31.12.10

Happy New Year

Thanks to everybody who read along with this blog this year. It has been very exciting trying to think of semi to moderately interesting things to blog about for your reading pleasure, and I look forward to doing more of that in a year with different numbers.

Have a good thing year!

xcaitlin

25.12.10

Stalkings: The Final Stocking

Officially done and officially hung with care!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! TO YOU!

22.12.10

Peppermint, Hark!

Oh wait. Peppermint Bark.

Peppermint Bark is one of my all time favourite Christmas time treats. It's funny though, because I used to hate any combination of mint and chocolate. Until one day a very lovely friend of mine put this under my nose. I've been hooked ever since!

Peppermint Bark is delicious all year round, but if you pull out a hunk of it in June, your friends will all know that those candy canes have been sitting in your pantry for six months. That’s right, they’re onto you. Lucky for us it is Christmas time! Hark! The bark cometh!

The Peppermint Bark Chronicles...

And yes I realize that all of my blog posts lately have been Christmas related... But it's not my fault Christmas is delicious!

19.12.10

Stalkings: Part Three

These stockings are starting to really piss me off. The thing about not sewing that much is that you forget how frustrating it can be and how much you want to scream and cry and throw your scissors at the floor when things don't go your way. But then you power through, because you already spent so much time getting THIS far. So on we go.

Step 5
: Stockings, traditionally, are to be hung by the chimney, with care. So you need something to hang them by. I like loops. Loops are satisfying and can be made from contrasting fabrics. Loops! Turn them right side in with a nifty loop-turner!

Step 6: More detail work! Put letters on your stockings so people know which one is yours! You don't want people stealing your coal...
Some details say a lot about whose stocking it is...

Step 7: Then I did French seams to close up the stockings. That way you can't see the messy edges and it looks awesome! Those French really know their neat seams. Also tarts. Tarts are amazing.

Step 8: Now we tackle the stocking border. I have a feeling this is going to cause me much frustration because I can honestly tell you I have no idea what I'm doing.

If I figure out how to finish these, there will be one more entry about how pretty they look finished! If I am unable to figure it out, I will erase all entries and we will pretend this never happened.

I'm taking bets.

16.12.10

Yeah Toast

In high school, for some reason, there was this song going around. It was right when people started downloading music, and everybody was really into this song. I just re-listened to it, and it's pretty much the same as it was then. Weird, but addictive.

The song is called... Yeah Toast.

Here is a picture of toast.

Yeah. Toast.

14.12.10

Stalkings: Part Two

Welcome to the second installation of make your own Christmas stockings! Before we go on, make sure you refresh your memory of the first couple of steps by rereading the first part of this magical craft experience! Read it here!

Ready for the next steps? Here we go!

Step 3: Decide what fabrics you want to use for each stocking and cut out all your pieces. Cutting pieces is time consuming and dull, but as soon as you're done, it is quite satisfying.
Step 4: If you're crazy, like me, you'll want to quilt your fabric. Quilting is a terribly slow process that looks awesome in the end, but you'll be cursing the whole time. Make sure you have a nice batting layer between your lovely stocking fabric and hilarious lining fabric. Once you've completed the quilting you're going to want to take a nap. I'd like to take a nap just from thinking about the quilting I've already done... Stay tuned for more!

8.12.10

Stalkings: Part One

This December I decided to embark on a journey back in time. That's a very weird way of saying that I decided to dust off my sewing machine and pattern drafting skills, and make something!

What better a thing to make in December, than Christmas stockings! How fun!

I have a Christmas stocking from when I was a kid. Yes I'm Jewish, but that's beside the point. I have one. And I'd say most people who celebrated Christmas as children have one as well. So why make new ones? Well this year I am celebrating Christmas twice. Once with my family, and once with my cute little household. So this household needs new stockings! Matching stockings! Stockings that anybody with severe OCD could be proud of!

So I set to work.

Step 1
: Find your most impressive scissors (mine were my great-great grandfather's from 200 years ago) and try to remember how to draft a pattern even though you haven't done so in almost 5 years.
Step 2: Take a deep breath and go to Fabricland, because you KNOW they will have the biggest selection of silly Christmas fabrics. Purchase these fabrics, and bring them home...

Then get designing! Stay tuned for progress!

7.12.10

RandoMonday XVII

I completely forgot to blog a RandoMonday yesterday, which is technically the first Monday of this month. So instead of waiting until next Monday, and because my time machine isn't ready yet, I present to you, RandoMonday: The Tuesday Edition!

I know the suspense must be killing you after having to wait a whole extra day... So without further ado... An experiment in proximity causing similarity...

Exhibit A: This monkey toy lives under some metal stairs on a random side street across from a church.
Exhibit B: This nearly identical woman lives just across the street. She has no idea that her neighbour, the monkey, dresses exactly like her, and no doubt they act similarly as well. This is just proof of science. The environment you live in dictates how you look and act. Science. That's science.

6.12.10

Toro

Over the past year I have had the absolute pleasure of shooting a few Toro Woman features for Toro Magazine. Toro has allowed me the creativity every artist dreams about, letting me pitch ideas about how to shoot beautiful girls, and giving me the go-ahead every time!

I had the privilege of shooting the last Toro Woman of the year, a fabulous young actress named Rachel Skarsten.

Here's a sneak peak!

Check out this month's Toro Woman with the complete photo shoot HERE!

Also, just because my previous Toro Woman features were in the past, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be revisited!
Check out LIGHTS HERE!

And check out Melanie Scrofano HERE!

And if you like babes, stay tuned for January's Toro Woman! Who doesn't like babes!?

1.12.10

Happy (C)Han(n)uk(k)a(h)


However you spell it, it is now!
Happy Festival of Lights everybody!