-
Hand Embroidering an Art Jacket for the First Time
I’ve never really embroidered anything, but Tiktok keeps showing me embroidery and cross stitch content. I’m already into crochet and knitting so embroidery should be relatively easy. Right? My inspiration for this embroidered jacket is biker vests and battle jackets. I love the maximalism in them. The way these people have collected patches and pins from here and there and combined them into something so personal and unique. No two jackets will ever be the same. I found this jacket at the thrift store for $8. It’s some cheap shopping network brand and nothing special. It’s a 4x and I took the waist some to give it a little more…
-
The Hartman Rock Garden – A Dream in Pebbles and Miniature
I found the Hartman Rock Garden (located in Springfield, Ohio) on Atlas Obscura. I was browsing fun quick stops for a multi state, week long, road trip. The pictures I saw online were beautiful. The statues and buildings were detailed and amazing and the plants among them were lovely too. The story sealed the deal though. Ben Hartman was laid off during the great depression and didn’t know what to do with himself so he just started building little cement things, fell in love with it, and didn’t stop until he died. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to recommending random stops to my husband so…
-
Sleepover at the Dojo/That Time I Learned Karate
I joined the Shotokan karate club in the spring of my freshman year. It’s probably the most athletic thing I’ve ever done. My boyfriend at the time was trying to help the karate club grow and recruited me along with several of our friends. The Sensei was a woman in the community with a black belt and a desire to teach. She was so nice, but she ran a tough class. It was a Tuesday/Thursday evening/Saturday morning situation. Though I usually didn’t make it out of bed early enough on Saturdays. The following fall we were ready to test for our yellow belts. The testing was all the way up…
-
Whimsical Crochet Hat For the New Year
I spent the last couple of days crocheting this hat from Kirsten Holloway Designs. It’s a free pattern called the Snow Country Ski Beanie. I actually already have a version of this hat in purple that I made last winter. I wear it all the time and get tons of compliments on it. It fits a bit loosely so I wanted one that was a bit more snug on my head so it doesn’t slide around when I’m working. I thought it would be fun to use a multi-colored yarn this time. I had a skein of Red Heart Super Saver Rainbow Stripes that I bought because I thought it…
-
The Ceremonial Christmas Tree Burning
My family used to have a New Year’s Eve tradition that I dubbed “The Ceremonial Christmas Tree Burning.” We would set up the christmas tree in the snow on the front lawn, douse it with gasoline, and watch it burn. DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME We lived out in the country and when you’re out in the country the easiest way to dispose of things is to burn them. The christmas tree was getting burned either way. Either on the bonfire pit or, more enjoyably, out on the front lawn. (The bonfire pit was in the backyard and couldn’t be seen from the comfort of the living room windows.) So…