One more day till the giveaway!

One day more to vote on your favorite color/follow my blog/comment on you own craftiness before I pick a winner, winner, winner, winner! Do it! I just launched my Etsy Shop so stay tuned for Hip Handmaid and Etsy details!

Amazing Video

OK I know this song is really played out, but BOTH of these videos made me laugh really hard! Enjoy! I love babies and I love glee, and I have to admit the Beyonce song is pretty catchy. I think Beyonce is one of my guilty pleasures. What are some of your guilty pleasures in music? I am interested to hear....

Cozy Giveaway!

Since I have officially become a 'Hip Handmaid' and started collecting and restoring old windows, and making my no-knit scarves I thought I would do a little give away. This is my maiden voyage into the land of giveaway posts so stay tuned for more to come. I will be giving away 2 of my hand made macrame scarves.


Here is how to enter do each of the following:

1- Become a Follower of my blog (so I can figure out who is actually reading this)
2- Vote on your favorite color
3- Post a comment on this entry and tell me what fun crafting projects you are doing this fall


This give away runs till October 1st. Winners will be chosen by a random generator online. It's a quick one so act fast and get a cute scarf for fall! I will announce the winners on Oct. 2nd, and mail it out asap so you can enjoy your cozy scarf as it starts cooling down. Check back soon for more giveaways, and for an upcoming photo shoot giveaway on my photo blog! Thanks everyone!

Projects

I get into ruts a lot. However right now, I am feeling a rare burst of inspiration. Both personally and professionally. I have been doing more photo jobs and feel that I get more creative and grow with each shoot. Also, I have had a lot of great friends who inspire me. Tamsin has a blog dedicated to projects she is doing! In the face of adversity she is still happy and continuing to stay positive and create new projects. Her mother knits the most amazing and authentic Norwegian sweaters that leave me awed.

Kate has started a crafting bizarre called Hip Handmaids. She showcases many crafty people with many different wares to sale at the beginning of December. I am toying with the idea of selling something there but I need to test my blog readers for market research to see how interested you would be in my upcoming ventures.

Liz makes awesome masks and adorable onesies that make me want to have a baby just so I can have it wear her adorable owl onesie! To be honestly... pretty much all of my friends are wonderful, crafty and talented people and I really just couldn't list everyone that inspires me, it would just be too long of a list. Not to mention coming from My Mom's Carol and Peggy who were both amazing cooks and seamstresses and my mother in law who is so talented as well! I hope to someday make them proud for creating and sending something good into the world.

In the future I may do a photo shoot giveaway to promote my photo blog. And I might just be giving away some of my upcoming projects.

Recently Maureen has started a small crafting night with Wendy and Myself. Last night I went without crafts, just ideas. It was so refreshing to bounce idea off people and to just chat in the tradition of women through the ages. I have wanted to do, and have done craft nights in different incarnations over the years and I have to say that I am so excited to be with people who have fun ideas and are inspiring and encouraging! I have to give props to the Hostel House girls for the original crochet nights! I think back with fond memories of 15 people sitting around the room all making projects! Mindy you are a yarn Goddess and I miss you and want to pick your brain about ideas!

OK.... So here are some of my ideas for upcoming projects. These may or may not be something I may consider selling on etsy or anywhere but I want to write them down.... so all of you in blogdom know that I am starting!

I found these amazing old windows in the alley by my house. I also have been searching craigslist for free old windows. Since I have worked as a framer (picture framer) in the past. I thought I could use my skills to vamp up these windows into beautiful pieces to hang in a home. They can be hung by themselves, or made into picture frames. I am banking on the whole shabby chic idea. I am considering leaving some white and pretty original and wiring them and creating backing mats so they can be used as picture frames. I am also going to be painting some of them in funky colors: red, green, blue, pink and turquoise and then distressing them to give them the vintage/shabby chic look. I think these would look great in a babies room, or as a beautiful show piece. I have also toyed with the idea of using them to create room dividers.

What do you (my blog peeps) think? Would you pay money for these? How much would you pay? What colors would you like? Would you like them as frames or just windows as art?

this is a 2x3 window, but I have many square 2x2 frames as well!

My other projects I want to make are crochet flowers, for hats, headbands, scarves, sweaters, or anything really. It would be easy to make a lot of them in different groovy colors. I have been wanting to do this for a while but just havent been on top of it. I saw this beautiful and delicate crochet necklace that I want to create in different colors and lengths.


This last project is a knitless scarf Mindy showed me a long long time ago, and Ive been wanting to make ever since. It looks so radical and EASY! I can't wait. This might just be my first of many of these!

I am so excited about my new upcoming projects! If you have any ideas, tips, input or even encouragement... anything you have to say would be greatly appreciated!

Colorado

I just got back from Colorado where I was lucky enough to nanny for my nieces and nephews! We had a blast and while I was there we had a little photo shoot! Check out my photo blog for more pics!



We had a fun time playing outside and enjoying the beautiful colorado air!






The kids were in school and were really great at keeping up on chores and homework so it made my job really easy. When we had free time we played games and did puzzles and played outside!




Zack, Allie and Josh had soccer games on saturday! Here are some shots of Zack's winning game. They won 5-3 and 3 of the goals were scored by non other than Zack!



Chad came into town on saturday and we had a fun Nacho Libra movie night and make breakfast for dinner! It was awesome! Also Cosi came home on saturday night so it was really fun to spend time with her as well! It was so much fun hanging and watching the cranes! I loved it and Chad loved getting a chance to see them too!


Sunday Afternoon Chad's Aunt Joan (and Bob) came to Fort Collins to get us and we were able to have sunday dinner at Grandma Carols house! It was great to finally meet most of Chad's extended family. It was fun getting to know his uncles and cousins and getting to spend time with Grandma! On monday morning we had a photo shoot with Grandma Carol. It was so neat to hear her stories and learn more about her, just spending time chatting and taking photos. We also has some delicious danishes! In the afternoon Joan drove us around historic denver and we had lunch at a yummy BBQ joint! Thanks guys for such an awesome trip!

They don't make over the counter meds like they used to...

Morphine for teething babies

Heroin for headaches

Cocaine for coughs.

and well...this one just needs no explanation at all!

Check out the other ads and crazy medicines, for a good laugh, or just to be totally shocked and confused. Old School Medicine ads.

Dreams Part 2

I am not sure why, but some of the most bizarre and vivid dreams I have are about hair. I am not really sure why this is, maybe I should look up in a dream dictionary what it means. It might be because I hate having hair on my face when I sleep, and it makes me really hot and generally annoyed. Either way...I had another hair dream. For those of you who missed my Dorothy Hamill haircut dream you can go back and read it for proof.

In my dream Chad comes home from work. The first thing I notice is that he has decided to surprise me with a new haircut. To my delight/horror he has cut his hair in an extreme flat top*! I was so confused as to why he would get his hair cut like that and started calling him sponge Bob square head. When I asked him why he cut his hair like that he said he did it to make him look taller.

So what do you guys think all my dreams about hair are all about?

*The flat top Chad was sporting looked like this. It was much more butch than it was russian boxer.

Sad and Beautiful

Since living in california, I have experienced several fires but this one hits

really close to home. Literally it is in the town over, but it is on the other

side of the mountains. I thought these videos were sad to witness the

massive destructive power, but also beautiful. Nature has a way of

rebuilding itself eventually. And we are safe, and praying that others

will be safe and that the fires will be contained soon.

Time Lapse Test: Station Fire from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.