Fighting Frostbite

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest for all of two weeks now, and my vast experience has proven that it's cold here in winter.  People wear fleece. People wear scarves. And people wear hats. All the time. Every time we go out, it seems that I'm the only one without proper head wear.  I tried to fake it for a few days by wearing one of those ear warmer headbands, but it just wasn't working. Apparently I have an odd-shaped head and the pathetic little scrap of fabric I chose to keep me warm kept slipping off my ears.  My ears were freezing, and I realized I was going to have to become one of the sensible hat-wearing Seattleites.

Don't get me wrong, I love this weather.  Nothing makes me happier than rain and winter and wearing sweaters, jackets, and scarves.  Problem is, I have a love/hate relationship with hats.  I love hats.  Hats can be so classy and chic (love!), but they never fit my huge head (hate). Beanies fit (yay!), but because my default hairstyle is a bun or a ponytail, to wear a beanie I have to wear my hair down (boo!).

A few years ago I discovered the perfect solution, and I've been meaning to knit this hat for a while now.  The prospect of permanently frostbitten ears spurred me to get on it sooner rather than later. Check it out:

Wait for it...

A beanie to keep my head and ears warm that also allows me to wear a ponytail!  I love it so much that I'm knitting another one in brown, and may have to make one in every color.  No more sacrificing ponytails for warm ears. 

This just might be the best knitting pattern ever.

Tutorial Twosday: Inspiring Initials

I've actually had a chance to test both of today's projects, and I have to tell you that although I was initially doubtful of how they'd turn out, both of these tutorials were really easy to follow and had fantastic results.

First up, these DIY Monogram Mugs:

Via Design Mom

I just loved the way these looked when I first stumbled across them.  The mugs were so cute and really seemed to be forgiving to those of us who can't manage to color inside the lines.  The best part is that this project can be really, really inexpensive. 

I found a few plain white mugs at Goodwill for about .99 cents a piece.  The hardest part of the whole project was that I had to go to a few different stores to find the proper paint pen, and the tutorial calls for transfer paper, which I couldn't find.  The cheaper alternative is to rub graphite pencil all over the back of what you're tracing and let the pencil do all the work when you trace over it.  While I liked the block lettering, the English Major in me decided on something a little bit fancier, and I ended up with this:

You could easily make a few of these for holiday or hostess gifts, or completely overhaul your mug collection by mixing and matching mug styles, colors, or designs.

The next tutorial is something I stumbled across before my wedding, and I completely fell in love with it.  In fact, I ended up making some of these bags for my bridesmaids to hold all their goodies!

Via Ashley Ann Photography

Canvas bag, plus paint, plus doily equals magic.  The project was really easy, and I ended up customizing it further by using different paint colors to suit each bridesmaid's personality.  Also, if you want the exact doily used in the original tutorial, get Wilton brand doilies (I found mine at Joann's).

Here's how mine turned out:

I loved these so much that I eventually made one for myself and one for Mama Goodlaff. I use mine all the time at our local farmer's market, and I've heard tell that Sister Goodlaff loves hers too!

Happy crafting!

Red Letter (Sorting) Day

If I never see another cardboard box in my life, it will be too soon.  I suppose it's too bad then that our "dining room" is overrun with empty, flattened cardboard boxes. Yesterday I took the opportunity to make lemonade out of these cardboard lemons, and made a really awesome mail sorter for our new, still disastrously unpacked home.  (It's called avoidance crafting.)

The best thing is that, due to my overabundance of craft supplies, I didn't have to buy one single thing for this.  I had everything on hand.  I rock like that.

A few weeks ago I saw this mail organizer tutorial from Choose to Thrive and stored it in my little crafty brain under "things to do with a cardboard box."

Source: Choose to Thrive

Given our current space challenges, and the fact that we needed an efficient mail sorting system, I decided to give it a whirl.  The project template and size were too large for the space that I had available, so I used the basic project idea and decided to wing it. 

First, I needed a cardboard box.  Thankfully, I had one (or 3,000).  I won't give you a play-by-play, but suffice it to say that over several hours, a cardboard box went from this:

To this:

It's not perfect because I didn't follow the old adage to measure twice and cut once.  As a crafter, I tend to be really impatient and therefore very tolerant of imperfections. Things will be crooked--so what? I made it out of cardboard, so I can't really expect much.

I covered it in fabric that I had laying around, added a few labels, a bow, and voila!  Organizer:

For being made of cardboard, I think it works pretty well. Doesn't look too shabby either.  All in all, a success!

Couch vs Elevator

One of the challenges of moving in to a new place is finding a way to make your old stuff fit into your new space.  The Goodlaffs moved from a 1600 square foot townhouse in the country to a 925-ish square foot city apartment.  Space is limited, and we have a lot of crap. 

We also had no couch.

Let me set the scene for you: one week ago, the Goodlaff army of movers (Mr. GL and I, FIL and SMIL Goodlaff) was frantically unloading our lovely little Uhaul. After several hours, we had finally found it--the indication that we had reached the back of our moving van--the couch.  As I walked back to the elevator from dropping another stack of boxes into our apartment, I peeked out one of the top floor windows to see Mr. Goodlaff and his dad (FIL) walking away from the building, couch in hand.  Um.  Wrong way, guys.  Then I saw them set it down next to the Uhaul. 

This was not good.

Apparently one of the--let's say "quirks"--with our new building is that the elevator is tiny.  And the stairwell had an un-navigable corner. And there's no freight elevator. All of these things added up to us not being able to even get the chance to try to fit our couch into our current apartment.

So, no couch.  No big deal, right? We'd go couch hunting on the weekend, and everyone would be happy.

Wrong.

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere

After a week of packing, frantic cleaning, moving what felt like millions of boxes, and schlepping all of our belongings up to our fourth floor apartment, we are finally moved in to our new home.  It's a lot smaller than our last place, which means we have to figure out what stays and what goes (or how much it costs for a storage facility).  Our couch wouldn't fit in the elevator or up any of the stairwells, so that means we have a little bit of couch-hunting to do this weekend. I have bruises everywhere from tangles with various boxes and furniture items.

Still, city life has its perks.  We walked to the grocery store last night to get the makings for dinner.  And, if I look past all of the boxes still piled up in our living room, I can see a pretty awesome view of the Puget Sound. 

The move itself was awful, but I'm thinking that things are looking up from here...

It's the Middle that Counts...

"You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, I told him, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again." Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

Yesterday was my last day of work.  (I'm still trying to process this latest development.)  It's something I've known was coming--at times prayed vehemently for--but now that it's over, I'm a little bit shocked, and a little bit overwhelmed.

First, let me say this: I've loved my job.  The person I was when when I started was so different from the person I've become, and in over four years, I've matured and grown through opportunities that I never thought I'd have.  Four and a half years.  Four and a half years--for someone in their twenties, that long is practically a lifetime. I've spent more time working there than I did in college, in high school. So to say I'm conflicted is a massive understatement.

I am really looking forward to this new life adventure.  The prospect of everything new is tantalizing and thrilling. But I'm leaving a really, really good thing. My co-workers are more than colleagues, they are friends.  Fierce, fierce friends.  My work is (was) challenging, exciting, and meaningful. I can look back and see my thumbprint on so many things and think proudly: I did that.  That was me.

We had a going away party yesterday.  There was cake and soda and a lot of hugs and well-wishing, and amongst all the "good luck"s, I realized that I have been incredibly fortunate to have been a part of such an amazing team.  People say that government workers are soulless, apathetic slackers.  Are there people there just to collect a paycheck?  Sure.  But my experience has proven that most people aren't. These people are dedicated public servants working towards better.  Better schools, better policies, better communities, better elections. 

Next Monday, I will be in a Uhaul instead of at my desk.  Really, I'm not so sad about missing a Monday morning as I am about never being able to work with these incredible colleagues again. That I will never get to turn around and chat with A, swap books with E, or catch hell from G is a little devastating right now. 

Beginnings are often scary, endings are often sad, but it’s the middle that counts. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Tutorial Twosday: Just Treats

Fall is the best season.  The world turns my favorite colors of orange, red, and yellow. Skittering leaves--brittle and dry--scoot across the pavement.  Cheerful orange pumpkins, spiced apple cider, cloyingly sweet candy corn.  After the brutal heat of Summer, the first chill of Fall is a breath of fresh, cool air. 

Maybe I'm biased.  I hate hot weather, so pulling a sweater out of the closet is a reason to rejoice.  My Birthday is in October.  Halloween is an opportunity to overload on sugar and don a costume (I may be in my twenties, but I still love to play dress-up).  And who doesn't love mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Thanksgiving leftovers?

With Halloween just around the corner, today's Tutorials are treats, not tricks.  Here are a few recipes sure to please the sugar-craving hoards.

First up, Caramel Apple Cupcakes.

Source

Alright, take a look at that and tell me your mouth isn't watering. This cupcake gets seriously high marks for presentation because it really does look like a caramel apple. But wait, it gets better. The cupcake has a cream cheese filling. 

This recipe looks absolutely fantastic, albeit involved.  You make the cupcake, the filling, and the caramel.  I can tell you, this is not one of those things I would make for just anyone;  if I ever make these for you, it means that I like you enough to completely trash my kitchen in the baking process.

Presentation is key for our next Treat as well. It requires special equipment, but it's so worth it. Candy Corn Cheesecake.

Source



I love candy corn so much that I usually end up making myself sick because I've eaten too many of those little triangle goodies. Imagine my surprise on stumbling across this lovely little creation. Candy Corn Cheesecake.  Hot damn.

You need a special Wilton cake pan and some food coloring, but the recipe itself is quite easy: a few batches of no-bake cheesecake mix and you are a potluck rock star.  Depending on how the cake pan functions, I would probably go with a real cheesecake recipe, but to each their own. 

The Goodlaffs will be moving on Halloween, so these lovely treats aren't in the cards for us this year.  You can bet they'll be making an appearance in the future, though.  Maybe a Christmas Candy Corn Cheesecake is in order?