I've done it again

dyed my hair that is.  As much as I loved the blonde the upkeep was too much so now I'm back to brown. 

It looks good and I'm happy with the change in the cut as well.

A Very Fun Day out with Thomas

Last Friday we drove all the way to Conway, NH (3 hours away) to see Thomas the Tank Engine "in the metal", as Ben says.
The day started off gloomy and rainy in Boston but turned into a gorgeous day.
I took so many pictures it seems to have turned into a DITL post.


We pre-ordered our tickets 2 weeks early so we brought the pamphlet with directions.

It was a dreary day when we started out.

Since we left while Garrett was still sleeping we had to stop somewhere in NH for breakfast.  The only thing we found was Burger King.

Finally we got to the event grounds.

And there was Thomas in all his glory.

I splurged and bought Garrett a shirt.  Once he outgrows it I can always make it in to a bag or something else for him.

He loved watching the new Thomas DVD (while chewing on his new Percy train)

Stealing some of our lemonade.  

Watching the trains on the track come in

And going through the misting tent with daddy to cool down because....

Now we got on Thomas to take our ride.

 I had to check my email.  I guess Garrett gets the lip thing from me.

Snuggling with Daddy

Then with Mommy

And playing with some of the toys they had.  He shared very well.

Off to meet Sir Topham Hattand give him a big hug.

Time to go.  We had a full day.

And now we have full bellies.

What a fun day!

A special place for my new machine.

Since we originally thought we were moving so much of our home has been in boxes.  It was only recently I let Ben convince me to take my sewing machine out of the box so I could craft and not go nuts.  We don't know if we're going to move so we're both reluctant to unpack but I got tired of look at my embroidery machine on the floor in its box.

Such a cool table

It was taking up space in between my fabric and our printer so I figure why not get a table for it and actually be able to use it.  We went to Savers (great store) and I found a vintage telephone table.

Can't beat the price

It was missing the drawers, the price was certainly right, but the color was all wrong.  The dark wood just didn't have the look I wanted and made the room more dingy.

Lucky me, I've got a ton of paint. Every time I see an offer for a free pint I snap it up.  I have about 6 small cans just waiting for projects like this.

I was looking for an excuse to use this color

Before I painted I sanded down some of the rougher spots and gouges that were in the wood.  Ben helped paint and then seal the table.  He used a clear spray sealer.

Ben is a faster painter than I am so he helped out

I found some clear contact paper in the closet and Ben put that on the top so I wouldn't scratch up the table.

Gratuitous butt shot

But since we had put a clear coating on the table the contact paper wouldn't stick.  I decided to coat the top with Mod Podge to help protect again scrapes.


I bought a basket at the craft store that came with a pattern to make your own basket liner.

I love things that come with patterns

I used one of the fabrics I bought recently at the Portsmouth Fabric company to make a liner that matched the table.

Fabric went perfectly with the paint color I chose

I found a simple basket pattern so I can utilize the spaces for the drawers (I hate wasting space). I matched the fabric to the lining I made for the large basket and used some solid blue for the inside of the basket.  The batting I used didn't provide enough stiffness for the baskets so I took a box top, cut it to size and put it on the inside of the baskets. I added some Velcro spots to make sure the box stayed put. It doesn't show from the outside and provides the stiffness the basket needs so it doesn't collapse.

Oh man I've had this box for a while

It provides a great spot for all my piping, bias tape and other notions. 

It's all done and I love it.  What a big change!  Now I'm itching to do more furniture finishing projects.

Finding the time

We've been so busy lately.  Today we're meeting with the local economic development group to get a loan for Granola Strolla.  Ben and I are both pretty much exhausted from working non-stop on the company.

And while I have gotten some crafting in I haven't taken too many pictures.  I do have plans to refinish furniture to use in our office (we're already looking for commercial space) as well as making myself some new dresses.

So I hope everyone out there will forgive me for letting the blog fall by the wayside.  I'll do my best to post a couple times a week but it's the last thing on my mind right now.  Once we secure some funding we'll have a break and I will have more crafting time.

Tonight I should be able to upload our pictures from the Day Out With Thomas even we went to on Friday.

The Yo Gabba Gabba drinking game

Don't get me wrong, it's a great show. But after having to watch it so many times it does get a bit tedious. Ben and I have often joked about making a Yo Gabba Gabba drinking game for after Garrett has gone to bed. 

Here it is, the Yo Gabba Gabba Drinking Game.  Take a drink when:

DJ Lance says "Awesome"
Plex beams someone up or down.
Brobee changes from a smile to a frown or vice versa
Muno does something clumsy
Toodee does something mean
Foofa says she loves something
Someone doesn't want to try something new  "Try it, you'll like it"
Gooble shows up.
An animated character is in Gabba Land.
They do a dancey dance or cool trick.


It doesn't sound like much but I swear you'll be toasted within 10 minutes.

Guest Blog- Laura Jane helps keep us focused on finishing our projects

 I met Laura at an Entrepreneur Meetup a few weeks ago and fell in love with her crafts.  I'm a crafter who can start and finish a ton of projects but I realized that not everyone can multitask the way I do.  So I asked Laura to do a guest post about how she keeps herself focused.
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I love a good challenge. I'm always looking for new crafting projects, new skills I can learn. But that's the thing: I'm always looking. The next great project is always somewhere up ahead, never right in front of me.

Hi. My name is Laura, and I have a commitment problem. I start a project, but once I have a handle on how it works, I’m no longer interested. The thrill of the chase is gone and I set it aside, finished or not (usually not). It was like that when I was taught myself to knit cables. I went with a small project, thinking it would be easier for me to get through: one of those headband-type ear warmers. I had a stray ball of earthy orange yarn from a remnant bin -- cashmerino, I think -- that was perfect.
So I started. I got 3 or 4 repeats into the cable pattern, and the concept of cables finally clicked. All of a sudden I was bored with the project. The mystery was gone. Next! Meanwhile, I was stuck with something only big enough to warm one of my ears...maybe...as long as I held it in place. (I guess I could have pretended it was a cool new knitted spy phone?!)

Sound familiar? How many of us are afraid to let anyone else know how many UFOs (UnFinished Objects) are lying around our houses? I can justify mine by saying that I prefer the learning process, the discovery of how something works. I want to discover, then move on to discovering the next thing, whether that is a new knitting technique or a completely different craft, like crochet, origami, sewing or woodworking. Switching it up also keeps me from getting bored. It keeps my leisure time fun, and isn't that the point? Never mind that finishing a project provides a sense of accomplishment and clears up space in the closet. It is often easier in the short term to put something aside than to work toward finishing it, especially when the shiny new project that you Just Have to Make flashes across your computer screen. (It’s like they know, isn’t it?!)

There’s one thing I find at the crux of my inability to finish what I’ve started: choices. The overabundance of them, to be specific. Don’t get me wrong -- I like being able to choose, but when the options are seemingly unlimited, it’s scary to choose just one to the exclusion of all the others. Even choosing a few still means there are a bazillion others you’ll never be able to do. So for me, I start -- but don't finish -- as many as possible, to get a taste for them, figuring I’ll go back to those I really like. At least that's what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

What to do? Here are some ideas:

1. Find a reason to finish. Does one of your projects have a firm deadline (birthday, wedding, holiday, commission)? If so, work on that one. Is someone depending on you to finish a specific project? Or maybe it’s enough to simply realize how good it will feel to finally get something done.

2. Cross off (or postpone) projects that are not practical. Do you have the right tools? Enough space? Is it the right time of year? (If you’ve ever knitted a wool afghan when it’s 90 degrees and humid out, you know about that last one!)
3. Start small, or break large projects into smaller tasks. Sometimes we abandon a project not because we’re bored, but because the project is just too overwhelming for us to imagine finishing. Want to make an entire coordinated outfit? Irene’s headband tutorial is a great place to start. Then move on to the next item.

4. Take breaks. Don’t be afraid to set it aside if you’re not enjoying it. Sometimes it's the right project, but not for right now, and you need to find something else to work on. If it’s a gift, find something else to make in its place. If it’s not time sensitive, put it away for a few months (or years!) until you’re ready to face it again. But don’t beat yourself up about it. Remember: You are NOT a failure just because you didn’t finish something. (Would you rather be miserable while you slog your way through it?) If it’s a project you come to realize you’ll never finish, find a new home for it. A recent yarn swap I participated in included projects in progress.

5. Find an accountability partner, someone you check in with periodically to keep you on track. My friend and I have done this for each other, and while I originally told her she’d have to be on my back constantly, I found that just knowing I needed to report in to her gave me the motivation to get started (and once I got started, I could often work for long stretches, ultimately completing what I needed to). Alternatively, starting a blog can be helpful for some because you need to be accountable to your readers.

6. Choose not to choose. There’s a reason the quote “Variety is the spice of life” has stuck around for so long. Doing too much of one thing gets monotonous. So pick a whole pile of projects and work on one project one day and another the next. You may find that you’re more likely to get things done (and feel better moving on to the next project as a result) if you keep yourself from getting bored.
Ultimately you need to find a process that fits your style. I envy people who can work single-mindedly on a task, but I find that I function better if I let one project percolate while I work on something else, so I always have several projects in progress. That said, it does feel really good to reach the finish line! When I finally finished the ear warmer (yes, really!), I had one less thing hanging over my head. (I mean, I wanted it on my head, just not....oh, you get it!)

So keep stretching your mind by trying new things, and don't feel bad about setting things aside periodically. Instead of committing to a specific project, commit to committing in general. This will help you to keep moving forward on something, anything, and eventually it’ll all get done.


Laura works with her hands to get herself out of her head. Three years after starting to replace the baseboard in her bedroom, she's finally getting better at finishing what she starts. (Thank goodness for helpful, encouraging friends!) Check her out at www.laurajanehandmade.com, like her page on Facebook and follow her on twitter (@laurajanehm).

Enjoy the holiday weekend

The Crafting Hobbit is off to see family.  But don't worry, we'll start the week with a guest post.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.