adventures in crafting

First and foremost, HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY KATE!! Interestingly, Kate is sorta my inspiration for this post. Kate is most definitely a 21st century domestic goddess...she cooks, cleans, sews, and does it all without chipping her manicured nails. Personally, I have been an amateur artist since I was in elementary school, but never in any practical crafty sense (like sewing or crocheting etc). Well, as a sophomore in Delta Gamma, pretty much all of the girls in my pledge class knew how to knit so I learned in about 4 minutes (it is SO easy) and it has been one of the most rewarding non-academic skills I have picked up in college. Since then, I have made a point of trying to pick up new crafty skills as often as possible.

My latest crafty endeavor is making a quilt! I was going to stay mum on this because it was going to be a surprise for Noelle, but I really want to track my progress so I had to dish. The quilt is a basic "log cabin" pattern, which looks basically like this:



Noelle's color scheme for her apartment is pink and Tiffany blue, so I chose my color palette accordingly. I guess I should mention here that I have never sewn anything before or made anything out of cloth. I've HAND SEWN buttons and small holes in my clothes, but nothing I would be proud to brag about. I signed up to take a beginners class at a quilting store right down the street from my college (so convenient) and my first official class begins on Tuesday, I'm psyched! Today I went by the shop to get a quick "cutting lesson" where the instructor taught me the proper way to cut my fabric strips and use all my new, fancy quilting tools. She was also nice enough to give me a short lesson on how to use my mom's sewing machine. She assured me that my lack of skill would not be a problem, but also suggested that I practice using the machine at least once before Tuesday. Check out my fabric cutting skillz:



I am such a diligent little quilter. After my 30 minute cutting lesson, I stayed in the shop for another hour to cut all of my strips for my quilt. Isn't the second pink one ADORABLE? It's retro looking female faces, love it! I can't wait to share my progress after Tuesday night's class!

ideas for cupid

Valentine's Day is approaching and I'm one of the few people that doesn't hate Valentine's Day when I'm single (even though I currently happen to be in a relationship). I'm pretty sure my consistent happiness with Valentine's Day is due to the fact that my mom has always given us VDay gifts and Noelle and I usually exchange gifts, too, so if I AM single, I still get to celebrate the holiday of looooove.

This year was tough because me and BF set a $30 limit on the gift and I usually like to give something big on VDay like concert tickets or something. The challenge has proven to be more inspirational than irritating, though, and I have a super fun gift planned. Sadly, BF reads this so I can't share until after VDay, but it's a gift you can give WHENEVER ("just because" gifts are seriously the best) so it will still be worth sharing.

I haven't conducted a formal study, but I would guess that most friends do not exchange Valentine's Day gifts. Personally, I think it's fab to give something small to your close friends, especially if you see them on a daily basis (a card and some candy, a single rose, etc). For the really special friends in your life (or a sister), it is totally appropriate to get something a little more expensive. I already bought Noelle's gift before I came upon this seller on etsy.com, but if I hadn't I would have totally ordered her a personalized pet pillow. The prices range according to pillow size ($28-70) and the seller is completely flexible regarding background color and type of pet (dog...cat...bunny!). Here are a few of my favorite examples of her work, I MUST get a Tater Tot pillow:







What does everyone have planned for VDay gifts/celebrations?

deeeericious

Any college student knows from first-hand experience how NOT delish dining hall food can be. Well, even though I'm a super senior, I still occasionally eat at the dining hall because 1. as a Resident Assistant I get five meals a week for free 2. I love making PB & honey & banana sandwiches and 3. as a Resident Assistant I get five meals a week for free.

It's a semi-weekly tradition for me and BF to go to brunch together on either Saturday or Sunday at the DH (semi-weekly because even though it's free...I can't always convince myself it's worth it to go). Brunch used to be my favorite DH meal because they had a waffle iron where you could make your own waffles. Of course, they got rid of it. So, I'm a little bitter, but I still go if BF can manage to convince me. Well, this last Saturday we were in for quite a treat because they were featuring a "Breakfast Pizza." That's right. Breakfast. And Pizza. Together. I'm a total CPK fan, but something about that combination just doesn't work. It completely did NOT look delicious, but I was intrigued (tater tots on pizza? yes, please!) so I got a slice to further investigate. It wasn't delicious, not even a little, and I actually spit it out onto my plate. Not the most lady-like thing to do, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Here's a picture of the slice, imagine an entire pizza like this (I wish I had taken a picture of all the slices together, it looked totally awesome):



I noticed today that my roommate has four different kinds of body wash in our shower. Weird, right?

trendsetter

I've totally started a blog revolution amongst my friends. I can think of six people who have made blogs after reading mine. LOVE IT!! I'm such a trailblazer! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?



You know you want one.

indecision 2008

OH HAY, MR. PREZ!! President Bill Clinton came to MY school today! It was seriously the most amazing experience of my life. Even though my BFF is a Republican, she waited out in the freezing wind (at least it was sunny and NOT raining) with me for three hours to see the former President. It was totally worth it.



And don't you just LOVE his shirt/tie combination? So stylish. I bought some brand new red flats to go with my blue dress, sadly no one even got to see them since they were hidden by the gate separating us from Bill. But at least I was rockin' my red Prada purse...complete with a Hillary '08 sticker slapped on the side (Bill loved it).



In all seriousness though, Mr. President gave an amazing speech in support of Hillary. I knew he was a great public speaker before seeing him today, but nothing can compare to listening to a Bill Clinton speech in person. He has so much charm and charisma and went out of his way to shake hands/take pictures with as many people as possible. He really made it feel personal when he grabbed my hand and told me "thank you" for coming to hear him talk.

So yeah, it's no secret anymore who I voted for. I'm not interested in discussing politics, though, since no one can ever agree on anything when they discuss politics. But Bill Clinton is awesome. And so is Hillary. GIRL POWER! Her slogan should be "Think Pink," or is that already taken?

psh, superbowl

Okay blah blah blah the NY Giants won the Super Bowl and poor Tom Brady etc etc...but let's be real, the Super Bowl has nothing on Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl". I've seen several commercials the past few weeks about this alleged "Puppy Bowl" and I thought it was a joke but I flipped to Animal Planet today and.it.wasn't. Can I just say how amazing "Puppy Bowl" is? PUPPY BOWL IS AMAZING. Basically, it's just a bunch of puppies running around and playing with squeekie toys on a mini pretend football field. Animal Planet even encouraged viewers to vote for a MVP (most valuable puppy)...I voted for Bria, the gray corgi. Okay, seriously, I couldn't make this up and have it be funnier, so I need to just copy and paste what I found on their website about the show:

Tired of the same old Super Bowl™ pre-game show? Looking for some excitement before the opening coin-toss? Before the big men in pads take the field for their gridiron battle, watch some players that are ready to rumble and "ruff" their way to victory. We've traded in linebackers for labradors and quarterbacks for corgis and we're releasing the hounds for PUPPY BOWL IV on Sunday, February 3, from 3-6 PM (ET/PT).

From baby beagles to mini dachshunds to mixed breeds — viewers are in for a fantastic lineup that's itching to play in a winning combination of tackles, puppy penalties and fido first downs. The renowned Harry Kalas, voice of NFL Films, returns to call the play-by-plays of this year's game.

For all the feline fans, the BISSELL KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW is back! The lively kittens show off their moves on a glittery stage and chase each other around the field. Tom Petty's performance has nothing on these tiny tabbies and cuddly calicos which prove that watching curious kittens batting around a toy mouse is all the entertainment you need. It's the pick of the litter for halftime shows!

And this year, viewers are able to see all of the frolicking like never before. For the first time, PUPPY BOWL IV will be broadcast in high-definition, capturing all of the thrilling action of our cute and cuddly pups in stunning clarity.

If that didn't make you LOLZ, you officially have no soul. It's even more funny actually WATCHING the show. You'd think that after 10 minutes of seeing puppies playing it'd get boring, but you'd be wrong! Animal Planet keeps it real by having a ref call for "puppy substitions" every once in a while as well as call out penalities like "illegal blocking of the water bowl" (because puppies need to share!). The Bissel Kitty Half-Time show is okay...not as cute as the puppies, but the concept of it is hilarious. There was a finale with lots of confetti showered onto the stage which the kittens had fun chasing around, adorable! The music and fake cheers from the "fans" also added to the overall hilarity of the show.

Oh, also, Bissell is having it's own MVP contest & I entered Tater Tot. When the voting opens for his entry date, I'll be sure to post the link so everyone can vote for him!