assassin cross stitch

"nothing is true, everything is permitted."

geekery and crafting go together so well.

i was here

i stepped into blick to buy some posterboard and rubber cement and left with an awesome travel journal.

love the charming illustrations

and the ideas! i'm definitely going to start an international pad collection.

in the reference section, a guide to international dumplings. a definite must-know when traveling.

places to write what you ate

and people you meet. "what do you spread on toast?" never thought to ask anyone that.

i was here: a travel journal for the curious minded by kate pocrass

i'm a terrible traveler. i don't take enough time to sit back and really experience a place. we're usually on a tight schedule so i'm too busy trying to get from major tourist site A to major tourist site B. i wish i could buy a case of these journals so i could have one for each trip that i take. it really encourages you to observe your surroundings and see all the interesting things that your eyes would normally pass over. in addition to all the fun stuff, there are pages to help organize your plans and itineraries. there's also lots of space to doodle, scribble, and jot down random thoughts and notes. if you take the time to work through its pages while you travel, you'll end up with a really wonderful souvenir.

right vs. wrong

*edit - lisa left an awesome comment  sharing a ton of resources where you can find out more about "right" vs. "wrong" side crochet! be sure to check it out :)


"right side" vs. "wrong side". i use quotes because really, there is no right or wrong way. it's all up to your own personal preference when it comes to making amigurumi. i thought i'd share my own insights in case any of you were curious about the two options.

when making amigurumi, each side of your work will have a different appearance. because i don't like to call them right or wrong, let's make right = side A and wrong = side B.

most people use A when making amigurumi. you can tell it's A by the little v's that are formed. in my opinion, A is more rigid and ribbed. the rounds are far more defined. however, it does look tidy and consistent. also, you can use invisible decreases! huge bonus. but i find it slows me down as it's harder for me to get my hook into the loops. maybe i crochet funny but when i crochet, my work naturally tends to form B.

B results in a smoother surface and it can be identified by the stitches that look like backwards L's. it forms a more even surface but increases and decreases stand out more in the finished product. i find that it's good for making rounder shapes. on the other hand, if you're making pointy ears, A is the way to go. and i think it's easier to get your hooks in the loops because of the way the edges naturally curl in.

almost everything i've made thus far has been using side B. in the beginning, i didn't really like the ridges created by A but i'm slowly going back to it. mostly because i now like the texture that it adds and i love invisible decreases. keep in mind that A and B don't always have the same results. for example, my happy little pork buns will always be made in B. i tried it in A and the shaping just didn't translate well!

so what's your preference? i'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

printable invitations by the wedding chicks

came across these super sweet printable invitation suites by the wedding chicks. best part (other than their awesome design) they're totally free and customizable! yay!

postcard #2

bunny walk

hello monday. i had such a happy weekend. fun times with friends and lots of delicious food. rt and i got a new harness for waukegan and tested it out at the park. i can't tell if she enjoyed our little outing or not... she was pretty relaxed and seemed to not mind this harness as much as her last one but the sun made her squinty and it looked as if she were glaring at us :)

in need of serenity

diy flower round up

weddings are expensive. all those wedding blogs where people have beautiful, fashionable weddings for $5,000 boggle my mind. i just don't see how it's done unless you're lucky enough to have a professional cake baker aunt, your best friend is a florist, and your parents own a lovely ranch, and you only have 50 guests. argh! since i want our wedding to have a soft, handmade feel to it and we want to at least to try stay within our budget, we've decided on foregoing the traditional floral centerpiece. instead, our centerpieces will feature handmade flowers. i've rounded up a few of my favorite ideas and they definitely don't need to be limited to just weddings :)

fabric flowers via 100 layer cake + photos by jen rau

diy fabric flower boutonnieres by laurie cinotto via once wed

diy tissue paper garden centerpiece by anna bond via once wed

fabric + ribbon centerpiece by shauna younge via nonpareil + photos by emily steffen

crepe-paper flowers via martha stewart weddings

paper flower bouquet via project wedding