23 Weeks

What would improve your life?

Ikea has a contest going on right now that is intended to make the world a better place. Ikea will give the winner $100,000 to fund a project designed to help make life better for people within your community.

It is the simplest idea really. But what should we do? I don't know about you, but I'm the queen of saying "If only I had time..." or "If only I had money..." Ikea is offering a solution to those disclaimers but still I'm stuck. What would make the biggest difference? There are a lot of organizations out there doing great work so I'm trying to think of something original. Original and feasible :)

Whether I enter the contest or not, I think its worthwhile thinking about what we could do to make life better for people. A great quote I read recently summed it up nicely, "We can not do great things. We can only do little things with great love." -Mother Teresa

I would love to hear your thoughts. What would improve your life? Any ideas to improve the lives of others?

Freezer paper stencils

Thanks to my wonderful friend Melanie, I recently learned how to make freezer paper stencils. Mel - you need a blog to show off all your crafty skills. You'll just have to take my word for it she is awesome!

The way it works is pretty simple.

1. Draw on the paper side of the freezer paper
2. Cut out your stencil with an xacto knife
3. Put the paper (waxy side down) on your fabric and iron over the stencil
4. Place another piece of paper on the inside of the shirt so the paint doesn't bleed
5. Paint your stencil with fabric paint
6. Wait 4 hours and peel paper away

Here are the ones I have made so far. It is so much fun - try it!

Don't Scream on the Airplane

My husband and I have this inside joke that everything will be ok as long as you don't scream on the airplane. The theory goes that everyone wants to scream on the airplane but my feeling is that if you do it's all over because nothing is holding you back anymore. It looks like my theory has been tested. At least right now, it seems the first part of my hypothesis may be right. I hope for Mr. Slater's sake the last part isn't right. But he did slide, not scream so I think he's ok.

Fashionable men

Fashionable men and tv both get a bad wrap. There aren't a lot of good examples* so people sort of dismiss the attempt entirely. I would like to offer an example of both: all wrapped up in one. Leverage. Yes, it often doesn't make complete sense and Timothy Hutton's "undercover" accent leaves something to be desired but still....

The show has Parker, who is awesome. And it also has Alec Hardison, also awesome AND with great clothes (and a much better "undercover" accent). You'll have to trust me on the fashion as there aren't a lot of photos out there but if you watch the show you'll get a big smile on your face when you spot one of the outfits, I promise.






*Not including my husband, as that seems like bragging a bit :)

Inspiration

I have expressed before that I prefer craft projects that are simple and fast. Once I learned how to knit I was pretty pleased with my simple scarves and may have made ones in different colors for the rest of my life.

It is true that I branched out and made Ciaran a baby blanket, but let's face it - basically it was a larger scarf. Well, things are going to change. My friend Melanie learned how to knit and has branched out from scarves to hats, stuffed animals, and wraps. She thoughtfully sent me the pattern to the hat recently and I am proud to say it is almost done. I have always said that great friends are ones that bring something to the table.

Thanks Mel for the inspiration! Umm and Maeve, I hope you are not less impressed with the baby blanket ;)

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

Vacationing in your hometown

When I lived in New York, the summers would get so hot that I was always looking for ways to cool off. One way I remember fondly, was buying a $10 ticket to ride a speed boat called "The Beast" around the harbor. While the boat was clearly aimed at tourists, played cheesy music and was usually driven with questionable regard for safety....the spray from the harbor and the cool breeze as the boat whipped around the harbor was great fun.

From "The Beast" I learned to look in my own backyard for distracting summer fun. This past weekend I went Wine Tasting in Temecula. It felt like a vacation but I was back home by the end of the afternoon.

The tour guide picked us up in a bright yellow jeep in the starbucks parking lot and off we went.

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock

From Freckle Rock