Erika Jean

Whatzzzupppp

2012-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well look at that. Three wordless Wednesdays in a row!

... and nothing in between. How pathetic!

Work is a bit exhausting. I file. ALL. Day. Looooong. Mostly alone... It's so quiet.... Which makes me even more tired. I have zero energy when I get home. I'm still watchin' kiddos on the weekends here and there so that drains me even more.

There is some good news though... I tested for another position within the same department where I work. I passed the test an have an interview next week. So cross your fingers and toes for me. I really really want that job!

In other news....

My goal this weekend is to get out and DO something! I'm on track to hit my 1,000th geocache really really soon. I actually thought I got it... but I either counted wrong or missed some in my logging the last time I went out. Doh!

So hopefully a post or two this weekend....

Stay tuned.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-30T20:13:00.002-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Progress

2012-05-09T20:44:00.002-07:00

I've been working on my "Operation: Granny Square Blanket" a little more lately. I'm happy to say I'm making a little progress. I think the goal is to have it finished by they time it gets cold out again. It has been a nice project to pick up and work on between other projects and while I'm watching TV in the evening.

I think I'm going to use a light grey to connect the squares. Sounds weird but looks right, I promise!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

Amigurumi and Moose!

2012-04-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

I took a stab at Amigurumi over the weekend.

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. Amigurumi are typically animals, but can include artistic renderings or inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features, as is typical in Japanese culture.

- Wikipedia

And here is what I created...

As you can see... It's a snake. I made it for my friends son. He's turning 2 in May (flashback to baby pictures!) and this was part of his gift. I had previously made a snake for him out of fabric, but it didn't past the toddler test and ripped open. So this Amigurumi snake is its replacement.

I was actually surprised how easy this was to do. Basically the only stitch you need to know is the single crochet. There is a little bit of increasing and decreasing - which isn't as hard as it might seem. In fact, the video I watched for the tutorial explains how to do it!

Snake Video Tutorial

Part 1

Part 2

SSSSsssSSssssss.... He is a little on the short side, but perfect for a 2 year old!

I also made a little Moose stuffed animal/pillow thing. For anyone without kids... this is Moose from NickJr..... Though NickJr. fired him and his pal Zee.

I kind of wish I would have just made this a rectangle pillow... but this works too!

________________________________________________________________

What was your favorite stuffed animal as a kid?

Pac-Man

2012-04-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Another little kiddo I know is turning one! I made the standard "1" shirt. I got a pair of shorts to add to the outfit and the fabric from the "1" is from a much larger size 5t shorts. At only a few bucks a pair it was worth it, made it more matchy-matchy.

Enough about the "1" shirt....

You've seen many of those kinds of shirts I've made.... but you haven't seen one like this!

Yep, that is a Pac-Man cross stitch shirt!

Is it perfect...?

No.

Is it awesome...?

Yes.

Now don't go thinking I was able to line up all those Xs without help! I used 10 count waste canvas... which is kind of like regular cross stitch canvas, but when you get it wet you can pull out all the little threads and it's like it was never there (like this)!

I was worried how the whole thing would do in the washer so I made a trip to the fabric store and ended up with this for the back. Hopefully it will last through the washings and keep the threads from pulling.

Rag Rug

2012-04-08T17:38:00.005-07:00

It seems that once you learn to crochet, the possibilities are endless.... So far I've worked on granny squares, made a hat, made some necklaces and couple of dishcloths. Now, I've moved on to RAG-RUGS! Since I didn't have any of my own old sheets to tear up, I went to Goodwill. I ended up with this top and bottom twin size white sheet.

I took the top sheet cut it in half and dyed one part turquoise and one part tangerine. The original plan was to dye the fitted sheet navy blue and have that as my base and use the turquoise and tangerine as my stripes.... but when I got to playing around I quickly realized there wasn't going to be enough. So I made another trip to Goodwill for a brown king size sheet. I used the whole top sheet and some of the fitted sheet. Much more than I thought I was going to need!

Though I like a lot of the round rag-rugs out there, I decided to go with a rectangle for in front of my bathroom sink. I think it turned out pretty nicely!

I didn't really follow much of a pattern. I used 1.5 inch strips with a P (15mm) hook. It's 30 stitches wide and a lot of rows long ;-)

Rag Rugs on Pinterest

Cali Chairs

2012-04-02T22:40:00.002-07:00

When we went to visit my Aunt and Uncle in California a couple weekends ago we were on a mission. A mission to help recover their dining room table chairs. Stupid me didn't get a "before" picture... But they were a white textured fabric held down my a zilllllion staples.

Sisters hard at work (my Mom and Aunt) They did most of the work!

TaDa! Finished project!

I think they tuned out pretty awesome!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-03-28T02:22:00.000-07:00

One More!

2012-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

I added one more state to my Geocaching map over the weekend!

I've been to California many times. This however, was my first time there as a Geocacher! There was only time for one cache and we grabbed it on the way home.

I was a big one!

... And it won't be the last one there, I'm sure!

I've now geocached in 14 states!

How many states have you geocached in?

Pinterest Fail

2012-03-22T19:28:00.001-07:00

I saw this really great idea on Pinterest... You put your yarn and thread scraps into a suet feeder and the birds can use them in their nest building. I have plenty of scraps and figured this would be an easy enough project. I worried a little bit about the scraps falling out though so I added some craft wire to make the holes smaller.

Here is my finished project:

And here it is all over the tree it hangs in....

FAIL.

Do it!

2012-03-13T20:59:00.003-07:00

Run The Savage Race with out breaking a sweat and getting dirty! Footage courtesy of my sister Swany.

Bitch Please.

2012-03-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a little absent lately.... Just haven't had much to say or time to do anything.... I'm still sending and receiving handmade postcard though. However, It's kind of depressing when I put a lot of energy and thought into what I send out and then I get a card back that obviously hasn't had much time put into it. While I know every isn't as artistic or crafty as I may be.... I can tell when I'm getting screwed over. It's not hard to cut out a rectangle and slap a few stickers on an call it a "handmade" postcard (I've been getting too many of these lately!). I guess maybe they are doing it for the communication and I'm doing it for the "art?" I'm not sure. But I've joined one last swap and if I don't get some awesome cards dammit, I'm taking a break! haha.

Ironically what sparked this post was one AWESOME card that I got. I also got a not-so-awesome one a few days before. And just holding them side by side - no comparison! I know I sound like a bitch, but at lest make me think you tried.

Here is the AWESOME card I got!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-29T17:42:00.001-07:00

My Latest Interest.

2012-02-24T23:34:00.002-07:00

I've been hitting up the library for this show. Just got an e-mail that season 4 is in and ready to be picked up. I know what I'll be doing the majority of tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

http://lamius.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/say-the-color-not-the-word.gif?w=500&h=353&h=353

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Bahahaha. Yes. I crack myself up.

Anyway. This whole mustache idea was all over Pinterest so I had to make my own! It started with the handmade valentine postcard swap and that lead to me making and sending postcards to a few close friends/family and then that evolved into the picture you see above! Here are some of the postcards that went out....

Do you buy into the whole Valentine "Holiday?"
I think I like it because it gives me an excuse to be crafty ;-P

2012-02-13T19:10:00.001-07:00

2012-02-12T17:03:00.002-07:00

Another book down! I challenged myself to read 20 books in 2011 and I came very close at 19 (6,375 pages!!!). I'm counting this last one as December....That's when I started it, and yes... I just got around to finishing it! December was hectic month in the life of Erika, and I have no excuses for the last two.

One thing I've learned is that it is OK to stop reading a book, even if you are halfway through it and just realized you are not interested. Don't keep reading if you don't like it just to finish a book. you will hate reading (too bad they didn't give us that option in school).

Books Read in 2011 - Sorted by Rating

Books I started but didn't care to finish

Since I can't read while I'm at my current job and I'm setting my goal in February I'm challenging myself to only 10 books this year.

2012 Reading Challenge

Erikajean has read 0 books toward her goal of 10 books.

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0 of 10 (0%)

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Cemetery Cache in Florence

2012-02-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

I went up to Florence, Arizona this afternoon for some caching and photo opportunities. It's a cute little town so I thought the picture taking would be good.... but when I got there, the main street was blocked off and they were having some 2nd Saturday Historic Tour event going on. It probably would have been neat to participate in, but I really had no interest at the time. Many of the caches I had prepared for my mini trip were near the event and the muggle factor was a too high for my liking. So instead I went for some of the caches on the outskirts of town....

The first cache I did was is a cemetery. My favorite kind. They certainly do things different here in AZ.

Very grandiose....

Enthusiastically decorated...

Did you notice the chairs and benches in the two pictures above? This particular cemetery had a lot of chairs. Many plots with chairs on all for sides facing the grave stone. Nice chairs, folding chairs plastic patio chairs, old rusted falling apart chairs that wouldn't hold the living... it was... different.

The plot below was kind of interesting too. I'd like to know the story behind it. Were these antlers this man's prized possession? Did he love them so much, being buried with them were a part of his final wishes? Did he hang these up in his living room and did his wife always secretly hate them, so when he went, they went too?

Back to what I was here for, geocaching. The cache was on cemetery property but far from the graves. If you were visiting a loved one, you wouldn't even have known I was there.

Ground zero.....

This cache is appropriate named "Dig Your Grave with a Spoon" and the cache owner asks that you leave a spoon.

I was fresh out of spare spoons, so I traded a compass for a buck! I'll try not to spend it all in one place ;-)

Every once and a while I find change...occasionally a dollar.

Whats the largest amount of money, if any, you've found while geocaching? Was it in the cache or did you find it on the way to the cache?

Dancing Dishes

2012-02-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, here is another project I've finished! I can whip these things out in a day or two and its really nice to be able to finish a whole project that quickly. Time to take a break on the projects though. I've got three books sitting here waiting to be read.... I'm hoping to do some more caching soon and go on a little photo taking day. I miss snapping the camera. I've had zero time with working and then babysitting when I'm not working! Hard to keep up, but I love staying busy. ;-)

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T22:59:00.000-07:00