Stuffed Friends

Hi all.

First and foremost, I want to extend Jeremy and my thoughts and prayers to everyone in Boston. Our good friend, Nicolle, is out there right now running her first Boston Marathon, and we are so relieved to report that she and her husband, Vince, are safe.

Jeremy's birthday was a couple weeks ago. Jeremy and I have a few birthday traditions we love. We always give each other a gift (more on that in a minute).

We also always take advantage of living in Chicago, which, in our opinion, has some of the best restaurants in the country. We treat ourselves to a nice meal at a restaurant that we can't afford to go to everyday.

Being total food dorks, we COMPLETELY geek out over Top Chef, a TV cooking competition featuring up and coming chefs. Chicago is home to a lot of these chefs, including Heather Turhune, the chef at Sable. We had great food, great drinks, and a great time celebrating there.

So, back to Jeremy's gift. Jeremy (and I) are big fans of a new group called Of Monsters and Men. They are kind of indy folk/pop rock type band from Iceland. They are coming to Chicago in May. I jumped at the chance to get tickets to the show.

So, Jeremy's gift was decided. But, I hate giving just pieces of paper, so I wanted to do something a little more creative.

I decided to give Jeremy two clues. He had written instructions to open the first at breakfast and the second at lunch. If he couldn't guess by dinner, I would tell him what the gift was.

Luckily, a band by the name Of Monsters and Men lends itself well to being creative. 

I decided to make Jeremy little stuffed animals. One of a monster, and one of a man.

It should be noted. I made these stuffed animals assuming that we would just give them to Mosby (to destroy) after Jeremy got them as clues. They would have been cuter, with more details and probably some buttons had I known Jeremy would keep them.

Anyway, the process was actually pretty simple. I started by googling and printing off coloring pages in the shape of a monster and of a man.

I cut them out and used them as patterns for the stuffed animals. I used left over fleece to make the bodies. I cut out two of each, one for the back and one for the front.

 I used embroidery floss and more fleece to make the faces.

I turned put the "wrong-sides" together and sewed them up, leaving just a little opening to flip them right side out and stuff them.

Then came the stuffing and hand sewing.

Jeremy ended up guessing his gift correctly right after breakfast (after receiving the monster). I played it off until lunch, when he opened up the man.

He was really excited about the concert. He also decided to keep the little friends at the office for company.

And now a quick update on my "27 List". I crossed out what has already been done and used italics to show progress or changing in quantity for my works in progress. 

1. Finish changing my name on all documents. (I sort of stalled mid-change)-some progress has been made
2. Write four three more blog posts featuring a craft.
3. Finish a knitting project for a friend's new edition. done
4. Run 27 22.5 miles.
5. Update information for my Illinois teaching certificate.
6. Four three weekly visits to the dog park with Mosby.
7. Use a new pattern to make a fun Spring skirt for myself.
8. Clean out my (and Jeremy's) closets.
9. Donate items to Goodwill.
10. Try one new food.
11. Call Haley.(Hal, hopefully this weekend!!)
12. Do some landscaping on the back patio. (Even though rent, it's nice to maintain for guests.)
13. Purchase the graduation gift I've been eyeing for a certain grad. Purchased, came today, just need to send it out.
14. Catch up on Mad Men.
15. Visit Maggie (and Michael and Grace).
16. Organize my craft room.
17. Purchase a few needed items for our home (including a new pillow for Jer).
18. Take one instagram photo a day. So far, so good.
19. INSIST that I watch Sofia while my sister and Tony go out on a date. We have the date set.
20. Formal introduce Jeremy to Moscow Mules. (I mentioned them here.)
21. Ask for a recommandation, buy, and listen to an album of a new band. (Feel free to leave me a comment with a recommandation!)  Thanks, Lizzy, for recommending The Civil Wars. They are awesome.
22. See The Godfather. 
23. Call my Gram. I called her, but she was out. 
24. Finish The Paris Wife. Getting close.
25. Change my blog heading. 
26. Start our honeymoon photo album.
27. One random act of kindness.

Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

27

Hey All.

A random mid week post from me.

27 has been a good year. A very good year. Today I realized that I have exactly 27 days left of being 27. Serendipity.

1. Heidelberg, our honeymoon   2. Mosby's trips north   3. Suds on the Shore with our parents   4. Texas trip                   5. Our wedding   6. Sofia was born   7. All Emily and my showers!   8. Trip to NYC   9. Mosby turned 1

I also realized today that there are some things that I want/need/should get done. Some REALLY need to get done. Some should make my life easier. Some are wants, which will make my life more fulfilling.

To honor my wonderful 27th year, I am making a list of 27 things that I will accomplish in the 27 last days of my 27th year.

I'll keep you updated on everything that I have checked off.

Here we go!

1. Finish changing my name on all documents. (I sort of stalled mid-change)
2. Write four more blog posts featuring a craft.
3. Finish a knitting project for a friend's new edition. 
4. Run 27 miles.
5. Update information for my Illinois teaching certificate.
6. Four weekly visits to the dog park with Mosby.
7. Use a new pattern to make a fun Spring skirt for myself.
8. Clean out my (and Jeremy's) closets.
9. Donate items to Goodwill.
10. Try one new food.
11. Call Haley.(Hal, hopefully this weekend!!)
12. Do some landscaping on the back patio. (Even though rent, it's nice to maintain for guests.)
13. Purchase the graduation gift I've been eyeing for a certain grad.
14. Catch up on Mad Men.
15. Visit Maggie (and Michael and Grace).
16. Organize my craft room.
17. Purchase a few needed items for our home (including a new pillow for Jer).
18. Take one instagram photo a day.
19. INSIST that I watch Sofia while my sister and Tony go out on a date.
20. Formal introduce Jeremy to Moscow Mules. (I mentioned them here.)
21. Ask for a recommandation, buy, and listen to an album of a new band. (Feel free to leave me a comment with a recommandation!) 
22. See The Godfather. 
23. Call my Gram.
24. Finish The Paris Wife.
25. Change my blog heading.
26. Start our honeymoon photo album.
27. One random act of kindness.

Wish me luck! Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

Spring Break and a Chevron Update

Hi all!

Somehow, even over Spring Break, I managed to keep myself busy enough not to share one of my new favorite projects.

Here's a rundown of my (two week) Spring Break and the project I completed between all my fun.

Spring Break started off quiet. Jeremy was out of town, and I spent most of the weekend relaxing with Mosby and dogsitting for our favorite furry friend, Fate. There was much relaxing done by all.

Once Jeremy got home, we went for some corned beef and cabbage (pizza) and beer to celebrate St. Patty's Day. (I am talking about St. Patty's Day, I know, I am FAR behind!!!)

My first week of break consisted mostly of crafting and babies. Lots of babies. 

My first stop was to see my friend, Cathryn, and her 16 month old, Emma. Right before I left to see them, Cathryn graciously offered to let Mosby come along to play with Emma.

This was Mosby's first playdate with a non-furry friend. It went well. Emma enjoyed giving Mosby treats (and later, food from her highchair). Mosby really enjoyed Emma giving him the food, too! 

As far as playing, Emma followed Mosby around, then Mosby would follow Emma. They enjoyed putting each other's toys in their mouths (before the adults could reach them). Mosby jumped on Emma a few times, but Emma was a really good sport about it all. 

Getting a dog and a one year old to both stand still or look at the camera is pretty much impossible.

Later that week, I took a trip out to the suburbs. I have a couple friends out there, and it worked out to have lunch with one and dinner with the other.

Lizzy and I worked together for two years, right when I first moved to the city. We have been close friends ever since. I've mentioned her in Casey's post and probably several others. 

When Lizzy had her daughter, Audrey, she left her 9 to 5 job, to start her own business and be a stay at home mom (lucky duck). It's been great for her, but our impromptu coffee/tea/beer dates after work have been harder to work out, as she is no longer working downtown.

(*Shameless plug for Lizzy's business, Home Sweet Hale. She does embroidery and sewing for your little ones and home. It's adorable and fantastically made. Check out the link here.)

Ms. Audrey

After a lovely afternoon with those ladies, I went to see one of my favorite families. My best friend, Maggie, her husband Michael, and daughter, Grace. I've mentioned them plenty of times, including in this post, where I framed my maid of honor speech.

Well, I love this little family, and now that it's "facebook official", I can share that this little family won't be little for much longer. Maggie is due with TWIN GIRLS this summer!! 

It was fun to go to see these three while they are still only three. Grace is getting so big, and we had fun playing and reading books. It was nice to spend time with Maggie and see her belly start to grow. We stayed up late (9:00 pm people) chatting. (Maggie is the only adult I know who goes to bed earlier than me, pregnant or not).

I rounded off my week of babies by spending time with Sofia. My parents came back from their nine week trip to Florida and the Dominican Republic, and the seven of us had a nice time spending Friday together.

I even got to get in the pool with Sofia for her swim class. She LOVES the water, singing songs, and especially looking at the other kids in the class. My parents took photos, but I forgot to snag a couple from them.

We did bundle Sofia up for a walk. It's nice to finally be able to get out of the house!!

On Saturday morning, Mosby and I left with my parents to go up north for a week.

We were greeted by icy, muddy roads and about a foot of snow in the driveway. Happy Spring Break!

We had a nice time relaxing in front of the fire and drinking Moscow Mules, which is our new (old) favorite drink.

vodka, ginger beer, and lime...yum!

Mosby enjoyed going for muddy walks, although he wasn't a fan off meeting some aggressive new "friends" or the baths that uncaked the mud from his belly and paws.

We did meet up with my Pat and Den, my in-laws, and Michelle and Tim, my brother and sister-in-law for dinner one night. We also saw our friends Karrie and Randy, and Craig and Anne for dinner. I always seem to forget to take pictures when only adults are around.

Although it was cold, there were signs that spring was coming. 

We walked out to Lake Michigan, through the woods, and were relieved to see that the beach and water were snow and ice free. 

And of course, the most tell tale sign that spring is here....the year's first Oberon. (Never mind that snow in the background.)

Spring break was good. It went too fast. And now, after just a week back at work, I'm already counting down to summer (12 more weeks).

But, my project this week has brought a POP of summer fun into our apartment.

Jeremy and I have these TV trays. They are in good shape, structurally. However, the paint had seen better days.

I decided to spruce them up a bit. I had left over off white spray paint from some wedding projects, so I decided to spray paint them. I used about 3 coats to completely cover up the black.

Then, I decided that my tables needed some color. I LOVE pops of bright color. Jeremy and I have neutral, black, and oak toned furniture and walls, but I love using room accessories to add color.

   

I have been really liking the chevron lately. (Not sure what chevron is? Click here.) I had some red acrylic paint left over from another project. While acrylic may not be the best choice, it was on hand and it worked out well.

The hardest part of the project was making the chevron pattern. I used this blogger's pattern to make the pattern and her advice on how to apply it. My pattern is now one of my prized possessions.

my pattern

 

the pattern applied (using pen) to the top of the table

From there, I used a paint brush to carefully apply two coats of the red paint.

coat one

The first coat needed some more POP. Here's a look after the second coat.

After both coats dried. I sprayed a clear coat of spray paint to protect the stripes.

And the finished product.

Whew, that just about sums up Spring Break. Sorry for the LONG and rambling post.

Until next time, keep crafting!

SB

Helping Hands

Two weeks ago, Jeremy and I were heading back home from spending time at my sister's house with my grandma and aunts. I was looking forward to an afternoon nap, Jeremy was looking forward to watching some basketball.

I was driving south on Western Avenue, which is one of the busier streets in Chicago. We were almost to the Western/Diversey/Elston intersection when we spotted a beagle running down the street, heading right for this very busy intersection. 

I told Jeremy to hop out and try to get to the dog before he got to the intersection. By the time I parked the car, the dog had safely made it through the intersection, but Jeremy was stuck at a red light. 

When we made it across the intersection, we found the dog in a gas station parking lot, where two guys were trying to corral him. I bought a stick of beef jerky and we calmed the dog down enough to lay down and let me pet him. He was terrified, and wet and cold from running through the slush.

The guys called animal control, but had to leave. Luckily, a girl getting gas spotted us and had a friend who works for an animal rescue shelter, Furever Rescue. She called her friend, Natalie, and Natalie started working to find someone to pick up the dog. 

We waited about an hour and a half with that little guy. People were so kind. Everyone asked if he was OK. People gave us towels and blankets and helped us wrap him up.

Natalie couldn't find anyone to pick him up, so she came herself. She asked us to name him, and we chose Elston, after one of the streets in the intersection. 

Natalie brought him to the vet and sent us pictures and updates throughout the evening. The next day, we agreed to foster him until a family could be found.

Then, fate (and social media) stepped in. Jeremy had shared the story of finding Elston with some people from work. When he shared it with one girl, she said that her husband follows a Facebook group, Lost Dogs Illinois (see link here). A beagle named Snoopy had broke out of his collar in her neighborhood, just north of where we found the dog.

Jeremy checked the picture, and sure enough, Elston was actually Snoopy! Jeremy called the owner. She was so relieved! She started crying, thanking Jeremy, and telling Snoopy's story.

Snoopy had just been adopted 3 weeks earlier. He was an abused dog that was abandoned because he wasn't good at hunting. He was so scared, he wouldn't let anyone but his new owner near him. 

Natalie brought Snoopy home. I spoke to the owner a couple days later. She said that Snoopy was doing great. Through the whole ordeal, he had actually become LESS nervous, and was letting others pet him.

Jeremy and I were so glad that we were able to help, and feel so grateful to Furever Rescue and Lost Dogs Illinois for getting Snoopy home safely!

Now for helping my hands stay warm on our SLOW transition from winter to spring, I knitted some fingerless gloves this week. I used the leftover yarn from my scarf.

I followed the directions from this youtube video.

They were pretty quick and easy to whip up. Each glove took about 2 hours for me to do. They turned out pretty cute!

I am on Spring Break the next two weeks. I've already enjoyed the slower pace, and am looking forward to sleeping in, seeing friends, and visiting my parents.

Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

Love: Infinity Scarf

During the month of February (and now March), I've decided to create a series of posts based on the different real life love stories that inspire me. I'll be featuring friends and family, and their different types of love.

Without really thinking about it, I picked the perfect month to feature love on my blog. The theme started off because February is, of course, the month of Valentine's Day.

What I hadn't considered at the beginning of February is how much I would be seeing my family and how they carried me through a very difficult and stressful month at work, simply by being around.

I started working on this scarf in January, right about when things started to get stressful at work. I actually started working on it the last time we saw my parents before they went on their yearly winter trip (this time to Florida and Dominican Republic).

I continued to work on the scarf as we took our trip to Texas to see Jeremy's sister and family. I took a break from the scarf and the stress of work on this trip. 

I feel so lucky that I ended up with a second family (in-laws, if you will), that make me feel so at ease, relaxed, and carefree.

My cousin, Kristen, and her son, Colton came to stay with Emily, Tony, Sofia, Jeremy, and I the next weekend. I picked Kristen and Colton up from the airport after a particularly disastrous meeting at end of a Friday. Had Kristen and Colton not been in town, my weekend probably would have been spent wallowing.

But, after Kristen, Em, and Tony lent a sympathetic ear, the weekend was spent having fun, hanging out together at Emily's.

And spending time at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

I also have been helping out a couple evenings a week with Sofia. Tony is out of the country with his family, and it's truly been the highlight of my weeks to spend evenings with Sofia. (Plus her early bedtime has given me a lot of time for knitting.)

Last weekend, I spent time with friends that have become family.

Maggie's husband, Mike and daughter, Grace, with Sofia.

And my Gram, Aunt Cindy, and Aunt Judy came into town for the day on Sunday. Emily hosted with a fabulous brunch. We spent time laughing at Sofia grabbing ice cubes out of Aunt Cindy's drink and enjoying watching Sofia grow.

And all month (really almost two months now), there has been Jeremy. Always quietly stepping up to the plate, ready to back me up when I need it the most. Taking care of the dog, grocery shopping, making meals, always there, quietly helping.

Things are getting better at work; they've just started looking up this week, just as I was finishing my scarf.

Fittingly, the scarf has some unexpected twists and turns (from a knitting error I made, it's more of a figure 8 than a circle), and things at work has taken an unexpected twist with a slightly different role than I was expecting.

But, with the love of my family, everything turned out just fine.

Thank you family!

Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

Love: Freak Flag

During the month of February (and now March), I've decided to create a series of posts based on the different real life love stories that inspire me. I'll be featuring friends and family, and their different types of love.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Jeremy and I are so lucky to have our friends. They all mean so much to us and play such an important role in our lives.

We are especially lucky to have couples whose company we both really enjoy.

Lindsay and Tyler are one of our favorite couples. They live in Michigan, we live in Chicago, but due to long weekends of visiting each other, we probably spend more time with them than any other friends.

They came into town earlier this month.

Tyler and Jeremy went to the same high school. They became friends in high school and college. They are two peas in a pod. They enjoy a lot of the same things, namely, putting things on their heads that are not hats, drinking beer, playing video games, staying up way later than anyone in their mid to late twenties should, cooking, and dancing (yes dancing, and yes, there is always alcohol involved). 

Tyler and Lindsay started dating about a year before Jeremy and I. When I came on the scene, Lindsay and I soon realized that we were also two peas in a pod. We enjoy many of the same things, namely, laughing at the boys' shenanigans, drinking red wine while discussing (or watching) Harry Potter, passing out on the couch mid conversation way earlier than anyone in their mid to late twenties should, and eating the food the boys have cooked.

Since we stay with them when we are back home, and they use our apartment as their Chicago home base, we've come to realize that despite of because of our personality quirks, we get along quite well. It's pretty difficult to hide these quirks when spending days at a time with another couple, so we all unofficially decided a long time ago just to let our freak flags* fly when we are together.

for those of you unaware of the meaning of the term "freak flag": A characteristic, mannerism, or appearance of a person, either subtle or overt, which implies unique, eccentric, creative, adventurous or unconventional thinking.

Together, we all enjoy watching our mismatched dogs.

Mosby and Frank: best buds

discussing our favorite TV shows, dreaming of taking a vacation together, trying new foods,

great French restaurant, Restaurant Week 2013

and letting those freak flags fly.

From Tyler's Facebook, at another friend's wedding

In honor of our fellow freak flag waving friends, I made a Valentine's Day banner.

It's a more simple, no sew version of my Give Thanks Banner.

Again, I started with cutting a triangle out of paper. I found that if I cut the paper in half first, it's much easier to get even sides.

Then, I cut out the fabric.

I used hot glue to glue the fabric to some twine.

And here's a look at the finished product.

Next time, I hope to finish up my Love series.

Until then, keep crafting.

SB