes, mimosas and bacon.

And hats.

'Cause, why not?

Pick a hat. Any hat.

Bacon/chocolate chip pancakes and pear/walnut pancakes.

Not pictured: 3lbs of bacon, all consumed.

Everything was beautiful. The sun was out (and shining at 92 degrees!) the flowers in the yard were holding their color. The table was set and I got to use a vintage linen table cloth I recently picked up at a thrift store.

The pancakes were ready. So were the eggs, and the sausage and the bacon and the fruit salad (which I forgot to take out of the fridge ... leftovers!) The mimosas and bloody mary's were poured, and everyone sat down...

... and I pulled my chair forward, my knee hit the table and two mimosa glasses toppled in slow motion, juice and champagne soaking my tablecloth, narrowly avoiding any of the foodstuff.

Then, someone said, "Don't cry over spilled mimosas, just make more!"

And we did.

In hats.

Above, Ross tries out his creation: Bacon wrapped in a bacon/chocolate chip pancake smothered in maple syrup. Below, DJ Husband more calories to the dish with sausage —and lots of it — deeming it "The Hog Hag."

Uggg...

The consensus?

Pancakes and bacon are good!

I got the bacon/chocolate chip pancake recipe here. For the pear/walnut pancakes, I just substituted out the bacon and chocolate chips for shredded pears and chopped walnuts.

Delicious.

Then — and maybe it was the mimosas — but this was born:

Simple vanilla ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and bacon.

And then there was this.

But that's a story for another time...

In all your pancaky baconness,

________

Make Something: Animal Toy Planter

2011-09-25T13:39:00.002-07:00

I have quite a collection of animal toys — everything from Breyer Horses to small llamas, deer, bears on their hind-legs, werewolves, goats, deer, dogs, cats, dinosaurs, sharks, and sheep. There are toys everywhere. In the closets. Lining shelves. In the bathroom.

The collection started several years ago when I picked up a Breyer Horse for DJ Husband at an antique mall. I just thought it would be a silly, random to present. But then he bought me one, and soon after, I found a donkey toy at a thrift store that I couldn't live without. It was a downhill spiral after that, and now I have bags of toy animals of all sizes in my closets.

I often think, I don't know why I collect these, but I do, and someday, I'll use them for something awesome. Until then, the toy collection will just be combined with the bone collection, and the mannequin collection, the wig collection and the weird discarded book collection, and maybe we could make some money giving house tours, like a curiosity shop, except that nothing is for sale.

(Yes, I dust a lot.)

Recently, I've spotted some great ideas that have come to my hording rescue.

Animal toy planters are up on Pinterest, and I knew I was going to make one, it was just a matter of when, and which toy to sacrifice?

It had to be this big triceratops. We said a quick goodbye, but the "squealing" sound he made when I cut into him with my Dremel will haunt my dreams.

Sorry, dude, but I think it was for the greater good, and you look much cooler now.

Make a Toy Planter

What you need:

Hard plastic animal toy, as big as you can find, with at least a 2-inch by 3-inch body to house the plant

(you can usually find them at any Dollar Tree or thrift store)
Dremel or really sturdy craft knife
Sand paper
Paint

Small plant, succulents are best because they don't mind tight spaces

Cut an opening of at least 2-inches by 2-inches on the top of the creature.

Note: This is plastic, so do this in a large space and not in your tiny kitchen, preferably with eye protection. Also, don't chew gum while you do it, but if you do, make sure you chew with your mouth closed. Also: Drill at least one small drainage hole on the bottom of the toy.

Empty out the body of any dustings and give it a good clean.

Give your creature some punch with spray paint!

Depending on the size of the toy, and what parts of the body are hollow, you may want to block off a part so water doesn't get trapped, despite the drainage holes. I used some Dollar Store modeling clay to

keep water out of the tail.

5. Pop in your plant, top it off with fresh soil, give it a little water, and enjoy!

The gang's all here!

Fun, huh?

So far, friends have named it Cliff, Cera (as in triCERAtops,) Trudy, Rinodino and James, though I'm partial to Tricera Mara.

What do you think?

________

A love pears/A recipe

2011-09-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Pears are my favorite fruit.

I will always, hands-down, chose the pear jelly beans and the pear vodka. I love pear salad (with walnuts, blue cheese chunks and vinaigrette, mmmm,) and pear sorbet. I love vintage table cloths patterned with pears and my mom's dehydrated pears.

I loved the local food co-op's pear scones, until out of nowhere, they stopped making them. Maybe people complained because I horded them. The lack of fresh pear scones left a black hole in my life for a while, until I realized I could just make my own. I whipped up a batch of these ginger pear scones last weekend, and realized I should be making them much, much, more often.

This is an adaption of the Spiced Pear Sconelette recipe by Treasa Ewing on ReadyMade.

Ingredients:

2 ½ c all-purpose flour

¼ c granulated sugar

¼ c packed brown sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ c cold butter

1 c chopped, cored unpeeled pear (Bartlett or Bosc are best)

⅔ c buttermilk

2 tbsp whipping cream

1 tbsp coarse decorating sugar or granulated sugar for the top

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pear. Stir in buttermilk just until dough holds together.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to ½-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles, about 2½-inches wide, and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet allowing about a ½ inch between each sconelette. With a pastry brush, brush tops of each sconelette with whipping cream then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 22-28 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Enjoy — we sure did. And, as always:

Happy weekend!!

________
HH

Make Something: Napkin Rings from Toilet Paper Tubes

2011-09-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

From this:

To this:

The things that can be turned from trash into treasure never cease to amaze me.

That goes for everything from using salvaged wood, like pallets, to create furniture, (a trend I'm loving right now,) to making pillows out of spent sweaters, vases out of old detergent bottles, wine racks out of tin cans and anything that makes new clothes old again.

Many of my crafts are made of either cheap, free, or re-purposed materials. And why not? I'm ~~poor~~ frugal, have the city recycling center within two blocks of my house, and I'm of a mindset that I'll try to work with what I have. It certainly doesn't take being poor to upcycle. It just takes a little creativity and elbow grease, and crafting can be fun and inexpensive.

(I'll add, however, that if I had all the money in the world, every Martha Stuart Craft product would be in my possession, and I'd have a craft/woodworking studio the size of a city block.)

There are routines and rules in my household to keep my craft materials coming -- one of which is the prized toilet paper roll. "Got another one!" is a common announcement through our bathroom door, followed by the toilet flushing.

Ah, it's a glamorous life I lead.

Here's an easy project that is a perfect way to personalize an event, and create unique place settings be it for a party of two, or tables full of guests: Napkin rings from toilet paper tubes.

What you'll need:

Empty toilet paper or paper towel roll(s)

Paper or material

Ribbons or other decorations

Modge Podge, tacky glue, glue stick, hot glue gun, glue dots or other adhesive

Scissors

I didn't take step by step photos of this, but it's pretty self explanatory. I cut the tubes in thirds, so each piece is roughly 2-inches wide. For these napkin rings, which I made for the 2011 Palouse Style Shoot, I decoupaged the paper tube's surface (inside and out) with some old hymnals I got for free. I then added some lace in rosette fashion, a bit of fringed brown paper bag and finished it off with a simple banner revealing the guest's name.

In the past, I've covered the tubes with felt and and created some simple embroidery letters that I rimmed with blanket stitching to give them some personality:

Simple, cheap and easy to make!

From trash, to treasure!

Here are a few more awesome toilet paper tube crafts:

Wall art

Gift wrap

Marble ramp game for kids

Party crowns

And a blog exists called TPCraft, which features the toilet paper tube as the main ingredient in each project!

Happy crafting!

___________

The Sheep Eye Family/Stenciling Summer...

2011-09-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

When I find a new tool, product or technique for my craft, I get excited.

My discovery of the glue dot about blew my mind, until Mr. Sewing Machine.

Next was the 1-inch circle punch, then fabric stiffener, and now, stenciling.

Holey macaroni, I'm hooked on this versatile art form.

Here's a look at my first designs:

I based these stencils on the below photos — taken when DJ and I were having fun with a taxidermy sheep eye I got in San Francisco.

Mr. and Mrs. Sheep Eye! The Sheep Eye family!

I call this one, DJ Housewife:

DJ Husband, who's a veteran stenciler, has taught me how to not break the tips of Xacto knives, and we've already collaborated on a few t-shirt designs and posters for his shows.

Team DJ Husband and Wife go!

_____________

PS: You can expect an easy how-to create and cut stencils soon.

Shout Out: Go DJ HSBND, Go!

2011-09-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

This blogger needs to give a quick shout-out to her guy.

DJ Husband (HSBND) is having a show tomorrow night, and I plan to be in the front,

right next to his decks -- a total groupie.

Have I told you how talented my DJ is? He can mix up beats that are unique and get even the most timid of dancers -- like me -- moving before they even realize what's going on.

(Man, I'm lucky that he's usually my own private DJ....)

This weekend, we'll be celebrating his mixing skills and vast vinyl collection at Gnosh, a newish small-plates and specialty cocktail spot in Moscow, Idaho. This show will be a final celebration of summer, with some indie/electronic/surf/low-fi sounds that will get you on your feet.

And tonight, DJ kicks off his Analog Collective radio show on KRFP, 92.5 FM, Moscow, with our friend Tanya. If you can pick up the signal on your radio dial, you should tune in from 8-10 p.m. to hear a great selection of hand-picked indie, electronic, ambient and psychedelic sounds. If you're out of the area, you can still stream the show by clicking here.

This is going to be one hell of a fall for DJ HSBND.

I hope, for your sake, that you have a chance to tune in and catch the Analog Collective.

And, I hope for your sake, that you can dance away the final days of summer with DJ at Gnosh.

I hope to see everyone there!

____________

Make Something: Fabric-Covered Notebook

2011-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have about 50 journals.

There's the velvet-covered book I wrote in for six months then stopped. It's now in a box somewhere, half of the pages empty. Or the cool leather-bound book I got before I went on that one cool vacation I wanted to keep a travel log about. I wrote in it for seven pages, and now it's in a box somewhere.

You get the point.

I suppose I'm just more of a Post-It kind of girl. Rather than write down what's happening in my life, (though this blog counts for something, I suppose,) I'm up to my eyeballs in sticky notes about what I need to get done —like make fabric-covered notebooks! I may not use them as journals, but they're so fun to make (and cute) that I've taken to writing some of my lists in them. (They're good for recipes and such, too, and OMG I just realized I could even give the budget book some personality. Why didn't I think of that before?)

These notebooks are great gifts, and are fun to personalize. Above is a notebook I made for DJ Husband (formally DJ HSBND to his fans,) to keep all his mix notes in.

What you'll need:

Notebook

(I used a $1 hard-backed one from Michael's)

Fabric

(enough to cover the book, and then some)

Tacky glue

(If it comes with a built-in brush, that's a bonus!)

Craft brush, if needed

Scissors

1.
Cut out your fabric. Leave at least two inches of fabric around the book.

2.
Glue up the binding (leaving a half inch or so on both ends) and place it squarely in the middle of the fabric. Make sure it's smooth.

I glue this part down first to prevent the fabric from getting all shifty and creasy in the next few steps.

3.
Coat the outside of the book (front and back) and cover with fabric. Make sure it's smooth.

You may or may not want to do this step, but I like to, for the same anti-shifty/creasy fabric issue noted above. I've also found that Aleene's Tacky Glue doesn't dry scratchy and stiff, so, why not?

4.
Next, tautly glue down just the inside covers.

After that, it should look like this:

5.
Now, square your corners. First cut up one side, using the book cover as a gauge.

Then cut perpendicularly, removing a square of fabric.

6.
Fold your corners into a triangle. Fold again and glue down on the cover for a nice finished corner.

7.
Cut slits at the binding to make a small strip — not too wide, now, only the width of the binding itself.

8.
Then glue down that strip and slide it —with the tip of your scissors — between the binding and the fabric.

9.
Glue down the rest of your fabric, squaring your corners and following the instructions above.

10.
Glue down the first few pages of the book to cover any mess.

Ta da! You're done!

The whole process takes about 30 minutes.

I added a stencil to this one for my honey and he's using it!
Another mission accomplished ~~in my book~~ as far as I'm concerned.

Happy upcoming weekend, and happy crafting!
__________
HH

This tutorial featured on:

Ferris Wheel Weekend

2011-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Credit: Gary Hamburgh

The once lush fields of the Palouse now are rough with stubble.

For the last three weeks, farmers have been busy harvesting the fields of wheat, peas, chickpeas, lentils and other crops that surround the small communities in this area.
(Man I miss my time as a agriculture reporter...)
When it's all said and done, the combines are put away for the year, and the farm families are able to take a breather, it's time to party!

It's fair time!

DJ Husband and I headed out to the Whitman County Fair this weekend. My sweetie let me dictate the itinerary (sheep, cows, goats, funnel cake, 4-H exhibits, petting zoo, marimba band.)
under the condition that we at least ride the Ferris wheel.

Deal.

Farris wheel weekend.

_________

Cake for Breakfast

2011-09-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

We celebrated DJ Husband's Big 30 Birthday with a party last weekend. Friends came for a corn moussaka feast, tunes and, later than expected, Guinness Chocolate Cake.

I decided on this recipe for Daniel because, well, he likes beer, and wouldn't a cake made with beer be cool? I decided it was, and though I don't like Guinness (what remained in the bottle after making cake was given to an eager neighbor,) I must say, that if I have this cake for every one of my future birthdays, that would be OK with me.

In fact, if I had a slice of it in front of me right now, that would be OK with me.
I would eat this cake for breakfast and feel no regret.

(DJ liked the cake a lot, though his dessert passion isn't chocolate, it's key lime pie.)

Here's the recipe for this dark, moist cake from Feast by Nigella Lawson. You can only taste the stout if you're taste-buds are really searching for it. The Guinness does provide a little zing zang to the cake that makes it more than just chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout or extra stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar

(I used regular granulated sugar without a problem)
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch spring-form pan. In a saucepan, combine the Guinness and butter. Cook on medium-high until the butter melts, then remove pan from the burner. Add the cocoa and sugar, and blend together with a whisk. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour (test with a toothpick in the center.) Allow the cake to completely cool before removing it from the pan.

For the frosting, combine sugar, cream cheese and cream and cream and mix well with an electric mixer. Continue until smooth and spreadable.

I made a double batch, then realized I only had one round pan. So the other layer ended up in a square pan. It sure ain't the prettiest thing I've ever made, but it tasted good, and I managed to keep it all a secret from the Birthday Boy.

Mission accomplished, I'd say.

Next Mission: Make more of this cake...

_________

Presenting: Toys In Jars

2011-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Because sometimes a girl finds herself with too many toys and too much time on her hands...

And here's a video my dad made with his cool 360-degree camera:

_________
HH

Make Something: Paper Punch Garland

2011-09-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so high on garlands right now.

For weddings, for parties, for home decoration.

These pretty, easy to make, paper garlands are whimsical and elegant.

They were the perfect addition to July inspiration shoot. Here's how to make your own.

What you'll need:

Paper

Circle punch or scissors

Thread or string

Sewing machine or glue

1. Punch out an ample amount of circles. I used a 1-inch punch for this project.

If you don't have a circle punch, it's OK. You can always trace a quarter or a glass, and cut out the paper by hand, if you're crazy. However, as someone who sometimes prefers the old-school method, I wouldn't advise it on this project. My mind was blown when I purchased a circle punch. It's not cheating. It's efficiency, and you can find them for about $10 at any craft store.

2. Decide on a pattern.

You could keep it tidy, or go random. Your choice.

I stack about an inch of punches so there's not so much starting and stopping in the next step.

3. Start sewing!

Do knot off the first one in a strand to prevent loosening, but then just go for it! Add them together with spaces or no spaces. Go at a slow pace during this process if you're using a sewing machine and want the stitches to be straight through the middle of each punch.

Knot off your last punch on each strand, too.

(NOTE: If you don't have a sewing machine, you could use glue and some fishing wire or twine.)

Sew until each garland is your desired length.

4. Hang, drape, decorate!

I love the simple detail of the stitching.

They work as table runners, too!

Happy crafting!

_________

Shout Out: Happy Birthday DJ!

2011-09-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

............................. 

Happy Birthday DJ Husband!!

.............................

Long before I new him, Daniel was born, and I'm glad for that, for obvious reasons.

Now we've survived our 20s together, and my DJ Husband is turning 30!

He's celebrating solo this morning, sleeping in, drinking coffee and playing with his new toy.

I pulled off a big scheme to make him think he wasn't getting squat for his birthday, when in fact, he received a Kaoss Pad – a complex piece of DJing equipment that will change his game.

(I had to fake even knowing what a Kaoss Pad is, let alone what it does, so I still don't really know.

What I do know, is that Daniel almost cried he was so happy when he opened it, and he's been making some crazy cool sounds all week. Yep, I gave it to him early...)

I had to keep the box at my office, because though DJ turned 30, he's still a little boy when it comes to his birthday (and Christmas,) and he'll go scavenging around the house if left unsupervised.

Happy birthday to the most wonderful man I know.

I love you.

Tonight: We party!

_______