tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30079583032203155582024-02-19T11:12:26.733-05:00The Itsy-BitsyJoggingJawahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898602865195128470noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-5175704375715660522017-05-08T23:32:00.000-04:002017-05-09T00:06:28.221-04:00Sourdough Discard Cheese Pretzel Franken-CrackersI received a sourdough starter from my sister in law this past Christmas (his name is Gerald).<br />
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I like baking the occasional super lazy loaf of bread but frankly sourdough bread is a helluva undertaking and I can barely be trusted to keep my starter alive in the fridge much less lovingly feed it up twice a day for a week, and anyway why bother with all that when I already have to find a way to use up my discard starter. So in my attempts to find inventive and delicious ways to not throw out food (regardless of the fact that it's barely a step away from paper mache) I turned instead to an enduring love of mine, the snacky cracker.<br />
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Based on the stuff I tend to have on hand and my own tastes I ended up switching back and forth pretty regularly between two recipes but ever the fiddler, of course I ended up smashing them together to form delicious snacky Voltron.<br />
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The first attempt was a cheese cracker because lets not fool ourselves, cheese.<br />
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<a href="https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/sourdough-cheese-crackers/" target="_blank">Curious Cuisiniere SOURDOUGH CHEESE CRACKERS</a><br />
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This yielded a pretty amazing cracker comparable to what cheese nips WISH they could be, BUT it required one entire cup of discard, eight hours of dough resting, a fairly large amount of cheese, and working in multiple batches. Fantastic if I JUST HAPPENED to have everything on hand, was super bored, and wanted some crackers sometime tomorrow.<br />
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But frankly, I'm always busy and I always want crackers now. Enter the Pretzel Cracker Recipe<br />
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<a href="http://www.bakenquilt.com/2013/08/sourdough-surprises-pretzel-crackers/" target="_blank">BakeNQuilt - Sourdough Surprises: Pretzel Crackers</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu0x_vK88ZGt2w7kqjNK9WigZhvbvyc7xGxu4-KQgIjI6EH5ZsZtsRLZWD6P0fTwk_f6hyQda_UemDpb0LmTmUHZbKbPJtAwNRHRgU_iJitYb_Kji5Q2Tc7-wKIOaDZs2ywiIePhymjAL/s1600/pretzel+crackers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu0x_vK88ZGt2w7kqjNK9WigZhvbvyc7xGxu4-KQgIjI6EH5ZsZtsRLZWD6P0fTwk_f6hyQda_UemDpb0LmTmUHZbKbPJtAwNRHRgU_iJitYb_Kji5Q2Tc7-wKIOaDZs2ywiIePhymjAL/s400/pretzel+crackers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I did two batches so one was a straightforward coarse salt, the other was vanilla sugar. These were fast and light and crisp and super easy but they were just... missing something.<br />
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The second time I made them I realized my olive oil had gone rancid (???) and I had to sub in another oil. Remembering the butter in the earlier recipe and figuring the temps were not so far off that I had to worry about burning I took a gamble and it paid off. Noms.<br />
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From there I started to really play. Mustard/garlic/paprika/butter pretzel crackers, a successfully halved batch of the cheese crackers, Honey/mustard/Worcestershire/toasted garlic pretzel crackers... you name it.<br />
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Each has its strengths and weaknesses but in the end I grew weary of each and sought to create my own hybrid.<br />
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So this is what I've come up with:<br />
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<h2>
Cheese Pretzel Franken-Crackers</h2>
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Active Prep in total: probably about 15-20 min</div>
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Resting time: 30 min to 1 hr</div>
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Cooking time 20-25 minutes</div>
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<b>Mix together wet for starter mix:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>1/2 cup discarded sourdough starter</li>
<li>2 tsb oil (have used both melted butter and olive oil successfully)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Mix together dry for flour mix:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>1/2 cup (I usually use ~2oz by weight) white whole wheat flour</li>
<li>1/4 tsp onion powder</li>
<li>1/4 tsp mustard powder</li>
<li>1/4 tsp salt</li>
<li>heavy dash paprika (I use a smoked paprika)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Set up and hold aside for later</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>2-3 oz firm cheese finely shredded/grated (I have used asiago and several cheddars)</li>
<li>1/2 cup water </li>
<li>1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>coarse sea salt or other garnish of choice</li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<b>Directions</b></h2>
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<ul>
<li>Combine starter mix and flour mix until it forms a soft dough</li>
<li>shape into a rectangular piece approx 1/2 inch thick - wrap and let rest in fridge 30 min-1hr</li>
</ul>
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<b>While dough is resting</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Heat water to boiling and add baking soda </li>
<li>stir to combine, set aside, and allow to cool</li>
</ul>
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<b>After dough has rested</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>preheat oven to 375</li>
<li>begin kneading dough, incorporating shredded cheese thoroughly a handful at a time </li>
<li>the dough will be loose due to the cheese but once the cheese is well incorporated and you see it start firming up a little it should be good to go </li>
</ul>
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<b>Rolling out</b><br />
IT WILL BE HELPFUL TO DO THIS NEXT STEP ON SOMETHING FLEXIBLE, NONSTICK, AND ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS YOUR BAKING SHEET LIKE TRIMMED PARCHMENT OR A SILPAT AS YOU WILL HAVE TO FLIP IT OVER AFTER ROLLING IT OUT AND IT WILL BE VERY THIN AND STICKY<br />
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<ul>
<li>Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until comfortably covering the majority of a cookie sheet and ~ 1/16 inch thick </li>
<li>erring on the thin side will give you a very light crisp cracker, erring on the thicker side will give you a pleasantly tender cracker</li>
<li>Caveat: I have completely forgotten the light flouring part once or twice and been just fine</li>
</ul>
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<b>Once dough is the preferred shape and thickness</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>brush entire surface with cooled baking soda wash and allow to soak in ~2 minutes</li>
<li>flip dough over onto lightly floured final baking surface (if you happen to have two silpat sheets you will be very happy for that fact at this point) </li>
<li>repeat baking soda brushing and soaking</li>
<li>Sprinkle top with coarse sea salt or topping of choice (Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning is AMAZING for this) </li>
<li>Cut with pizza cutter or knife into squares - you do not have to separate the pieces</li>
</ul>
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<b>Bake for 20-25 minutes total, turning tray half way</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Start checking the edge crackers to watch for browning at about 15 minutes and pull out any well browned crackers</li>
<li>I have only ever done these on a silpat on a dark coated cookie sheet, you may want to watch a little more carefully on a different surface</li>
<li>Remove crackers to cool on a rack</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef-5y-8m2faC5N6eYe5nHhqBTvoOx2__-6Iv1RDhm_LlG9hb0-9Qr4yXqSKyP69Sgmu0UpviIzXi6T6ZXyUOK-Z4fZaXM_6h77u8UXo2RP0P5le5wYFrjVtj8lp4zLPaK_7-7-Ps5Yle5/s1600/franken+cracker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef-5y-8m2faC5N6eYe5nHhqBTvoOx2__-6Iv1RDhm_LlG9hb0-9Qr4yXqSKyP69Sgmu0UpviIzXi6T6ZXyUOK-Z4fZaXM_6h77u8UXo2RP0P5le5wYFrjVtj8lp4zLPaK_7-7-Ps5Yle5/s400/franken+cracker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Attempt not to eat them all in one sitting, but know that you will probably fail.<br />
<br />The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-31463088018556804532016-06-24T11:42:00.000-04:002016-06-24T11:51:03.660-04:00Oh uh, hey there!Holy cow, I have no idea what I've been doing that has me so busy lately.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLbhK1fXfWZIerOPC0mcWxCRyFsuHrUfwuqN57R1kEQtiLTYgFOAO0KJ7CyLyPbcrTrTbEVv6phxncc8z-pPDDNlzheHYQdSSh51_mpOVhiL-5qyXdETpDfvRo-i2NQaJtIn0Do9F6v80/s1600/driving-blur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLbhK1fXfWZIerOPC0mcWxCRyFsuHrUfwuqN57R1kEQtiLTYgFOAO0KJ7CyLyPbcrTrTbEVv6phxncc8z-pPDDNlzheHYQdSSh51_mpOVhiL-5qyXdETpDfvRo-i2NQaJtIn0Do9F6v80/s320/driving-blur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The last month has been kind of a blur though.<br />
Between busy season at work, the start of summer in general, a bunch of concerts, some family birthdays and the start of the Pennsic prep season I feel like I'm all over the place.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdecA25ICsSpN1UOyd6gzV-KGguN0wdpGqW-RE6umswBUCurM2muNzqT-zLkKltiwwncnq18QVoAHKW0iTYsDMKUwDWduW_MxL_qAogUkS3yV0iFm13kwpzMujex4lJghGPbUudzPvQTZW/s1600/minis-mini-shades-of-redjpg.image.400x607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdecA25ICsSpN1UOyd6gzV-KGguN0wdpGqW-RE6umswBUCurM2muNzqT-zLkKltiwwncnq18QVoAHKW0iTYsDMKUwDWduW_MxL_qAogUkS3yV0iFm13kwpzMujex4lJghGPbUudzPvQTZW/s320/minis-mini-shades-of-redjpg.image.400x607.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13789" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Heaven And Earth Designs - Mini Shades of Red</a></td></tr>
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I feel like I haven't gotten any crafting done at all this month though I guess that's not entirely true. I switched from my Garden of Delight cross stitch to restart Shades of Red on a different fabric and while I haven't gotten as far as I'd like I probably have about a quarter to a third of a page done. I'll toss a current pic up on here once I get home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n2GOVq2ZG_uFP45RM3cVsizIQHBsPJU6ax7-mDpuQ_K6CvGogtONrg4ICo4XwTvzU18O5Zt-SAWXTBvQB2T4YgNiBgc9haJZlcivkOlQ2hTrVDAJ0QpvMDacMFO66TtRuo17iCB1Bnow/s1600/blood+on+th+mic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n2GOVq2ZG_uFP45RM3cVsizIQHBsPJU6ax7-mDpuQ_K6CvGogtONrg4ICo4XwTvzU18O5Zt-SAWXTBvQB2T4YgNiBgc9haJZlcivkOlQ2hTrVDAJ0QpvMDacMFO66TtRuo17iCB1Bnow/s320/blood+on+th+mic.jpg" width="227" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/35733310@N04/4154034575" target="_blank">Image Anddrewgallichan on flickr</a></span></span></td></tr>
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<br />
My main project of late has been Podcasting. I finally came up with a really solid topic and it immediately snowballed from there. I haven't started recording yet but I finally have most of what I need to get started...except that my desktop computer had a <b>massive</b> fail in the middle of a forced Windows 10 update and it's taken about a week to get back up and running.<br />
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If you are interested in learning about Forensic Psychology, True Crime, or even just hearing what the heck my voice sounds like keep an eye on @Quidproquocast on <a href="https://twitter.com/quidproquocast" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Quidproquocast" target="_blank">Facebook</a> (and soon .org though the site isn't up and running yet).<br />
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Hmm, what else...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcE1fxVmA_wUV4CAD1bpWpE6PpEzuHkVuDTOFnXTn0bhT7RSxLE60aMhPX2QTrNt2eVqrPz1UNK8ukVh-FtcKaRieloTjlF2bxMOvKTCWb4M-xevvGaWG4UA0mNuyRQGuTNBi3ZNsIDPv/s1600/blunette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcE1fxVmA_wUV4CAD1bpWpE6PpEzuHkVuDTOFnXTn0bhT7RSxLE60aMhPX2QTrNt2eVqrPz1UNK8ukVh-FtcKaRieloTjlF2bxMOvKTCWb4M-xevvGaWG4UA0mNuyRQGuTNBi3ZNsIDPv/s320/blunette.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back in Black</span></td></tr>
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I'm a brunette again! Though I do still have one blue streak in the front so I guess I'm a bluenette?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo91YQaQS3dB7LHzSsEhH9hI9RU_kDvlat3imaRuTgITtJgGhuEcLcjoJej4G_J3dYkIyRCFDGAYIDXGJhYQ_e1l5GJWmn09Z_VnExxHeOZuqmxbTN9_UtUedR6GxKNpzM7TVhU7utBOWT/s1600/samosas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo91YQaQS3dB7LHzSsEhH9hI9RU_kDvlat3imaRuTgITtJgGhuEcLcjoJej4G_J3dYkIyRCFDGAYIDXGJhYQ_e1l5GJWmn09Z_VnExxHeOZuqmxbTN9_UtUedR6GxKNpzM7TVhU7utBOWT/s320/samosas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Potato and English pea samosas with saag and cilantro chutney</span></span></td></tr>
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I've also been cooking a lot more since we started <a href="https://www.blueapron.com/" target="_blank">Blue Apron</a> and that takes up a CONSIDERABLE amount of time but I'm kind of enjoying it. There are the obligatory pics on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_itsybitsy/" target="_blank">my instagram</a> if you're into that sort of thing.<br />
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I guess that's it for the moment, I mostly just wanted to say Hi!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWPjZA5kFtYGgIg5I2_6Id4iWvNq-fV7HQgDnJ6WoLDX94xGwIC1fX3aZX6ff-grIO_fqxZJiVNUxaTjCA8Ri6ZLiToIFnOV23mDR9vfD6qq_62bYVeazOyqY0BKEinNOA0K0z4HVy7s5/s1600/crowned+sifaka+lemur+lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWPjZA5kFtYGgIg5I2_6Id4iWvNq-fV7HQgDnJ6WoLDX94xGwIC1fX3aZX6ff-grIO_fqxZJiVNUxaTjCA8Ri6ZLiToIFnOV23mDR9vfD6qq_62bYVeazOyqY0BKEinNOA0K0z4HVy7s5/s400/crowned+sifaka+lemur+lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby crowned Sifaka lemur - yes this is a real live creature,</td></tr>
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<br />The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-71066965224189622712016-05-17T01:40:00.001-04:002016-05-17T09:21:12.889-04:00In lieu...<div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's Monday so I didn't want to leave you with NOTHING.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I stayed late at work and needed a decompress so the majority of the column directly under the red flower is what happened in lieu of a blog post today. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I regret nothing!</span></div>
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Actually that reminds me, in mid June I will be starting the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Save-the-New-York-State-Parks-Summer-and-Winter-Run-Series-279698379817/" target="_blank">NYS Summer Run Series</a> races (<i>strong suspicion I'm going to regret *that*</i>) so my Mondays are going to be WELL accounted for. </div>
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I have however enjoyed the exercise of reflecting back on my week each week so I will see what works out for a new Bat time on this here Bat channel.</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-64705815646511040682016-05-09T21:35:00.000-04:002016-05-09T21:42:23.627-04:00Where the %^&*^$ did Monday Monday go?I finally started binge listening to the Blackstar album by David Bowie so "Girl Loves Me" has been circling around my head for days (hence the title).<br />
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Busy season at my job has hit in spades so I plan to spend a bit more time relaxing and a bit less blogging about what I'm doing to relax, but I will try not to forget about you all.<br />
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Lets see,<br />
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<a href="http://realtimedracula.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dracula in Real Time</a> is rolling and we're only about a week in so if you're interested now is the time to get into it. There are, as previously mentioned, fully automated <a href="https://twitter.com/dracularealtime" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RealTimeDracula/" target="_blank">Facebook </a>pages.<br />
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I'm doing a daily pic project on m<a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_itsybitsy/" target="_blank">y Instagram</a> called #365Halloween<br />
It is a pic a day series focused on all of the Halloween things which flavor my personal environment.<br />
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On a related note I got a new vanity license plate. I wont be sharing it here because that seems dumb, but I will say it's fairly ridiculous and Halloween themed.<br />
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I'm merrily chugging along on my current cross stitch piece - HAED's Garden of Delight by William Morris. I found one thankfully small mistake (look for the small spray of pink spots shown on the left but not on the right) and figured out a small tweak to parking method which has made a big difference in how easy it is for me to keep track of my stitches.<br />
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After some discussion I think I will be making my own "how to park" post but that will take some real work as I will have to mock up a piece to use as an example since it kind of necessitates showing your pattern and that ain't strictly legal when its a paid pattern.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=941_1353&products_id=16444" target="_blank">Heaven And Earth Designs "Zen" Countess and threader set</a></td></tr>
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I've also started using stitch marking pins and am waiting for a really nice set from HAED to arrive (seriously, I've been eyeing them for months and there was a really good sale).<br />
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Oh! I also made Q snap grime guards! I took a bunch of pics during the construction process so that will be its own post as well. I already replaced the elastic on the smaller one and will be doing so on the larger as the elastic I had in there was really kind of sprung and it doesn't have the right tension to it. Matching project bags are in the planning stages.The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-25671473780429227402016-05-02T14:43:00.000-04:002016-05-02T14:43:44.096-04:00Monday Monday - the Bygone Bloodsucker Edition<div>
I'm co-opting Monday Monday to talk about a side project I've been doing on and off since 2011. It's actually been the majority of what I've been doing for the last several days so I say it counts.</div>
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In the fall of 2006 I stumbled on a community online called <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/dracula1897/">Dracula1897</a> which presented Bram Stoker's Novel Dracula in a way I had never considered before; in real-time!</div>
<br />Dracula was written in a form called the epistolary novel, where the prose is presented as a series of documents. These documents are all date stamped, and so they used these stamps to separate out the novel into a sort of serial, making semi-daily posts following the chronology of the story spanning the six month period in which the book takes place.<br /><br />I will be reproducing this experience (in my own way) at <a href="http://realtimedracula.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dracula in Real Time</a> over the next six months. I have done this a couple of times before and am relaunching tomorrow. <div>
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If you (like me) are not good at regularly checking a blog you can follow along with automated posts via<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RealTimeDracula" target="_blank">Facebook - RealTimeDracula</a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/dracularealtime" target="_blank">Twitter - DraculaRealTime</a></div>
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<a href="http://realtimedracula.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Atom RSS feed</a><br /><br />There is also an associated <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/166849183336741/">Facebook group</a> (to discuss and handle administrative questions).</div>
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If you would like to see how this works in practice check out the (six months delayed) sister feed - <a href="http://offseasondracula.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dracula on the Off Season</a> which will be wrapping up the end of the book within the next week.</div>
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-67384604514209241042016-04-28T23:23:00.000-04:002016-04-28T23:24:30.003-04:00Throwback Thursday - Ootini part 2 of (now 3) - the mask<b>Constructing the eyes of a Jawa costume really deserves its own post so I've decided to split the mask post in two.</b><br />
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Sadly I did not have time to take pictures during the construction process, but I've reconstructed what I could using pictures of the completed items.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB_9KGUuwomTEDGdBtg8-S42uuCyweLmsOGubPzp88cKIFNeMbpVNWZyJRx2O_OK0E6OH_a7-ZaFtutsMDgTwLxHl6C0yUlpLL7TsLwA4-0j5MBTh1biY0un4TgUTOppmwesFxzEL04OI/s1600/good+motivators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB_9KGUuwomTEDGdBtg8-S42uuCyweLmsOGubPzp88cKIFNeMbpVNWZyJRx2O_OK0E6OH_a7-ZaFtutsMDgTwLxHl6C0yUlpLL7TsLwA4-0j5MBTh1biY0un4TgUTOppmwesFxzEL04OI/s320/good+motivators.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: Bill Nolan</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The mask base: </span></b><br />
Starting with a plain plastic craft mask I cut the nostrils into one hole and cut the mouth out of the mask entirely. Structurally this is pretty much how I wore it the first day. <br />
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I had a lot of issues with my breath and sweat condensing on the inside of the mask and the pull of the entire mask was pretty much suspended on the bridge of my nose giving me a wicked sinus headache and raw bruised feeling across my nose by the end of the first night.<br />
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This was compounded by the fact that the mask fit the length of my face fine... as long as my mouth was closed. Any time I opened my mouth my chin hit the inner chin of the mask pulling it down tighter on my nose and I had to push it back up into place regularly.<br />
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For the second day I cut the upper lip out entirely and removed as much of the chin of the mask as I could. To add some padding for my nose and keep the mask off my face I sliced up several disposable squishy foam earplugs into approx. 1/4 inch thick pieces and glued them in a pattern I hoped would comfortably distribute the weight.<br />
This worked really well, and in fact every single time <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBLyUYtylzl/" target="_blank">I wear a mask for something</a> I kick myself at some point in the evening for not doing this.<br />
The staining on the forehead pads is <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2322380054/" target="_blank">blue hairdye</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What would I do different?</b></span><br />
I think I cut a little more of the plastic out of this mask every single time I wear it.<br />
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Given my druthers I would completely rework the base structure of the mask leaving as little material touching my face as possible. Ideally I would have something suspended well off of my face like glasses with enough structure to attach the eye lights at the cheekbone level, the drape to cover the lower face, and some sort of superlight framework for the forehead area to attach the covering cloth.<br />
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Airspace and cheek area stability are the key elements. My current pie in the sky design would be an open-worked metal eye mask frame with a simple forehead cage.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The covering and attachments:</span></b><br />
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The black covering for the mask is a stretchy black velvet material which I attached with a hot glue gun. The upper part of the face down to the underside of the cheekbones was glued down to conform to the shape of the face. There are two draped pieces covering the mask, one from the cheekbones and one from the chin, which helped conceal the shape of my face and any part of my neck that might have been exposed by the hood. I think doing it <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2414417541/sizes/l/in/set-72157604544767489/">draped from the bridge of the nose</a> as I did probably made it a lot easier to breathe and meant that I could cut away a lot of the mask when I realized the problems of the first day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL1jjazF8zLW3BpjieRL4839AMFwnWAn9sBdfUCL7EP5xp7BvtXQU4ukFje25YXFlM2nuWx7w9zr_ryWl4J3VZIQ3yE_O_D6-Zlab_6D4vBH9qC0msk7tXQ0bHelgjJYw5VJTKV7kswbI/s1600/2415242678_3073cfe975_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL1jjazF8zLW3BpjieRL4839AMFwnWAn9sBdfUCL7EP5xp7BvtXQU4ukFje25YXFlM2nuWx7w9zr_ryWl4J3VZIQ3yE_O_D6-Zlab_6D4vBH9qC0msk7tXQ0bHelgjJYw5VJTKV7kswbI/s320/2415242678_3073cfe975_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the eye covering and light and elastic attachment points</td></tr>
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The mask eye holes were backed with a rubbery shelf liner material and glued on with white PVA glue. I was worried the glue would melt from my sweat but it has held up for several years now. In all but the most direct and brightly lit shots the eye camouflage <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/bh123/2402261668/sizes/o/">worked shockingly well</a> and often people looking directly into my face had to ask where I was looking out of. I learned to ignore the mesh pattern very quickly and had fantastic field of vision, probably the best I've ever had in a costume with a full face mask (the hood does disrupt that somewhat).<br />
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Holes for the eye lights and elastic strap to hold the mask on were drilled using a pin vice and drill (which went through everything extremely easily) and the attachments were wired down with anodized craft wire. Any small patches of white around any fabric edges were touched up using black acrylic paint, which I also used to cut some of the shine of the hot glue wherever it was visible.<br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">What would I do different?</b><br />
In a re-do I would probably switch to a glue with less shine and more working time, and would definitely use a more breathable material. I am not prone to overheating but this costume is VERY warm.<br />
If using a mask I think I would attach the eye camouflage last instead of first to make it easier to cut the eye holes out of the fabric face covering. A better mask material would probably be silk noil as it has the right matte finish to absorb the light, it is light, airy, and drapes well, and it is shockingly cheap.<br />
<br />The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-85115379339978417422016-04-25T21:38:00.001-04:002016-04-25T21:39:11.555-04:00Monday Monday: the hope I'm not getting sick edition.<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Feeling kind of cruddy but I don't want to leave you hanging - so have a few pics!</span></div>
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<a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/" target="_blank">BadassCrossstitch </a>#yearofstitch weeks 1 through 6<br />
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Week 7 (and all individual images) are posted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_itsybitsy/?" target="_blank">on my Instagram</a><br />
I'm really enjoying this project - it's been fantastic to try new things and each piece is so small and self contained it's been a great take along piece.<br />
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New project start - first 100+ stitches in Garden of Delight by William Morris from <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Heaven and Earth Designs</a>. It's so nice to be comfortable stitching again and after this I'm even more convinced to swap to a new fabric on my Shades of Red project. I do want to pick up some stitch marking pins as this design is fairly intricate (over 20 colors in the first 100 stitches alone) and I think it will help me keep track of things better.<br />
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Fresh brows courtesy the Benefit Brow Bar at Ulta. They are the only place I will go to to get my brows done anymore. My brows are so sparse it's very easy to over pluck.<br />
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Tried an orange lippy - NYX Liquid Suede in "Orange County". Still looked great after an entire day at the wineries eating cheese and drinking reds so I can definitely vouch for the longevity of this formula. I think I need to be more tan and better matched to my foundation to really feel confident in this particular shade but I was surprisingly comfortable.<br />
I think I've got this bright lippy thing down.</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-59098114428443150702016-04-18T22:12:00.000-04:002016-04-19T08:50:32.170-04:00Monday Monday regerts<div>
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Live! Coming at you from my new computer desk! </div>
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It may be cheap S-Mart pressboard trash but still worth it to have the hutch and a keyboard tray. It's actually an L desk as well but I have to cut down the L piece to fit the space so that's going to have to wait a bit. The cats are all quite fond of this new and exciting way to be between me and whatever I'm trying to read,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Heaven and Earth Designs - Mini Shades of Red</span></td></tr>
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I'm seriously considering scrapping this project to start again with different fabric. This is navy 22 count hardanger cloth and it is just NOT working out for me.</div>
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I find the holes hard to see both due to the color and weave (which is not tight exactly but it is dense), and my stitching feels unbearably sloppy. I've been fighting myself to pick this piece back up every time I want to stitch for weeks and I just don't find the stitching pleasant enough to keep going for another who knows how many months. I thought stitching on 22 count with two strands would be nicer than 28 count with one strand but I no longer think so. I was passing a lot of my reluctance off on the stand I've been using but I no longer think that's the main problem, though it is a continuing annoyance.</div>
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Ahhhhhh well, lessons learned: I will likely avoid dark fabrics on large works, and no more two strand stitching on full coverage pieces.</div>
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I finally got around to cleaning up my mani on Sunday. One of the pitfalls of a nude mani is its easy to ignore chipping so it outstays its welcome. I wanted something green (because it's been a while) and fairly simple that could stand up to potential staining from my haircolor. I've worn Alien Queen from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/IncidentalTwin" target="_blank">IncidentalTwin</a> as an accent before but somehow never as the star and as with every single time I've worn one of her polishes I was super dubious on first coat and totally psyched by the third. They are sheer but they build beautifully.<br />
Accent nail is Ulta Popping Bottle. </div>
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Since the move in July my nailpolish has been sprawled across more than three cardboard boxes. My swatch sticks were woefully out of date and I had several new bottles that had not been cataloged in <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nail-polish-book/id536885449?mt=8" target="_blank">Nail Polish Book</a> - a phone app I use to organize my stash (<i>there are only so many bottles of relatively spendy dark teal polish one person needs to buy in one month</i>). I finally took the time this weekend to catalog everything and get my swatches up to date and now I'm looking for a better storage solution than sorting into overly small dollar store bins by used (red) vs untried (blue).</div>
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I realized as I was pitting this together that I never posted my #yearofstitch piece last week so I will do so on my Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_itsybitsy/" target="_blank">@the_itsybitsy</a> in a few. Its been done for weeks, just not posted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just because it was funny, and a good reminder to avoid unitaskers!</span></td></tr>
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-22038199268156528762016-04-11T21:10:00.000-04:002016-04-12T09:17:18.436-04:00Monday Monday - those May Flowers better be spectacular edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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The trees are still budding and the grass is starting to perk up so I'm staying hopeful for Spring. My unsprouted basil planter however... that I've written off as a late frost loss.</div>
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I no longer accept the concept of a basil free life so I started fresh seeds in a trash-hacked plastic bottle seed nursery this weekend and I'm taking advantage of the spare light from my wee Aerogarden. I did about 1/3 classic sweet Genovese and 2/3 a deep purple colored Genovese style basil variety called <a href="http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ocimum-basilicum-amethyst-improved-basil-seeds" target="_blank">Amethyst Improved</a>. I'm hoping to see those sprout in the next week or so.<br />
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I got my hairs did this week and I've finally gone back dark, though since I'm growing my cut out I still have enough lightened hair that I was able to go this amazing nearly indigo pen-ink blue.</div>
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As far as stitching goes I did a few <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BECH5zESly3/" target="_blank">#yearofstitch</a> pieces, this week's post is up on my main Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_itsybitsy/" target="_blank">@the_itsybitsy</a></div>
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Oh! Speaking of Instagram, if you like Instagram and you like cats I now have a feed specifically for mine! I always wanted to post more of them but felt like I didn't want to take over my feed. Now that you can do multiple feeds with one log-in I took the plunge.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Follow Renfield the Black cat, Quincey the ginger fluff and Mina the cow </span>cat at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catfaxabbey/" target="_blank">@Catfaxabbey</a></div>
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I will only be following pet feeds from there but if you have a more general feed drop me a line on The_ItsyBitsy</div>
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I had a new computer desk debacle this week so instead of a working desk I have a pile of (mostly intact) pieces in the corner of the office waiting on replacement parts.<br />
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Sorry about the weird formatting on this post - the components for my desktop are scattered across the office floor at the moment and apparently blogging on an iPhone really just doesn't cut it.</div>
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To distract myself from all that annoyance I wanted a fussy embroidery piece, but I'm still fighting with the new stand a bit too much to comfortable stitch on my big HAED piece. I picked up my <a href="http://www.blackworkjourney.co.uk/" target="_blank">Blackwork Journey</a> piece instead and finished the first block. The stitching is so fine it's hard to get a pic of the whole thing that also shows the designs well, I think I may do a slideshow of the individual blocks at the end.<br />
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After that I picked up a gift piece I've been working on for a few months now but I'm not showing that off yet so progress pics may be scarce for a bit.</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-91193211478845732862016-04-07T13:25:00.000-04:002016-04-07T23:08:25.411-04:00Throwback Thursday - Ootini! Part one of twoWay back in the olden days of Livejournal I had a craft-specific feed under the name <a href="http://carapax.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">Carapax</a>.<br />
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I stopped updating that feed in 2010 but it's still there and there are a lot of projects and ideas which I'd like to have handy so I'm going to start reposting them here. Subjects range from historical recreation, to brewing, to cosplay, to interior design crafting.<br />
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Posts will be generally left as they were written, though I will likely combine and condense certain things. Unfortunately even in this first post there were links which no longer work - but I have tested and replaced all of them so any links here are functional.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm starting with one of my very favourite projects to date - my Jawa costume.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, this is a self portrait.</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">References:</span></b><br />
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-<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110426211603/http://www.td8733.com/Tutorial.html" target="_blank">td8733</a> was the primary source I used. Great ideas and closeups of what they did, coupled with plenty of production stills from ANH. <br />
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<li>I have provided a link to the wayback machine snapshot instead of the real page because sadly this page is now SEVERELY broken.</li>
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-<a href="http://www.tk1336.com/jawa.html" target="_blank">tk1336.com</a> Site primarily for making a Jawa manikin, most useful for closeups of weapons and accessories (I didnt bother with weapons since they are such an issue at conventions).<br />
-<a href="http://www.partsofsw.com/jawas.htm" target="_blank">partsofsw.com</a> Useful for details on the bandoliers and various widgets.<br />
-<a href="http://www.tk409.com/tk409.html" target="_blank">tk409.com</a> Multiple useful links about halfway down right side of page. Primarily used for hood diagram.<br />
-<a href="http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:Jawa" target="_blank">databank.501st.com: Jawa</a> Just ta - Costume standards for the 501st Jawas<br />
-<a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jawa" target="_blank">starwars.wikia.com: Jawa</a> The Wookieepedia entry on the Jawa<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Primary Materials:</span></b><br />
Two <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brinkmann-809-3054-1-Portable-Light-Silver/dp/B00252U6AK/?tag=leosm1-20" target="_blank">Brinkmann GO-LED Waterproof LED Mini Lights</a><br />
Appropriate yardage of a med weight dark brown roughwoven textured fabric - In my case 4 yds of a poly cotton blend<br />
2 amber coloured <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2415243368/in/set-72157604544767489/" target="_blank">decorative glass stones</a> (the kind used both for filling vases and as Magic Card markers)<br />
<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c350/lastalliance23/ANBUmaskgroup001.jpg" target="_blank">Plastic Craft Mask</a><br />
About a yard all told of a black, light absorbing fabric (such as velvet) to cover mask and line hood (from stash)<br />
Dark brown or black <a href="http://www.legionsafety.com/images/T/steiner-00192-cotton-work-gloves.jpg" target="_blank">cotton jersey work gloves </a><br />
<a href="http://www.createandcraft.com/pp/plaid-craft-plaid-craft-gallery-glass-window-color-paint-set-decorator-colors-125074?CAWELAID=120224960000013126&catargetid=120224960000119060&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KEQjwipi4BRD7t6zGl6m75IgBEiQAn7CfF272uIJY3JTeKgTxNeA_lL2sogtNAVCJ_pWcCkU09_oaAjEj8P8HAQ" target="_blank">Amber coloured transparent glass paint</a><br />
Two heavy duty cable/zip ties to hold the hood open. A package from Home Despot or Lowes is relatively inexpensive and infinitely handy for costume and home uses so I always keep them around. (in stash)<br />
A few inches of black <a href="http://www.stacksandstacks.com/image/10338.jpg" target="_blank">rubber shelf liner</a> for eye camouflage. You want the stuff that looks all nubbly like rubber droplets sprayed onto a rubbery mesh. (super cheap by the roll from most S-Mart type stores)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Materials and tools I found helpful:</span></b><br />
hot glue gun<br />
black paint<br />
sewing machine<br />
serger<br />
matching brown thread<br />
a few inches black ribbon<br />
pliers to break apart light casings<br />
wire<br />
elastic<br />
exacto knife<br />
pin vise with small drill bit<br />
duct tape (of course)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Robe:</span></b><br />
My extensive "historical recreation" T-Tunic experience saved the day here.<br />
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There are two typical ways to do T-Tunics, one is the way recommended in the <a href="http://www.tk409.com/images/jawa/jawa_pattern.gif" target="_blank">TK409</a> diagram which I disliked for my purposes because since I had fairly wide fabric that would have meant cutting the entire length of the fabric to the appropriate body width. This also involves cutting and attaching the arms separately. If you have narrower fabric or require more fullness in the robe this might be better, but for my circumstances it was not the way to fly. Finally it was unclear who this diagram was supposed to fit so the measurements were mostly useless.<br />
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I made the arms straight (not angel winged) and I pretty much just traced around a T-Tunic I use for Pennsic which still seemed to have about the right amount of fullness over a sweatshirt (which I knew I was going to want for warmth). Looking at the movie stills from td8733 it seemed that the sleeves were straight and very deep (the "armpit" is clearly nearly at the waist of the actors) so I made the sleeve extend down about 12" from the shoulder seam.<br />
<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2414417885/in/set-72157604544767489/" target="_blank">Here is the robe I did folded in half and laid out</a> (as it would be to cut the fabric) and here <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2415242454/in/set-72157604544767489/" target="_blank">is a closeup of the same</a> with a tape measure over it. For size reference that was well enough fullness to comfortably accommodate a 34" chest measurement plus a rather bulky sweatshirt.<br />
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Here is a pretty good <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091027115522/http://geocities.com/hansensmtn/toby/basic_tunic.htm" target="_blank">description of how to do this sort of T-Tunic</a> though you'll want a lot more fullness in the body, though I used the sort of angle-y side hem I just left the bottom straight like the second diagram (IE I did not curve it to account for the side length as the robe is supposed to be puddly and draggy).<br />
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Robe construction was done entirely with a Serger due to time constraints (and having gotten a new sewing machine which is complicated enough to actually freak me out a bit). Arm edges and bottom hem was left unfinished to hopefully develop the desired ragged appearance over time. Because the fabric was not wide enough to make sleeves which extended to pretty much cover my hands with my arms down I ended up having to extend both sleeves by about 8 inches at the forearm (which I can detail if requested but I don't see much utility in it here).<br />
I did not bother with the split down the center front of the robe as it seemed pretty superfluous to the appearance of the design and would have added several more seams and closures to worry about.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Hood:</span><br />
I made the hood pretty much exactly as diagrammed at <a href="http://www.tk409.com/images/jawa/jawa_pattern.gif" target="_blank">tk409</a>, however I used a slightly wider piece of fabric (I just used the full width of the fabric so the folded length was probably closer to 25" then 20).<br />
I originally did not line the hood and used bias tape to hem the hood and make a channel for the zip ties I used to hold the hood open, but I quickly realized that it did not have enough weight to it and that the inside of the hood needs to be black for the mask to blend in.<br />
I ended up top-stitching a roughly 8 inch wide piece of stretch velvet just to the inside of the hood edge (this is same fabric I used to cover the mask) and tacking down the other edge a couple of places (I did not want an obvious line of stitching right in the middle of the hood body). Here is <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2415242270/in/set-72157604544767489/" target="_blank">a pic of the hood laid out</a> inside out as flat as possible, and <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/24317023@N04/2415242022/in/set-72157604544767489/" target="_blank">here it is from the side</a> on my lovely dress dummy+octopus model.<br />
The bottom edge of the hood was selvage and did not require finishing.<br />
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The closure of the hood was a small snap but it was mildly annoying to have so light a closure as it came open while I was adjusting it a few times so I believe I ended up adding a small hook in the long run.<br />
The stiffener to keep the hood open was simply two long cable ties with the closure ends cut off which I duct taped together in the middle to make one long (approx 26 inch) stiffener. I located the middle of the hood and stitched a channel on each side wide enough to insert the cable, but left the center open. I slid the cable in from the center and got it completely centered on the hood and then stitched the channels closed right at the ends of the ties so that the ties could not shift around.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely assistant.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next up: the Mask!</span>The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-19383877357627589382016-04-04T21:31:00.003-04:002016-04-04T21:31:28.506-04:00Monday Monday - the stuck in because it's apparently winter again editionThe new embroidery frame is a bit fighty, it likes to explode without much warning* so I didn't do work on it much. I have to work out some sort of stabilization beyond occasionally going over the whole thing with a rubber mallet. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<br /><br />Most of my stitching this week was on <a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/post/107428727961/let-the-yearofstitch-commence">#yearofstitch</a> pieces which I generally do without a stand. I'm actually up to week ten though I've only posted through week four.<br /><br />I didn't hate stitching this like I thought I would! Sadly I started it in two strand and found it a bit weedy, but I was kind of stuck with it by then so I soldiered on with the sides and switched to three strand for the middle section. </div>
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Hooray for laying tools! You can do satin stitch without one, but I certainly wouldn't want to. Finishing off on the back was really annoying though.</div>
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I've done some on my HAED <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=160_482&products_id=9929" target="_blank">Shades of Red</a> piece and it's starting to pick up speed but it still doesn't look like much yet. So much confetti stitching. I had been using a magnifier and light but I think I'm going to ditch the magnifier. It's a lot of hassle and my stitching just seems wonky in the parts where I used it.<br />
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There is a cross country stitching challenge at the HAED forum I follow I'm considering but I don't think I have any projects lined up which suit it very well and the prize images they offer aren't typically my thing. I feel like I should join for the sake of challenging myself but it really will cramp my style. There are a couple of months left to join (this is no small challenge) but I suspect I'll leave this one to others.</div>
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I did finally try my new Limited edition <a href="https://www.limecrime.com/" target="_blank">Limecrime</a> lip colour Beet It and though sadly I did not get a pic with it on my face I'm REALLY happy with the shade. It looks a bit mauve in the tube (see the small dot to the left) and I was almost pissed at having snagged yet another blah tone but it dries to a really nice intense shade right on that cranberry border between berry and red. I feel like it looked a touch more pink on my face but I also had a much more even application. Putting lipstick on your wrist is surprisingly awkward feeling.<br />
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I include the other Limecrime shades I own and a fairly true red from NYX in a similar formula (longwearing matte cream with a doefoot applicator) for comparison. So far all of these have proven to be pretty much bulletproof. Any lippy that will hold up to a dinner party and a mildly absurd amount of wine gets my thumbs up.<br />
<br />Utopia is the color I wore for my wedding!<br />
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<i>*The embroidery stand actually exploded again as I got off the couch to set up the lip color pic.</i><br />
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What was supposed to be a simple clean up of my fatally chipped grey and gold polish turned into a subtle but (I think) cool French manicure. The base is Twinkle Twinkle by <a href="http://nailnation3000.storenvy.com/" target="_blank">NailNation3000</a> and the tips are Love Me Fear Me by I<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/IncidentalTwin" target="_blank">ncidentalTwin</a>.<br />
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Sadly it doesn't photograph very well AT ALL as the camera really wants to pick up the yellow tone of the flakies instead of the opalescent goodness and I feel like this pic makes my nails look stained even though FOR ONCE they actually aren't. <br /><br />I may use a pink tinted topcoat next time as these translucent manis seem to yellow out and get dingy really fast.</div>
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-4334018602920776142016-03-28T23:32:00.000-04:002016-03-29T08:48:57.919-04:00Monday Monday - Behind the scenes weekThe vast majority of my energy this week went toward finishing my tattoo Wednesday and the subsequent loooooong slow healing process.<br />
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I've been using this organic cocoa butter based <a href="https://www.facebook.com/redemptiontattoocare/" target="_blank">Redemption</a> stuff for aftercare instead of the usual ointments and this is hands down the fastest heal I have ever experienced.<br />
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It's also pretty amazing as a moisturizing butter, so I may get more to use as a cuticle and scar butter down the line, but it is a bit on the spendy side for that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy John Lally at Masquerade Tattoo NY<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Click through to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDUVTLIr0P6/" target="_blank">@jlallyart on instagram</a> for a few detail shots</span></span></td></tr>
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That made it really hard to move my right arm so I reacted to this by... hanging lots of pictures! I also set up that little Aero garden which has wee bebeh basil seedlings after only three days. Which is good because I could seriously eat all of the basil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3xcjoPMIQPDUfJ8aKq6amYuuQjBKhjdSlvZItJrgcIvpzmDyk-rDCoxPHtTov-UXnsBdUwQL_VUAaR4eBe-Kzd7CTMbzVK4aQypZ8a1yAgNBdGt1EPSfid9LdDChyphenhyphenNprv3cdAds3gi73/s1600/picture+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3xcjoPMIQPDUfJ8aKq6amYuuQjBKhjdSlvZItJrgcIvpzmDyk-rDCoxPHtTov-UXnsBdUwQL_VUAaR4eBe-Kzd7CTMbzVK4aQypZ8a1yAgNBdGt1EPSfid9LdDChyphenhyphenNprv3cdAds3gi73/s320/picture+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have a slightly staggering amount of art which has pretty much never seen the light of day and I am resolved to jettisoning the poster tubes and getting it all up. Framing is spendy so for now I'm focusing on the already framed stuff. It'll be a slow process to get it ALL up to be sure, but so worth it to actually see all of the art we've been getting for each other over the years.<br />
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We are amassing a serious pile of stuff from <a href="http://mondotees.com/collections/posters" target="_blank">Mondo</a> and <a href="http://angryblue.com/" target="_blank">Angry Blue</a>, especially - I also have the added complication of planning everything around a reprint of an original <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqN3pPqv1_AdOVphyXtorgoqFey3FCg-AmTWVheGigTDsfT6Or-aUoOsnlEKx8ggrgcQWAXHi4GT-3Vy0LWnr7n4uYymSPVM8MNiApFw10nXFOkwd8dsWcnY7XJtizwwrmuarFdpey6DY/s1600/frankenstein1931.jpg" target="_blank">Frankenstein bus poster</a> which is literally taller than I am (he lives behind the couch).<br />
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And I get to tetris it all into our tiny tiny tiny apartment! Hence the 1840s bat plate/Muppet movie melange up there. Whatever, it makes me happy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h1 data-reactid=".1.1.0.0.2.1.0.0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span data-reactid=".1.1.0.0.2.1.0.0.1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes fancy crafting requires unfancy ingredients.</span></h1>
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My other major project this week was to make a PVC lap stand for embroidery! I based it on <a href="https://youtu.be/Bg1zwI2nsl0" target="_blank">this design</a> and while my clothes and porch (and probably my lungs) were covered in PVC dust the whole thing took all of $20 and maybe an hour to put together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeipJ-urlV3ch-r1R0VF_NASzQmCEuq5KJjAh6_r18y5lXu3eWTQDnERrsb4WWl7kDfavH9QoqhqouBrLzImIZNHfy6sq0aU6p-omWbKd-qxtadQ74mgZFZygDaRXEpXRwRa0eoDA7hbZH/s640/blogger-image--1031584017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeipJ-urlV3ch-r1R0VF_NASzQmCEuq5KJjAh6_r18y5lXu3eWTQDnERrsb4WWl7kDfavH9QoqhqouBrLzImIZNHfy6sq0aU6p-omWbKd-qxtadQ74mgZFZygDaRXEpXRwRa0eoDA7hbZH/s200/blogger-image--1031584017.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYY1TyiV14U1qKv3CTIJK3ZAil9dFXFWMoW2cXxziZm9QuOM-OmWj8XZbFkvHYoWtB-6P1t3q10_SKk67n1XV76g_8K6ni6wPqtOmV8A_jDaIrva33o8LVyJFgJCsM_RG4MusH2wrVxDp/s640/blogger-image--1893662561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYY1TyiV14U1qKv3CTIJK3ZAil9dFXFWMoW2cXxziZm9QuOM-OmWj8XZbFkvHYoWtB-6P1t3q10_SKk67n1XV76g_8K6ni6wPqtOmV8A_jDaIrva33o8LVyJFgJCsM_RG4MusH2wrVxDp/s200/blogger-image--1893662561.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I haven't gotten a chance to really test it out yet but I'm very hopeful... if I can keep the kitten from eating the rubber bands currently holding it together! It does have a bit of a tendency to explode.<br />
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It's not glued so I can break it down as needed and sub in pieces of different lengths to fit a multitude of other projects. Currently it is set up to hold my usual scroll frame over my lap while I am sitting cross legged but it will also hold a 8x11 Qsnap with a few piece changes.<br />
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The <a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/post/107428727961/let-the-yearofstitch-commence" target="_blank">Badasscrossstitch</a> yearofstitch project is moving along nicely and this weeks entry <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDdz5Yfylxz/" target="_blank">Fly Stitch</a> may not be the sexiest but it's still new to me!</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-90255016331466498352016-03-21T15:24:00.001-04:002016-03-22T10:43:06.319-04:00Monday Monday - chugging alongThis was a quiet week all told. <br />
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Most of the "work" I have done this week has been theoretical research for a couple of big online projects I'm hoping to start soon.<br />
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If I move forward with both they could change the face of this blog significantly, so more on that as there's more on that. If you have any suggestions for stuff you'd like to see more of/less of this is the time.<br />
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I am all ears (all eyes? You know what I mean).<br />
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I'm still in the process of a major apartment re-org so whole days are being devoured by the random belonging slide-puzzle game and bookshelf building, but stuff is finally getting unboxed and a functional office/craft space is so close I can practically taste it.</div>
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My main cross stitch project, <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13789" target="_blank">Mini Shades of Red by Heaven and Earth Designs</a>, is all sloooooooooooow particular stitching right now so that is crawling along at a snail's pace. I'd post a pic but it wouldn't look like much of anything.<br />
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Our new couch setup makes it very difficult to use my floor stand so that is slowing down my pace even more. I have been looking into lap stands but I work very close to my canvas and plan to work on some big pieces so anything I buy is going to be a relatively significant cash investment.<br />
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My <a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/post/107428727961/let-the-yearofstitch-commence" target="_blank">#yearofstitch</a> project is moving apace. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDJVAXWSl0G/" target="_blank">Week two has been posted</a> and week three is actually done as well. I had originally posted on Friday and then I remembered the Instagram blackout protest due to the <a href="http://blog.instagram.com/post/141107034797/160315-news" target="_blank">planned format change</a> so I took it down and reposted Saturday.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/242517939/haha-no-version-2-4x6-planchette-high?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Haha No by thedisasterlife on Etsy</a></td></tr>
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I've been particularly caught on Evil Eye and Ouija designs lately so I picked up a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0167HX6T6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00" target="_blank">Ouija themed shirt from Amazon</a> and an art print *points up* (click picture subtitle for link or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/permascowl/" target="_blank">here for her instagram @permascowl</a>) and am in the process of stitching an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDKkxzFSlxC/" target="_blank">evil eye themed project</a> as a gift. I'd also really like to reproduce that "Haha No" piece in embroidery but haven't yet contacted the artist about permission yet.</div>
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I also picked up a sort of cape/sweatshirt hybrid to replace my trashed hoodies. I expect I'll have to do some surgery to it to make it look like something other than a shapeless bag but I'm tired of supposedly comfortable garments that are huge on my upper torso but somehow don't fit over my hips. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Perhaps they are afraid of my Puerto Rican-ness, my natural heat.</span></td></tr>
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I'm getting a little tired of the hyper masculine style I've been rocking all winter so hopefully this will be the Spring I finally <a href="http://theitsy-bitsy.blogspot.com/2015/03/spindle-and-rod-and-tablet-and-thread.html" target="_blank">embrace my inner Norn</a>. I'm planning on a longer, softer haircut once the blue grows out and I've started wearing eyeliner again.<br />
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It's hard to do long, flowy, and aristocratic when you sit in an office chair eight hours a day but hopefully I'll manage. If nothing else I have decent hand sewing skills so I'll be able to mend all the skirt damage.<br />
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-55374385231257578022016-03-14T23:58:00.000-04:002016-03-22T10:43:20.603-04:00Monday Monday - almost missed posting on time due to DST!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I generally deal with DST by trashing my sleep schedule so hard that weekend that I barely tell anything is different on Monday. Works like a charm.<br />
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I got most of this written out earlier, got distracted by things, and suddenly realized it was almost midnight, oopsie!<br />
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Not much motion on the big stitching projects but I did finally start the <a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/post/107428727961/let-the-yearofstitch-commence" target="_blank">Badass Crosstitch #yearofstitch</a> and post the first week on Wednesday.<br />
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I have the second done as well but am not sure when I want to start posting them. I'm thinking maybe I'll post them Friday to split up the week a little bit.<br />
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The biggest thing that I did this week was finally rearrange my apartment. We moved in early July but the space never settled into a good functional flow and so many things never really seemed to find a proper place. We switched two of the rooms so that we now have the worlds tiniest great room and a separated office/craft/workout space.<br />
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Operation "be able to take a single picture in my home and not see a random cardboard storage box" is moving along nicely, but there's a lot left to do.</div>
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One of the projects I really want to tackle is a makeup and beauty product re-org. I literally have a box full of subscription <i>boxes</i> full of stuff that hasn't been sorted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhzgapGNqIqiKWnAQiIpYzTorqzIgAtKUN-1hyphenhyphenizG-g64F0UNz-I2HYQ-hiOUokYD3VQZSqNUC5tUNiTeOW-u4gCwKrLRejFfjE1cQHZn189vGO3BxESpD32fjbBKha7IzZ87Ehyphenhyphen3-Vl/s640/blogger-image--78286406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhzgapGNqIqiKWnAQiIpYzTorqzIgAtKUN-1hyphenhyphenizG-g64F0UNz-I2HYQ-hiOUokYD3VQZSqNUC5tUNiTeOW-u4gCwKrLRejFfjE1cQHZn189vGO3BxESpD32fjbBKha7IzZ87Ehyphenhyphen3-Vl/s320/blogger-image--78286406.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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So of course I bought more beauty stuff on Thursday.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I stopped in at Ulta after my hair appointment to pick up the Tarte facial oil on the far right and see if I could get my brows done at the Benefit Brow bar (could and did!). I'd been stalking that particular NYX liquid Suede lip colour for a while so I grabbed that and another red. The third red was entirely accidental as I was comparing them to a color I knew I liked and simply forgot to put it down. Still haven't decided whether to keep or swap it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I really like a long sweeping liner brush so I'm enjoying going back to a true liquid liner but I would prefer it to be even more matte. I'm also looking forward to trying that silicone brush with a gel liner as I'm not a big fan of the usual suggested firm angle brush and I feel like I've lost the ability to do things I used to do daily on a moving train with liquid (I commuted to college and grad school).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I've gone back to dark blue hair as I grow out the white and it's like hanging out with an old friend. Note also my freshly waxed brow line! Even without filling them in (I always break out less if they don't fill them after) I haven't had brows that </span>crisp since Halloween!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">My nails were pretty trashed so I repainted them on a shade I hope will stand up to the blue hair dye. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The more I use that gold flake polish the more I want to. Not to mention that I saw both a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BC72sJ-HyuA/" target="_blank"> macro gold flake indie polish</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BC5tz3EL_xr/" target="_blank">a gold foil enhanced mani tutorial vid</a> on instagram within the last day that I'm trying not to think too hard about. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sveta_sanders/" target="_blank">Sveta_Sanders</a> is kind of a problem as it's Russian language so I can't even read her posts much less buy those polishes, and she post some AMAZING polishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">My other main beauty related move this week is to drink lots and lots and lots of water. It's so trite but it really works and I hate that I forget that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I haven't used lip balm in days and I could probably apply a lip stain right now with no prep whatsoever. I was noticing my skin looking pretty grumpy lately (for example that pic collage above, eek) and this has immediately perked it right up.</span></div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-9815291268505620992016-03-07T21:37:00.000-05:002016-03-22T10:45:32.847-04:00Monday Monday Part 5 - A New Beginning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Friday the 13th reference is apropos of absolutely nothing, that's just where my brain went this morning.<br />
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Not as much to report this week as I would like.<br />
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Tuesday night was game night, so unless you have interest in my very bare surface understanding of the <a href="http://dnd.wizards.com/" target="_blank">Dungeons & Dragons</a> 5e system there's not much to go into there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Lvl 2 Goliath Barbarian, in case you are wondering</span></td></tr>
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Wednesday was colour session one on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCePEa9r0Lv/" target="_blank">Halloween inspired bat sleeve</a> with John Lally at <a href="http://www.masqueradetattoo.com/" target="_blank">Masquerade Tattoo</a>. It was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCjSBvASl6x/" target="_blank">a bit gruelling</a> but so cool to watch the piece start coming to life bit by bit.<br />
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At our first break I texted this pic to my husband and it was the first time I had gotten to see it from the "proper" angle. What looked like some nifty shading from my perspective practically jumps off my arm in 3D from the right side up. There is, not incidentally, an entire BACK of my arm to this project as well.<br />
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Interesting note; I am apparently more upset about the movie Prometheus than I am about someone repeatedly and painfully injecting ink into my arm over the course of several hours. Anyone who feels like having a captive audience to talk about horror hit me up for when my next appointment is scheduled.<br />
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I'm not entirely joking. It really helps.<br />
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Thursday I got to hang out with the family, my Mom is doing better every day and seeing my brother is always a pleasure.<br />
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Friday was kind of a crappy day at work so when I got home I buried myself in TV and crafting. My husband eventually went out to a local music show leaving me to my own devices.<br />
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These devices apparently didn't involve hitting the bathroom until about 8:30... which is when I found this <a href="https://www.limecrime.com/" target="_blank">Limecrime</a> lipstick I've been eyeing for months casually taped to the mirror! Because my husband is the ginchiest I now have Velvetine lipsticks in Beet It, Utopia (the color I wore for my wedding), and Pansy. I just realized all three of these colours are LEs, woo!<br />
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I will probably continue eyeing Red Velvet and Wicked (both reds) for some time to come. My current go-to red is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo. Not that I have any lack of red lipsticks but when you got one that really works it can be hard to commit to an untried product for a night out.<br />
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Craft wise I switched up working on the Blackwork piece to get some work done on Shades of Red. So far everything in this piece has been a study in extremes. Huge blocks of slightly mind numbing unrelenting black background or incredibly fussy "confetti" stitching of no more than three stitches of one colour at a time. Thankfully the next section should be a much larger section of colour which will hopefully be a bit more laid back.<br />
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I'm realizing as I get further into this project that I like the higher count fabrics more and more and I think I will be sticking to 1/1 on 25 count and up from now on. I thought the lower count would be easier on the eyes but it's not really until you get to 18 and the annoyance of dealing with two strands of floss for proper coverage on a full coverage project is NOT worth the small amount of relief.<br />
I don't think the dark color of this fabric is helping much either.<br />
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I'm sort of gearing up to work on the Bowie piece. I FINALLY settled on a fabric but I prefer to work with floss cards and making your own floss cards for intricate designs with upwards of 75 colours is possibly even fussier work than much of the cross stitching itself.<br />
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There used to be a system available from a brand called LoRan with little soft binders and pre-punched cards, Dritz has taken over the cards but they don't have enough colours on each card for the sorts of projects I do and they are small for my needs (also SPENDY). I am strongly considering altering some kind of 3 ring datebook to be a project floss holder. Come to think of it I should have a really nice pink leather one lying around somewhere that would probably be just perfect.<br />
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As far as the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/yearofstitch/" target="_blank">#yearostitch</a> project I am really hoping to get that underway in the next few days. I just haven't taken the time to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/xkKfQHR6-1/" target="_blank">find the first entry</a> (um, nevermind... check) and take stock of what fabric I will need. I kind of like how Instagram user <a href="https://www.instagram.com/queenofslacking/" target="_blank">@Queenofslacking</a> has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/3nBqlQQ5lg/" target="_blank">laid it all out in 20x20 blocks</a> so I'll probably do something like that.<br />
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OH! I sort of idly mused last night that I hadn't seen a ship notification for that cone of thread I mentioned buying last week only to dig back through my emails and realize I never.... actually... ordered it.<br />
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I know I hit submit on Paypal but I'm pretty sure I must have closed the browser before hitting the final submit on the full order, so I went to do it aaaaaaall over again. I missed out on the shipping coupon but happily the cones were still half off, and threw in a clip on magnifier to boot since I've resigned myself to staring cross eyed at impossibly fine evenweave for the next decade or so.<br />
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Oh also, Cheeeeese Gromet!<br />
My Cheese of the Month delivery came on Saturday. I've already tucked into the Dubliner and the Mellville and can highly recommend both on their own merits.</div>
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-54170827531880449522016-02-29T21:58:00.001-05:002016-03-22T11:49:03.475-04:00A month of Monday MondayHappy monthaversary!<br />
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Technically the first one was on the 8th so you could argue that next week would be the anniversary of the posts but as it's a retrospective wrap up sort of thing I'm going to call it good.<br />
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It would probably be a good idea to do my weekly blogging on a weekend day when I've gotten more sleep but then the series would be named Sabado Sabado Sabado! and that would be really misleading as this is not a Spanish language blog.<br />
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Wow, yeah, I really *did* sleep like crap last night.<br />
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I digress.<br />
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First things first:<br />
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Someone in a cross stitch group tipped me off that <a href="http://www.joann.com/" target="_blank">Jo-Ann Fabrics </a>is having a MASSIVE online sale on <a href="http://www.joann.com/dmc-6-strand-cotton-cones-100-gram-/prd11807.html#q=dmc%2Bcone&start=1" target="_blank">cones of DMC floss</a> and has a cheap shipping coupon, so you better believe I snatched up a cone of 310. The entire background of my current project is columns of unrelenting 310 (black) so I've been considering this for weeks. Not sure how long that's on so jump on it while you can.<br />
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I got a message last week from my stylist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frannordstrom/" target="_blank">Fran Nordstrom</a> at Waves Salon (here, have a <a href="https://www.groupon.com/biz/sayville-ny/waves-salon" target="_blank">Groupon deal</a>!) that she had a color refresher thing for me so I picked it up and tried it this weekend. It came out of the tube a bit more purple than it shows on my hair but the end result was spot on for the powdery, denimy blue I really wanted this time around.<br />
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I don't think the first pic shows the yellowing I was starting to get as well as it could, but the refresher definitely made a difference in the overall tone without changing the color or staining anything (on my bathroom or my anatomy). It was easy, fast, and pleasant as hair dye experiences go. My only complaint about it is that it has a fairly heavy lily sort of scent which I find a bit much even after a day, but I'm specifically sensitive to that sort of thing so I suspect most wouldn't have a problem.<br />
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I have no idea of the general availability of this product but I would definitely give it another go.<br />
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This was my main project start this week and so far I am enjoying the HECK out of it. My mom had some medical stuff going on this past week so I stayed overnight last Monday at my parent's house and brought this project with to keep me busy while we waited for updates (long story short: my Mom is all good so far). I had a bit of a false start (that entire top row of stars had to be redone) but once I worked out a counting snafu and got used to working over two again I was golden. Per my post from mid last week I <a href="http://theitsy-bitsy.blogspot.com/2016/02/stitchin-it-old-school.html" target="_blank">learned a new (to me) stitch</a> and as a result will be starting that #yearofstitch project hopefully this week.<br />
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I've stopped on that piece for the time being to focus on getting a page finish in on <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13789" target="_blank">Shades of Red</a>, but will be setting up to start #yearofstitch and possibly prepping fabric for the upcoming Bowie project this week as I think I've decided on my fabric. Now that I've gotten away from the relentless black stitching of the background of Shades of Red it is of course confetti city and is sloooooooow going ,no middle ground there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymdjJxohI0ZqrVN6IpYc7gqxgnz00Zsr8aKzfqZeiF27L07EoKulNl9NnlBwtdCfsY68F6Py4TJl4auT8Z_0zfMW6NOcMQaFXZh3oumIeDD5oHBkTREWi2DtJiedhbvE1Asr2SKagymGP/s640/blogger-image--539381005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymdjJxohI0ZqrVN6IpYc7gqxgnz00Zsr8aKzfqZeiF27L07EoKulNl9NnlBwtdCfsY68F6Py4TJl4auT8Z_0zfMW6NOcMQaFXZh3oumIeDD5oHBkTREWi2DtJiedhbvE1Asr2SKagymGP/s400/blogger-image--539381005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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OH!!! I FINALLY GOT MY FABRIC FOR THE MOST RIDICULOUS EPIC SEVERAL YEARS LONG PROJECT I COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE!! Look at that thing! I think I have sheet sets that take up less real estate. That is a 55x55 inch square piece of 25 count Lugana from <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Heaven and Earth Designs</a> and for size reference I am myself all of 62 high x *<span style="font-size: x-small;">mumble</span>* wide inches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVEyQXaSO5_9Dl-IgoF5A10dskBAfWXGgRbuFRExnQp9EQ7IuPUCTU0bILHy0CXxKgDvmZsRhMMXlnOPvWbaTL2LkEwj0Rd0CFVj9zToy9UR2RZDYHSprzT4-oR8QquffOGJYVtMPD0dW/s1600/supersized-supersized-four-seasons-mcjpg.image.552x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVEyQXaSO5_9Dl-IgoF5A10dskBAfWXGgRbuFRExnQp9EQ7IuPUCTU0bILHy0CXxKgDvmZsRhMMXlnOPvWbaTL2LkEwj0Rd0CFVj9zToy9UR2RZDYHSprzT4-oR8QquffOGJYVtMPD0dW/s400/supersized-supersized-four-seasons-mcjpg.image.552x550.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The end result will be the design above - Four Seasons by Jacek Yerka as charted by Heaven and Earth Designs. The design is considered a supersize piece in max colors which will be about 40 inches square and contain 234 colors. The pattern is OVER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PAGES and at current speed a single page takes me about a month.<br />
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I don't know, I might be crazy but I just sort of fell in love with it, lifelong commitment to a single cross stitch project be damned.<br />
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-36086831521972423152016-02-26T14:01:00.000-05:002016-03-22T11:49:18.182-04:00Stitchin' it old school<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQNwL4pf4fTd_uJz2JrSpaA3O66VSCJQ2d9zMBFpLcHTqGssU76Xv7Kjm82lnl34Czp4pxm5RsE-NfCGTSpFcga-zn6gE1IoD5Xf6Bhym2hSn-sOLhWAHN77b3VBpMPcVyQJXrIz5Jl__/s1600/stitchers+delight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQNwL4pf4fTd_uJz2JrSpaA3O66VSCJQ2d9zMBFpLcHTqGssU76Xv7Kjm82lnl34Czp4pxm5RsE-NfCGTSpFcga-zn6gE1IoD5Xf6Bhym2hSn-sOLhWAHN77b3VBpMPcVyQJXrIz5Jl__/s320/stitchers+delight.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://steotch.com/2014/05/30/freebie-stitchers-delight-pattern/" target="_blank">Stitcher's Delight by Steotch - click me for the original link including a FREE PATTERN</a></span></td></tr>
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Not quite what I mean, but seriously how amazing is that?<br />
Pardon me while I go download that pattern and follow her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/steotch/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>...<br />
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So anyway, what I DO mean:<br />
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Back in the day when you were a wee bairn learning the home arts you would do a sampler <a href="https://www.udel.edu/researchmagazine/issue/vol3_no1_humanities/stitches_in_time.html" target="_blank">which would teach different stitches and alphabets</a> and often provide a reference for future work (lettering for monogramming personal items, for example).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL6DFKp8pltVuOGPaY4u_oMoOPtdyi4S_X8-nvK73bFmZe0usjTL6qCeTi_cwzfT5o09EPO_UenctfiSB39IcOC9xx_VBZn6amo7rjGGSIQEltcPORzGTK5pXkeNuC77aiyFVRXNJ11Lq/s1600/samplergroup_088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL6DFKp8pltVuOGPaY4u_oMoOPtdyi4S_X8-nvK73bFmZe0usjTL6qCeTi_cwzfT5o09EPO_UenctfiSB39IcOC9xx_VBZn6amo7rjGGSIQEltcPORzGTK5pXkeNuC77aiyFVRXNJ11Lq/s320/samplergroup_088.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sampler stitched by Hanna McGinter at age 11<br />
(1779-1867)</td></tr>
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I have kind of a vague half recollection of doing something like that when I was very very young but when it comes down to it my embroidery repertoire has been pretty limited; a bunch of cross stitch, some simple crewel stitches, a hint of goldwork... basically I learn whatever I need to do the project in front of me.<br />
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I've been following <a href="http://badasscrossstitch.com/" target="_blank">Badasscrossstitch</a> on Instagram for a while and apparently her recently completed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBslMGvR6y8/" target="_blank">#YearofStitch project</a> has been worming its way into my brain.<br />
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I tried Colonial Knots for the first time yesterday in my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/boxofdelightsproject/" target="_blank">Box Of Delights project</a> and realized that COLONIAL KNOTS RULE FRENCH KNOTS DROOL. I had to look at a couple of different tutorials to understand how to do them but once I did I was hooked. They're simple, neat, easy to tension properly, firm, and fairly symmetrical. As opposed to French knots which look like out-and-out mistakes half the time (for me anyway). I love the look of sweet little floral accents on ultra snarky cross stitch pieces a la <a href="https://www.instagram.com/plasticlittlecoverss/" target="_blank">PlasticLittleCovers</a> but HATE French knots so I never bother.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdS0jRDislsdImmgOqVlPhyphenhyphen6sGe2aAXQ54R37djAknuIYBzXOPi6enAsDZrG9Uci39zZFJYe8fttcPElnG6u97ihMHJLgPuJs8WTNDWw24YbLS_sxjYw3QF3Dh0aN1aTVjHiMu05kCkib/s1600/colonial+knots+rule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdS0jRDislsdImmgOqVlPhyphenhyphen6sGe2aAXQ54R37djAknuIYBzXOPi6enAsDZrG9Uci39zZFJYe8fttcPElnG6u97ihMHJLgPuJs8WTNDWw24YbLS_sxjYw3QF3Dh0aN1aTVjHiMu05kCkib/s320/colonial+knots+rule.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seriously, they're actually kind of fun, <a href="http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/stitch/knots/colonial-knot/" target="_blank">here's a good tutorial</a>.</span></td></tr>
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Heck, this makes me want to try candlewicking!<br />
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My next thought was of course "what other totally awesome and not suck stitches could I have been using all this time OMG WHO WAS RUNNING THAT STITCH A WEEK THING!?!?!?!". I'm a little sad I missed out on the unfolding week by week-ness of the original project but whatever, Imma do it anyway. I really like having these nice discreet pieces to work on in between my magnum opus H.A.E.D. pieces.<br />
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Someday I hope to do a similar sort of thing with the tutorials posted on <a href="http://www.needlenthread.com/tips-techniques" target="_blank">Mary Corbet's Needle and Thread</a> (aka the site that helped me fall in love with embroidery) or <a href="http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/" target="_blank">Sarah's Hand Embroidery at Rocksea.org</a> (source of the tutorial above) but I think my entirely self imposed embroidery workload is insane enough as it is right now.The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-20601040535219616942016-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:002016-02-22T11:30:03.827-05:00Monday Monday week 3 - Do All the Things!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZzTP7TQMAhltZiF7KFHILp7j2ZaSegH3QXXWwXH3QrjkOvMiA75_Q6J3HUcBKAekOJBLOweNMVGpx83jM17AvpIuxv6b1dxR-VCT1ieUv5sxtwSzYkcCmj06E7DpAnbYJV9U4O_3doEZ/s1600/do-all-the-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZzTP7TQMAhltZiF7KFHILp7j2ZaSegH3QXXWwXH3QrjkOvMiA75_Q6J3HUcBKAekOJBLOweNMVGpx83jM17AvpIuxv6b1dxR-VCT1ieUv5sxtwSzYkcCmj06E7DpAnbYJV9U4O_3doEZ/s400/do-all-the-things.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/<br />
For serious, read this blog.</td></tr>
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Okay, so uh, what all did I do this week:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcz8Uapb0wb9tkyG4xCOw4eiSQ5KGs-Zt3QAHvBboE9FGbc5QLnKZPAINpfE3N95fxq638XI_skRFQUAxRqUH1POjYqz7aEhMahTRiTM0tNdWYfuTIzOnopUFyZBjqm2klzzsgo6zfVI6h/s640/blogger-image--1573597749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcz8Uapb0wb9tkyG4xCOw4eiSQ5KGs-Zt3QAHvBboE9FGbc5QLnKZPAINpfE3N95fxq638XI_skRFQUAxRqUH1POjYqz7aEhMahTRiTM0tNdWYfuTIzOnopUFyZBjqm2klzzsgo6zfVI6h/s400/blogger-image--1573597749.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love me, love the occasional Batman Bandage</span></td></tr>
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Nail polish break went poorly so I finally re-polished Sunday. My nails were getting shorter and shorter and my cuticles longer and longer so it was high time. I am at the point where I can't file any further without removing flesh on several of my fingers because of the way my nailbeds attach underneath (that is literally as short as my pointer and middle fingers can get right now).<br />
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I used this FANTASTIC "Super Juiced" <a href="http://www.ilnp.com/super-juiced.html" target="_blank">colour I recently picked up from ILNP</a> mostly because my hair was going to stain whatever colour I used blue anyway so might as well go with it. My nails are nubby and my cuticles are a mess, but hey, at least the colour is sexypants.<br />
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Cannibalized a mood ring and a crappy old needle into a fingertip <a href="http://www.needlework-tips-and-techniques.com/laying-tool.html" target="_blank">laying tool</a> with the magic of pliers and E6000 glue and so far I'm pretty jazzed. It's butt ugly and I want to blunt the needle a bit more, but it's comfortable to wear and works like a charm. Thankfully (?) with the mind numbing amount of black background in the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/shadesofredproject/" target="_blank">cross stitch project I've been focusing on this week</a> I have had PLENTY of opportunity to practice with it .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVXRt-XdM9wgES_fa07_0aNY_QpVfQq6jkDuPLkVLwp8qcmYHBmlnaWgu2q-21UoVm-he9YKpdfJxhkyl2T2yQ1YdGKnATc1iP7GA_knzkihmuOKUQzpAzc9lodZwfwXns5QiwfYJlQHX/s1600/stand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVXRt-XdM9wgES_fa07_0aNY_QpVfQq6jkDuPLkVLwp8qcmYHBmlnaWgu2q-21UoVm-he9YKpdfJxhkyl2T2yQ1YdGKnATc1iP7GA_knzkihmuOKUQzpAzc9lodZwfwXns5QiwfYJlQHX/s400/stand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Got into a discussion of floor stands and <a href="http://www.qsnap.com/" target="_blank">Qsnaps</a> (a popular style of needlework frame) on a Facebook embroidery group Saturday and decided to try out the combination on my stand. I have an <a href="http://www.joann.com/edmunds-stitch-master-floorstand-/1983170.html" target="_blank">Edmunds Stitch Master Floorstand</a> which is not the sexiest thing out there but for the price (half price with a Joannes coupon, in fact) it is pretty good for my purposes. It's a bit tippy but I have zip tied it to a box which lets me wedge it under the edge of my couch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3YTkW9I97NorEz8XukuCB02XlzXVFDe6V_CfR1tp0ht0XLcIPjkif2ntW0_uZGDXSK4XTD9kswlCzMRF6D5OsQj4_H-7T17gC8ZkHwdZWDO56Lqd5LlbvxldYCmIaO_hJYDNM5XpY7CM/s640/blogger-image--1862573023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3YTkW9I97NorEz8XukuCB02XlzXVFDe6V_CfR1tp0ht0XLcIPjkif2ntW0_uZGDXSK4XTD9kswlCzMRF6D5OsQj4_H-7T17gC8ZkHwdZWDO56Lqd5LlbvxldYCmIaO_hJYDNM5XpY7CM/s400/blogger-image--1862573023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used a shelved Supernatural themed Work in Progress (or WIP) to test it all out and figured while I was at it I might as well get some work done on it. All I had left was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCCPalzSl04/" target="_blank">stupid annoying really effective backstitching</a> so I had at until it was done. It's all stitched so I just need to wash and mount at this point. I think I want to try out a padded mount for this as I hate how glass looks over embroidery.<br />
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As a... break? (<i>am I crazy? I'm starting to think I'm crazy</i>) from cross stitching I decided to try a blackwork project so I spent much of Sunday getting the fabric prepared for that. I've decided to do the astonishingly free <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/Ashbourne1/box-of-delights/" target="_blank">Box of Delights by Elizabeth Almond of Blackwork Journey</a> ( <- link is the designer's own Pinterest page, in case anyone is worried about copyright. Her own page doesn't have such a nice spread of pics, but <a href="http://www.blackworkjourney.co.uk/index.shtml" target="_blank">it is here</a>).<br />
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I had originally tripped over her also astonishingly free <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/Ashbourne1/save-the-stitches-blackwork-embroidery-project/" target="_blank">Save the Stitches</a> design first but having never done much (or really any) blackwork it is WAAAAY too rich for my blood. I like how this one is worked in perfectly reasonably sized little chunks.<br />
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It's the perfect project to use a silver 32 count linen I've been hoarding and this particularly lovely aqua I've been drawn to every time I open my floss box. I'm basing my piece more on the blue and white version but with a darker outline. The aqua will be the patterned part, the darker blue will be outline, and the coppery colour will be used in place of the metallic thread her original design calls for.<br />
I did say this was supposed to be a break and metallic thread is not a "break".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBsKIetmM8pPYqhMFS63qClCD-IPTD0BoA3AfUJPdoZAIyAGGboHjl7EkXEuombe0_7llPl-UPrX9EP-ad31sJJdOPVJT77WI1GvZX1F5089r5166RsRIU3Nfja_7kPTLcR6Fl_eMnS1z/s640/blogger-image--424660187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBsKIetmM8pPYqhMFS63qClCD-IPTD0BoA3AfUJPdoZAIyAGGboHjl7EkXEuombe0_7llPl-UPrX9EP-ad31sJJdOPVJT77WI1GvZX1F5089r5166RsRIU3Nfja_7kPTLcR6Fl_eMnS1z/s640/blogger-image--424660187.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why yes, <a href="http://www.abbiessewingandstuff.com/2013/07/tutorial-qsnap-cover-aka-grime-guard.html" target="_blank">DIY grime guards</a> ARE on my imminent to-do list, why do you ask?</span></td></tr>
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I've got my fabric all mounted and prepped but... [EDIT]<br />
I had a whole thing about being daunted by Holbein stitch here but then I woke up this morning to find out via Facebook that it's not designed for Holbein at all and is instead entirely worked in backstitch (woo, more backstitch!). Which tells you something about how well Elizabeth Almond supports her patterns as that wasn't even eight hours and she lives on a different continent.<br />
This is, might I add again, a FREE PATTERN.<br />
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I'm in the process of kitting up another (considerably more detailed) <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/237622295/on-sale-david-bowie-cross-stitch-245-x?ref=shop_home_feat_1" target="_blank">David Bowie cross stitch</a> but I have to pick a fabric and set up project cards so that'll be a little bit still.<br />
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I have some family stuff coming up this week and a major apartment layout overhaul planned so I'm not sure how much interesting stuff I'll get done in the coming weeks but fingers crossed I'll get some tinkering time.</div>
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-59415053115588149482016-02-15T12:33:00.002-05:002016-03-22T11:49:44.751-04:00Monday Monday 2 Electric Boogaloo<span style="font-size: x-large;">Ch ch ch ch changes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zSWftz5GslU6L1_yku6CgoctVxJyQDrYTbMmNtJ2ikzqyziX1wnsndLs0GmcqENZicHU6wBRbgLRbFJET-rSQadXkrW588V2aAUEgsuDNnK4-oq0sgPSm_I6SOg0LSNs7uI4V-0vyDxx/s1600/blue+jean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zSWftz5GslU6L1_yku6CgoctVxJyQDrYTbMmNtJ2ikzqyziX1wnsndLs0GmcqENZicHU6wBRbgLRbFJET-rSQadXkrW588V2aAUEgsuDNnK4-oq0sgPSm_I6SOg0LSNs7uI4V-0vyDxx/s320/blue+jean.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Easily the most obvious change this week - the end of a nearly year long run of variations on silvery white undercuts. Blue is my go-to grow out colour but I've never done this silvery denim blue.<br />
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I <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/1GlaTcyl2x/" target="_blank">started the silver process in April '15</a> (it took a few months to get to white - finally <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/3huq_5yl5B/" target="_blank">NAILED it</a> in June) and this is easily the longest I've ever kept it up. The silver has been a lot of fun and I know I'm going to miss it, but it's expensive and hard to keep up. It may be time to change things up when you've started using Manic Panic as a Leave-In.<br />
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The undercuts, mohawks and between I've been wearing since the wedding have been a LOAD of fun but it's been a while since I did something softer and more feminine (that wasn't growing out length for my wedding hairdo) so once the lightened portions are cut out I think I'm going to go a bit longer, in front at least. I have a pretty tenacious crown swirl so I prefer to keep the back short.<br />
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Cut and color by Fran Nordstrom of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Waves-Salon-966496956762915/" target="_blank">Waves Salon in Sayville</a><br />
(scroll down a bit and you might see a familiar face!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQWspdGrAM8H_pUpYPZf7raNYFjgSM62Mg1IYU33LURcRHZPtMLKPjN6CGvDcSWCyM4XHthLwth1n7VzYg66JhI1Trow2egOwNtHZquOTB6YMk2BSF7M-iwDoT07fOuX_froCaZgtPpis/s1600/haed+portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQWspdGrAM8H_pUpYPZf7raNYFjgSM62Mg1IYU33LURcRHZPtMLKPjN6CGvDcSWCyM4XHthLwth1n7VzYg66JhI1Trow2egOwNtHZquOTB6YMk2BSF7M-iwDoT07fOuX_froCaZgtPpis/s400/haed+portrait.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have a pretty big change in my current embroidery project as well.<br />
I finished page two of <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Heaven and Earth Designs</a> Portrait with a Spiderling and decided to change up projects so I started <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13789" target="_blank">Mini Shades of Red</a> in 2/1 on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BByWR4oyly5/" target="_blank">22ct Navy blue fabric</a>.<br />
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I'm about 600 stitches in as of bedtime last night and pricing out cones of DMC 310 as the ENTIRE background is solid black. The 22 count goes a lot faster so far than the 28 I'm working on Portrait but stitching 2/1 eats up thread and I find laying the stitches makes a big difference in stitch uniformity so I'm trying to consistently use a laying tool (some people like <a href="https://youtu.be/ukkq_rpp2nY" target="_blank">railroading</a> but it doesnt seem to do much good on 22ct), which leads me to...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8i1THRAcHkmq23sn19rosBMVNWqair9jmvrkNSh5QG8g_y0yZyExrK6ZSmxsbcq1Fr9pVe0DhArsDwPhl45_F9vJN2UDa1I_8HFWwJQkgPIiA1B0ZaZS1fEQpK6vKmZ0mczrVEekX76ty/s1600/st07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8i1THRAcHkmq23sn19rosBMVNWqair9jmvrkNSh5QG8g_y0yZyExrK6ZSmxsbcq1Fr9pVe0DhArsDwPhl45_F9vJN2UDa1I_8HFWwJQkgPIiA1B0ZaZS1fEQpK6vKmZ0mczrVEekX76ty/s320/st07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fondu4ok.com/en/store/associated-goods/stitch-laying-tool-stuk-1-pc/" target="_blank">I really wish I was comfortable enough with this page to just order one The thing itself costs all of seven dollars but I cant even imagine how annoying the shipment would be.</a></td></tr>
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I might actually make one of these when I get home today. There is a <a href="http://zlataya.info/publ/n_uch/tekhnologii/st/8-1-0-95" target="_blank">type of fingertip laying tool </a>I never see on English language embroidery pages - only pages written in Cyrillic script (presumably Russian?) and I WANT ONE - that page has pics of a bunch of different home versions (and in many cases step by step pics). Here is <a href="http://zlataya.info/publ/n_uch/org/gem/11-1-0-223" target="_blank">another link of same</a>.<br />
I have a mass market one called a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yarn-Works-Trolley-Needle-Controller/dp/B001681WJI" target="_blank">Trolley Needle </a>but its WAY too clunky for my use.<br />
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Chopped my nails off (by necessity) and took of my nailpolish without refreshing it, so it's been interesting running around with bare nails for the first time in a few years. <br />
My cuticles are A MESS so I may do some much needed hand care before my next polishing.The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-30919601567598552252016-02-08T12:19:00.001-05:002016-03-22T11:50:25.420-04:00Monday MondayIn the interest of getting back in the swing of blogging I'm going to try a weekly wrap up thinger.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EfP6Ewff7t1yELadKtqHHauQa94uo5UbTTtAJHQxRdQ1FsV24xAjH7noIKNM1hR0jZ4G_CIwxWjtVJSOHHfNtpR0tKToXPCs1_ogN9IpCj7mHTiMlcFrrtzJqCGmDRbfawrJLcaN2b4u/s1600/spider_cocoon_by_gothessa-d3drbdm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EfP6Ewff7t1yELadKtqHHauQa94uo5UbTTtAJHQxRdQ1FsV24xAjH7noIKNM1hR0jZ4G_CIwxWjtVJSOHHfNtpR0tKToXPCs1_ogN9IpCj7mHTiMlcFrrtzJqCGmDRbfawrJLcaN2b4u/s320/spider_cocoon_by_gothessa-d3drbdm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nataliadrepina.deviantart.com/art/Spider-cocoon-204507994" target="_blank">Spider cocoon by NataliaDrepina</a><br />
Get it? Wrap up? Get it?</td></tr>
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A lot of times I feel like the individual stuff I'm doing doesn't really rate a full blog post but it would probably still be nice to actually <i>mention </i>what the heck I'm doing lately.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So lets see...</span><br />
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I went to a <a href="http://www.hawthornehotel.com/masquerade/" target="_blank">Masquerade Ball</a> on the 30th in Salem MA and apparently I still clean up pretty good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWb3xtz2oUAwTNRXTqXfeivOiLPg8FSFy1ElBL3Rn-7SVMJKKeyyo22vKFBqY03uA9ez91xYyzAeiR5kA4YJzGl1X6cGGxqjDtojvPbKPIZ2OjTcg8oKaEl7WSWMi_JZNOmJiNreUg71C/s1600/salem+masquerade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWb3xtz2oUAwTNRXTqXfeivOiLPg8FSFy1ElBL3Rn-7SVMJKKeyyo22vKFBqY03uA9ez91xYyzAeiR5kA4YJzGl1X6cGGxqjDtojvPbKPIZ2OjTcg8oKaEl7WSWMi_JZNOmJiNreUg71C/s320/salem+masquerade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's <a href="http://www.creativesalemphotos.com/keyword/hawthorne/i-3CQNbwN/A" target="_blank">the full outfit</a> with a necklace swap and also a husband (mine, in case you were wondering).<br />
I owned the leather coat (I'll look up the brand when I get home), the mask and skirt came from Amazon, the boots are from Miz Mooz. The necklace above came from my mom's jewellery stash, the other necklace I have had as costume jewellery since I was a very small child.<br />
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The skirt has a big waist bow but it didn't work with this outfit so I left it untied. It was surprisingly nice for an Amazon cheepie skirt - to the extent that I'm seriously considering the black version of the same. I FINALLY broke out our garment steamer (wedding gift) and as a person who kind of hates ironing it was everything I ever dreamed it could be.<br />
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My HS bestie and all around amazing person <a href="http://howbabbyformed.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christa</a> tipped me off to this event in the first place and if you poke around the event pics you'll see she cleans up pretty damn good too. It was a lot of fun and I am totally doing it again next year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeTuXPpmZ1SwpIKNQhexk70c9vgLeoi7Vu1CBVj0wCY4pNlgSZDRu9pnvaMPL5vQV4ZkhaoQ0bGClv-VrdZk30Ds3VfqP57Uia33rXgSL0vtclEpYODAXU5khCir5QxyNT4nJJwnnAbUw/s640/blogger-image--1832231745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeTuXPpmZ1SwpIKNQhexk70c9vgLeoi7Vu1CBVj0wCY4pNlgSZDRu9pnvaMPL5vQV4ZkhaoQ0bGClv-VrdZk30Ds3VfqP57Uia33rXgSL0vtclEpYODAXU5khCir5QxyNT4nJJwnnAbUw/s320/blogger-image--1832231745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My main crafty project this week was to finish organizing my embroidery floss which is no small task when you do <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Heaven and Earth Designs</a> cross stitching as they tend to have upward of 90 colours each. I started getting the fabric set up for <a href="http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=501_1021&products_id=13789" target="_blank">my next big project</a> and finally got back to stitching on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/qsportraitproject/" target="_blank">Portrait With a Spiderling</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnOshPoPPMhRa2nbAIJAfOjcfy4g_cbtK-xDj-v57LkB6AScnYxhieEqEn3oVP6V8J3T7HtS9QQLay-k3O3iAto8zIh_f8ou9At99XBKSqtcxM0lkuHEEgfyzo6ZDXQvGbQ9adKfoYZ2G/s1600/William%252BCoy%252BFDA%252BStudies%252BEffects%252BTattoo%252BInk%252Bj47FKOiUdoBl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnOshPoPPMhRa2nbAIJAfOjcfy4g_cbtK-xDj-v57LkB6AScnYxhieEqEn3oVP6V8J3T7HtS9QQLay-k3O3iAto8zIh_f8ou9At99XBKSqtcxM0lkuHEEgfyzo6ZDXQvGbQ9adKfoYZ2G/s320/William%252BCoy%252BFDA%252BStudies%252BEffects%252BTattoo%252BInk%252Bj47FKOiUdoBl.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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Oh, uh, I also got a tattoo.<br />
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More on that when it has more... on that.<br />
It's at outline stage at the moment, which IS pretty cool, but a) its really hard to take pics of your own arm and b) I don't think pics would do the final design any justice. Also it's peely right now and that's never very pretty.<br />
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For now I will say that I am working with <a href="http://www.masqueradetattoo.com/john-lally.html" target="_blank">John Lally at Masquerade Tattoo</a> in Ridge NY and it's FREAKING AWESOME (but currently very itchy).<br />
John also does <a href="http://www.jlallyart.com/" target="_blank">amazing fine art </a>and if you poke around his website a bit you might find a familiar face.</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-30415968495169497942016-01-27T23:54:00.001-05:002016-01-28T09:33:27.357-05:00What was sundered and undone shall be whole...The two made one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9R1LwdVT9TvJFkjikIPhlq7D8iHCkmhyphenhyphendZIOHRAtDNpVy5QxQhwdRSoxfJUtO5t3uca5-wlU8nLG2ucvDELDpNniUriQTT3R8DIz5xaeB-3OPhGDAbvkagj_wCbMYnYnrFlis4PpCrT8P/s640/blogger-image--1276556284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9R1LwdVT9TvJFkjikIPhlq7D8iHCkmhyphenhyphendZIOHRAtDNpVy5QxQhwdRSoxfJUtO5t3uca5-wlU8nLG2ucvDELDpNniUriQTT3R8DIz5xaeB-3OPhGDAbvkagj_wCbMYnYnrFlis4PpCrT8P/s640/blogger-image--1276556284.jpg" /></a></div>
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By which I mean I finally merged my two main blogs. This blog and my crafting blog will now live here as a broader lifestyle type dealy, hopefully in harmony.</div>
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The posts from the craft blog have been merged here (filterable via the <a href="http://theitsy-bitsy.blogspot.com/search/label/truecrimeandcrafttime" target="_blank">Craft Posts Only</a> link on the navigation bar above) and that blog will be going away in short order.<br /><br />
I'm also strongly considering merging my old <a href="http://carapax.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">craft livejournal</a> into this blog as there's a LOT of good stuff in there, but those will be backdated archived posts and will likely be a long term project.</div>
The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-58088783183862702452015-10-07T15:48:00.002-04:002016-01-27T15:06:53.460-05:00What kind of house doesn't have salt?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, there's this show called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460681/" target="_blank">Supernatural</a>. </div>
Perhaps you've heard of it?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewimZrEtfOvt2MeAK-kGDA-NhoPiUbe0zmPSMLnURNjRNY01w8vchiaW2kZSqkJyc_28lk-75I1xyNnxLRfyB8-8USCK9iKld2dncxXBYyIo9luZEQE6DzD35FKiY6edrVwW-MpiHjX98/s1600/Supernatural-Season-11-Release-Date.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewimZrEtfOvt2MeAK-kGDA-NhoPiUbe0zmPSMLnURNjRNY01w8vchiaW2kZSqkJyc_28lk-75I1xyNnxLRfyB8-8USCK9iKld2dncxXBYyIo9luZEQE6DzD35FKiY6edrVwW-MpiHjX98/s400/Supernatural-Season-11-Release-Date.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I uh, have some *feelings* regarding this show and so when I saw that <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/IncidentalTwin?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav" target="_blank">Incidental Twin</a> not only had SPN themed polishes but one PARTICULARLY FREAKING COOL polish I had to have it.<br />
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*cough*<i>andabouteightotherpolisheswhichyouwillbeseeingallingoodtime</i>*cough*</div>
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Every time I pick up one of the Incidental Twin polishes I'm not sure how it's going to work out. They're somehow just different from other polishes I've ever used... but at this point I've been impressed with the results EVERY time so I just go with it. I actually have a custom order in the works right now!</div>
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I hatched a plan to do a particular manicure for the final episode of season 10 using the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/IncidentalTwin" target="_blank">Incidental Twin polish</a>, a Supernatural themed stamping plate from Apipila, and Snowed In - a white stamping polish from Hit The Bottle which I bought off of <a href="https://www.beautometry.com/" target="_blank">Beautometry</a>.<br />
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Those tiny black flecks, that's real CHARCOAL.</div>
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The hazy cloudy voids in the design, that's not a camera issue, that's SALT.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6WtvPz825EiUSVdk-02yMjX26Rm_fcValg8J35S3qErtIo3k8ueQCso7SbH1hFfTjt6RB93LnRvD7bTq93K35ssw7IEFYom33yd6o3j5Zx1tz2wwzeXxNN79dVbQLiJCMYLYVaP8hE6V/s1600/IMG_4350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6WtvPz825EiUSVdk-02yMjX26Rm_fcValg8J35S3qErtIo3k8ueQCso7SbH1hFfTjt6RB93LnRvD7bTq93K35ssw7IEFYom33yd6o3j5Zx1tz2wwzeXxNN79dVbQLiJCMYLYVaP8hE6V/s400/IMG_4350.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If there was ever a mani that needed a macro</td></tr>
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A deep translucent charcoal jelly sandwich of protective sigils in a suspension of salt, charcoal, hex glitter in two sizes, and micro glitter "embers".<br />
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When I started I was REALLY dubious. I was sure that somehow I was going to mess this up. I was convinced that the polish was not going to layer how I envisioned, and that the stamps would be smeared and too busy, but I stuck with it and I think it came out even more amazing than I had hoped.<br />
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It's been a bit of time since I did the pics but I believe the base was CnD Stickey base coat, two coats of Salt And Burn, and a coat each of American Classics Gelous and Poshe topcoat to smoothe it out for stamping. </div>
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I stamped each finger, sealed with Poshe again, put a final layer of Salt and Burn over the top to add depth, and finally smoothed and sealed with the same Gelous-Poshe combination.<br />
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I found a neat trick to <a href="https://youtu.be/5fdquDlNxJE" target="_blank">use hairspray to keep the stamp from smudging</a> From Youtube <span style="font-family: inherit;">user <a class="spf-link branded-page-header-title-link yt-uix-sessionlink" data-sessionlink="ei=q-7MVcXMEKCo-QWrl4qoDA" dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/denisejohn65" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank" title=". Denisejohn65 - Nail Ed">Denisejohn65 - Nail Ed</a> which see</span>med to work great! I'm pretty sure if I had to take this off to fix smeary stamping there would be salt from crying in the mix as well.<br />
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I was worried the polish layers wouldn't stick on top of the hairspray but there were no issues with the technique as far as I could tell. I will absolutely be doing this every time I stamp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBN5W6wa2Q0D4fUjDc_1vuGiUra1x4uWizXDHLK-187148nnZdMFFxweY-blCDlcKqd4BukUwv8jltAzfs6W1YLO2-Dpwhqpa6wVPnYykyuxDIYDEYY2mrPvp9Ptv1Rqw9ew-ah98ILRb/s1600/IMG_4349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBN5W6wa2Q0D4fUjDc_1vuGiUra1x4uWizXDHLK-187148nnZdMFFxweY-blCDlcKqd4BukUwv8jltAzfs6W1YLO2-Dpwhqpa6wVPnYykyuxDIYDEYY2mrPvp9Ptv1Rqw9ew-ah98ILRb/s400/IMG_4349.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very Supernatural season ender manicure special</td></tr>
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I've been sitting on this post for no reason for months but I figured the new season was as good a reason as any to get back on the horse!<br />
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-74166055528652761092015-09-07T16:56:00.002-04:002016-01-27T10:25:05.959-05:00What else am I up to?Edit: this idea has been nixed, everything is all in one place now, Huzzah!<br /><br />I've looked at what it would take to run a broader topic blog the way I'd like and it basically involves writing my own code. I'm going to stick with Blogger for the time being so this is how I'm breaking it up instead...<br />
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I've started up a blog specifically for crafty and more lifestyley stuff:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theitsybitsycrafts.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwPd5XuUAF-vzeMts8EGrCwALpS2HyPuvBdkwQvnlhvld3J1sous4gVia8R4PLCkHU9suJO8u8iiyWBjZXBvc-sSF5YUwptg5MIDZqhsVn1ufaeCf4RAX_BMPP0PKqlWHwJYhd2NRD32a/s400/blogger-image-1456677658.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Click image above to check out the new blog</span></td></tr>
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So that whole plan of having one multi topic space? Completely abandoned for the moment. :(<br />
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Maybe someday I'll combine into one lifestyle blog, sadly today is not that day.<br />
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This page will continue pretty much as usual: hair, makeup, skin, clothing, accessories.<br />
Other topic pages are linked on that navigation bar on the top of my page.<br />
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<br />The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-33097113332159686642015-09-07T15:20:00.000-04:002016-01-27T10:23:01.174-05:00Rebel RebelI've decided that not only am I doing the bat design with the stitches in different directions as previously discussed... I'm apparently now <i>kind of obsessed</i> with the idea of playing with texture and stitch direction in cross stitching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgMQL4TwLEdRjLHAzAFIU7X81YivNSbX8giHlTKxB-ZLvk0x1DBSpkKg_X5KLtmq7ij3WaEcjUrZBagyZWjeVsWoSPqAj1aYsM0M7qZLzWsuNRfFdUVM7hjqsqt76vPTziR6hdBBVUwrS/s1600/David20Bowie-Rebel20Rebel02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgMQL4TwLEdRjLHAzAFIU7X81YivNSbX8giHlTKxB-ZLvk0x1DBSpkKg_X5KLtmq7ij3WaEcjUrZBagyZWjeVsWoSPqAj1aYsM0M7qZLzWsuNRfFdUVM7hjqsqt76vPTziR6hdBBVUwrS/s320/David20Bowie-Rebel20Rebel02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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While I agree doing things haphazardly in all different directions can look messy and detract from a pictorial piece that's no reason to abandon the idea of deliberately working with texture to create a desired effect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYHMRJ7St4H3QpxgQ4mrFokupx2Odi1_sDxLNWSrDb17ypDE6rcVzSbz9O3NyYJyrIfHq7w_mXSQGWe0afj7Ruci17R9nhLqSGrcT6si2HN1O5rISuqPKva-GlKPGoMU7F4FSAAZIpll8/s1600/loire_parquet_herringbone_black_oak_matt_lacquer_engineered_flooring_d_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYHMRJ7St4H3QpxgQ4mrFokupx2Odi1_sDxLNWSrDb17ypDE6rcVzSbz9O3NyYJyrIfHq7w_mXSQGWe0afj7Ruci17R9nhLqSGrcT6si2HN1O5rISuqPKva-GlKPGoMU7F4FSAAZIpll8/s400/loire_parquet_herringbone_black_oak_matt_lacquer_engineered_flooring_d_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the specific joys of many other types of embroidery is the play of light on directional stitching... so why is this such a taboo idea in cross stitching?<br />
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Historically, changes in texture are EXACTLY how we create visual interest in regular, single material objects. Jacquard, knitting, card weaving, pressed velvet, mosaic work, crop circles, magnetic nailpolish... texture play is everywhere!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8t52_C_TNG9gttZq3zOKriY1E2Te2yFTsx4AgxJbDySpVqgFmLGbWmeTUlDlKU1yftcgLPU82JyD281w_JVjEltL0zREfsyWptliRXfw8_cpoJuLffSYJeHln-fmfrYuu5UvohDmuRA5/s1600/goldwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8t52_C_TNG9gttZq3zOKriY1E2Te2yFTsx4AgxJbDySpVqgFmLGbWmeTUlDlKU1yftcgLPU82JyD281w_JVjEltL0zREfsyWptliRXfw8_cpoJuLffSYJeHln-fmfrYuu5UvohDmuRA5/s400/goldwork.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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I'm kind of obsessed with herringbone so I'll probably start there, but yeah, expect some experiments.<br />
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007958303220315558.post-6483240279959011512015-09-07T13:42:00.000-04:002016-01-27T10:22:37.037-05:00New Project - Na na na na na na na na Bat Square! (phase 1)My next project - <a href="http://www.gancedo.eu/content/square-24" target="_blank">Bats by Tantes Zolder</a><br />
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My husband and I are very keen on bats so the minute I saw this design I knew it would be ALL over my home. I plan to do several versions of this in different coordinating tone-on-tone colourways to be framed up as coordinating pieces.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97xAH4i_Rv5UOajofrVQygQ6vDC_U09AUbu9IfOCMro79jWQgKmWgByBMbXmO6S60SQ9G_omgLEoMkoU1-9k6P1WEnKFi5pa2sCkxtANXINsoMz-W8Ps-Ss0BXAssaojc08JErauD07OZ/s1600/Round+17+to+April+K+-+Closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97xAH4i_Rv5UOajofrVQygQ6vDC_U09AUbu9IfOCMro79jWQgKmWgByBMbXmO6S60SQ9G_omgLEoMkoU1-9k6P1WEnKFi5pa2sCkxtANXINsoMz-W8Ps-Ss0BXAssaojc08JErauD07OZ/s320/Round+17+to+April+K+-+Closeup.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://sweetpeastitching.blogspot.com/2010/07/fair-and-square-exchange-with-april-k.html" target="_blank">This iteration of the same pattern done by SweetPeaStitching.blogspot.com</a></span></td></tr>
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Phase 1 is all mounted up and gridded out in 18 ct oatmeal coloured Aida cloth to be stitched in a bronzey goldy olive green thread.<br />
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So far I also have a white on white and a black on black planned (and materials sourced) but I'd love to do some more contrasty versions too - cream thread on lilac fabric is one version I have in mind and I'd also love to do something on a natural or grey fabric with white polka dots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOtFmM87HY9j0sCVoEunUYSAQ6AwARGYyDvbOYr4dyWYSH7jY-oP7uKc_CcG8EdTVVQ0gKiNLVeHxKIvTLXJanE8Qbp4lbrBdFJzwgOP8oS_HjjZrpOcqlgGgv5XVgAe8rM7l7TlUlQ3z/s640/blogger-image--1324015194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOtFmM87HY9j0sCVoEunUYSAQ6AwARGYyDvbOYr4dyWYSH7jY-oP7uKc_CcG8EdTVVQ0gKiNLVeHxKIvTLXJanE8Qbp4lbrBdFJzwgOP8oS_HjjZrpOcqlgGgv5XVgAe8rM7l7TlUlQ3z/s640/blogger-image--1324015194.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm a leeeettle obsessed with that particular shade of green right now. I wish I could have found a closer fabric but there's not a lot of variation in Aida cloth </span></td></tr>
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The *only* thing holding me up from starting in at this point is a style question and I'm waiting for some other brains to chime in:</div>
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I know the prevailing cross stitch logic is to do the whole piece with the stitches in the same direction BUT since it is a reflected medallion sort of thing and very texture oriented I'm thinking it might look cool to stitch each repeat separately from the top down in the same direction so that each has its own sort of texture.<br />
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I think that makes sense, I hope that makes sense!</div>
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Is this just crazy enough to work... or just crazy?<br />
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The Itsy Bitsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718357665805291534noreply@blogger.com0