i can’t tell you how many people think that i knit or spin all the time. in fact, just the opposite is true. i work with fiber and yarn all day long for work. when it’s my down time, though, i prefer to do one of my other hobbies. don’t get me wrong! i love to knit and i love to spin but sometimes when your job is your art or your hobby you don’t necessarily want to look at it when the work day is done. luckily, being the spaz that i am, i have plenty of other hobbies to keep me more than busy when i have a free moment. this weekend i spent catching up on some paperwork, shipping and then decided it was time for some sewing! i absolutely love to sew. my grandmother taught me when i was wee and i spent a lot of my childhood making my own accessories. i think it was the mid 90s when those backpack purses were in style and i was in elementary school. i wanted one so bad. everyone in my class had one but we didn’t have a lot of money so i took some of my mom’s fabric scraps and a needle and thread and made my own. i was so proud of it. of course, they made fun of my hand sewn bag but i didn’t give a rip! i loved that little bag and i wish i still had it. it’s the little things like this that we all wish we’d saved. oh wells.

this weekend i spent piecing together a larger throw sized quilt and contemplating how i was going to quilt it when i got sidetracked by my ridiculous ADD and had to start a new project. it’s a modern windmill pattern with some white muslin and multi colored cotton fabric scraps.

yeah, that’s the new quilt on top of the one i was originally working with. oops. i’m quite in love with both of them but the windmill just rocks my socks off! i felt so clever when i put all the colors out like that. sometimes it’s the little things that get ya. i’m going to put a little white border around all four sides and quilt this bad boy next weekend.

i’ve also been a little obsessed with these little house blocks i’ve been seeing all over the interwebs. they looked like so much fun and i just had to try my hand at it. dudes! it’s like building with fabric! legos, but soft! i LOVE legos and i LOVE making these blocks. i see many more in my future. i’m damn proud of this first one even if the roof’s a little crooked.

just when i thought i’d had my sewing fix for a while, amanda had to go and be all awesome with her french coffee press and i wanted to try my hand at something that actually had an everyday purpose. it was a fun little experiment. i measured my bodum press and added an inch to each measurement. it worked fine for the length but it’s just a scant to tight width wise. i also sort of spaced out on the button measurements so only the middle one fits in between the handle. uh, derp. all in all, it’s a learning experience and i will enjoy my warm coffee.

just a little closer look at the quilting. just straight up and down all the way across. it took a whiiiile but it works for the look.

i’m hoping that i’ll get to do some more sewing this weekend. i’ve got a few friends that are expecting babies soon so i’ve got a few softies and baby things to make soon. oy. ;)

love-
fc

i’ve been busy getting caught up and have sort of neglected the bloggy blog. i’ll really try to do better once everything is gone out this week.

here are a few pics of some recent things that have happened over here at chez funky carolina.

i got a new tattoo. i love it. it’s my favorite typewriter font and one of my favorite phrases. i’m really think that i want a half sleeve around it but i’m totally lost as to ideas right now. will have to think of that. here a shot of it!

i’ve been loving on my puppies. here’s a pic of them hanging out with me in the kitchen during a particularly cold morning a couple of weeks back.

i’ve been enjoying fried green tomatoes because my awesome grandparents sent me 12 full quarts of canned green tomatoes from their garden. LOVE! best enjoyed with some sweet tea.

i’ve been sticking with my photo a day project. tomorrow marks 25 days. it’s a little milestone but i’m still counting it!

i’ve been enjoying finding beauty and joy in the little things around me. this darling little pincushion i’ve had for years filled with bright pins.

making amazing tomato sauce from just three ingredients!

looking at these gorgeous baubles that my grandmother gave me.

finally, i’ve been enjoying these daffodils on my desk. winter is my least favorite season of all. even though i’ve never lived anywhere that it’s terribly cold for very long periods of time, i miss the constant sunshine, the warmth, the color and the happiness you feel in spring and summer and even fall. i’m ready for spring to come back so i can see lovelies sprout all about.

i’ll try to be back tomorrow with things that have been inspiring me the last few weeks.

love-
fc

that i am gluten intolerant.

more precisely, i have celiac. i found out about it in early august after months of feeling close to death. i’ll not go into the details but i felt awful all the time. unbearable headaches, stomach pain, joint pain and exhaustion. it presents differently in everyone and is one of the most under diagnosed diseases in the country. the only treatment is avoiding all gluten in your diet. sounds easy, right?? yeah, it’s not. gluten hides in EVERYTHING! you’d be surprised how many things contain it. things like bread and pasta of course, but also in ice cream, deli meat, popsicles, soups, sauces, and the list goes on. you have to be very careful in avoiding cross contamination, too. i had done a pretty good job with cutting it all out for a few months but over the holidays with busy schedules and lazy eating habits i sort of lost my focus. eating tons of flour and fried pies and biscuits until i was back to feeling like death warmed over and needing to sleep 14 hours a day and take the max limit of ibuprofen. i decided enough was enough. yes, it’s incredibly tough to avoid all gluten and yes, it’s sort of a hassle to think about all the time but i really want to feel better again. i want to have energy and get rid of my symptoms so i’m going to be learning to cook gluten free. i’m going to get back on the wagon. i’ll be sharing pictures of my experiments in the kitchen here. i feel like my experiences might help other people with celiac realize that it is doable and worth it. if you know any recipes that are worth a try, let me know. if you have celiac, say hi. :)

here are a few things i’ve made that are gluten free. good for my body. good for my health. i’d like to learn a little more about food photography so i can make my pictures look as delicious as possible.

click on any of the pics for some more info about the foods.

back soon with some actual craft-y things!

love-
fc

ack. sorry for neglecting the blog for so long. i’ll be back with a proper post tomorrow but i thought i’d post a fun site for you to play with while i’m getting it together.

have fun with it! if you post some pics of you let me know because i’d love to see.

back to work for now. :)

love-
fc

i’ve said before how much i love seeing what’s inspiring other creative people so i really enjoy putting lists together of a few of my favorite things. i figured while i was waiting for some shipping labels to finish printing i could put one together. hope you enjoy! :)

(i always try to link to the original source if i know it. just click on the picture.)

1. singin’ in the rain

i watched this for the first time two nights ago on TCM and instantly fell in love. i’m sort of meh about musicals in general but this absolutely, positively stole my heart. the colors, the story, the actors…everything was just perfect! gene kelly was a dream and donald o’connor was so adorably quirky! this might be a new favorite movie for me. go watch it. srsly. it’s on TIME magazine’s all time 100 movies list. i think i’m going to make watching all those movies a goal on my to do list this year. love love love. here’s a clip of the signature scene. tell me you don’t fall in love. try it but i won’t believe you!

2. red hair

my hair is naturally a brownish kind of red but i’ve been seriously considering dyeing it a more orange-y red. yeah. i think i will.

3. farscape

it’s no secret how much i love sci fi but i had never seen farscape until just a few weeks ago. it came up on my netflix instant view and i just adore it. it’s a little bit silly but i think that’s to be expected for something with puppets and produced by the henson’s company. ben browder is a dreamboat too. i first saw him in my very favorite (now cancelled) stargate sg1 and i didn’t really care for him. i think that’s because he replaced the brilliant richard dean anderson. it’s nice to see him in his own role. i need more sci fi in my life! especially with loverly fellas. heh.

4. bubbles!

i have ALWAYS loved bubbles! there is something beautiful and magical about them. the colors and shape and weightless nature. pure joy. i remember when i was kiddo my brother and i had edible bubbles. just one more thing to love about them.

5. damien rice and ray lamontagne singing together

i have no idea how i found this song originally but i wish there were more like it! they’re both favorites of mine and wow, do their voices blend seamlessly or what?? pure acoustic magic.

6. this photo

7. a little bit of beautiful rain

so what’s inspiring to you right now?? i’d love to know. is it a gorgeous photograph, perfect song, the weather? as long as you are feeling inspired then it’s a good thing.

love-
fc