Adella Quinn is One

the day has arrived. my baby sister is ONE! Holy fettuccine! What's next, my brother turning five? Sister turning ten? Oh, yeah...that IS next...whooooooops.

 

I figured I'd show you some pictures of the lovely Adella from her first year of life.

I love this baby so much! Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet sister! You are so precious and my little bug! ♥

i'm really quite terrible with web design...

I am, I really am. See, I can design a yearbook or scrapbook with both hands tied behind my back! And I can even imagine a stellar blog template. but I can't [and don't have the tools] to design one that's super fantastic on my own....but I managed to "make" one that was remotely close to what I wanted....kind of...I'm gonna get the "html guide for dummies" book I think...or maybe not. It'd be cool to know how to do that, for sure...but that requires time, something I am swamped for these days. Geez.

Annnnnyway. Whatcha think? Yeah, don't answer that actually...ha...this post was nothing important, really. just a rant on my failure in html code designing and stuff....

I did indeed make my own mouse pad...

and it was the freakin most simple thing I've ever done. really. you must make one.

what you need

• thermal bond paper - or any other brand of fusing paper.
• a fabric mouse pad - new or used, but nothing else can be on it. like no rubber stamping or anything..
• an iron
• enough fabric to cover your mouse pad
• scissors 
• exacto knife & cutting board (optional) 

 note: I do indeed have concrete floors. they're magical, and are heated all winter, but in the summer, we open all the windows and they suck in the cool air like a t-rex and a squirrel, then the floor is cool all day. it's stupendous. and yes, that yellow is really painted all over in my house. it's glorious, as well. but another blog post...

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instructions:

Cut out a square of fabric the size of your mouse pad, don't round the corners yet. just cut a general square, leaving about 1/2 extra on each edge. (note: if your fabric is wrinkled, by all means, please iron it first *wink*)

place your fabric on top of your fusing paper, and cut it out to be the same size

follow the instructions that came with the fusing paper and fuse the fabric to the proper side of the thermal bond. peel the paper off of the back of the fabric..... 

and place fabric on top of mouse pad. follow the instructions, again, for your specific bonding-stuff (I can't remember the correct term right now and it's easier just to say "bonding-stuff" than figure go look for the right term...)

 fuse the fabric to the mouse pad using an iron. my thermal bond said to use a damp rag when fusing - I didn't, since my iron has a steam setting that pretty much does the job the rag was supposed to do.

now check all your edges, make sure it's all securely fused....

now trim the edges! I used an exacto knife to do this, it was so easy, but scissors work fine too.

and ta da! cutest mouse pads ever. I made one more, but didn't get it in the picture...so cute. the one I just showed you how to make is my mom's, and the cute little girls are mine...ah. the beauty of crafting.

Okay. So, a few notes on this project. Make sure not to get the thermal bonding stuff on your iron. it's a pain to get off and messes everything up. Really. Also, if you're concerned about your mouse pad being too dirty, just take a damp cloth to it and spot clean it. it's okay if it's damp - the ironing will get rid of that problem.

also. ignore my terrible nails. they're horrid, I know. I'm going to fix them now...

why couldn't I be turning five?

I just said that to my mother while she was looking at birthday party ideas for my baby sister.

I am turning 16 in exactly one month from today, and dude..if I were to have a party, which I'm not, cause I'm the only one to think my idea is stellar, but if I were to have a party, it would be in a malt shop. we would all wear 50's dresses (not the guys. they would dress guy-ly), and we would giggle and drink milkshakes and Coca-Cola and sing oldies. There would also be a jukebox present. That's how it would happen. But like I previously mentioned, no one would think that was actually fun and no one would take it seriously, nor would they dress in legit outfits. So alas, I'm left to sitting here, looking at all these cute birthday ideas, wishing I was either five and could get away with a woodland party filled with owls and hedgehogs and cute little squirels, or that I had cooler friends who would get into the vintage malt shop thing with me...

glass beach necklace.

I made the coolest necklace last week. Like. Legit. You know how I posted about glass beach? Well. For years I've been collecting pieces of glass from there. It's kinda a thing people do. It's like a treasure hunt. The majority of it is little pebbles and green, brown, and clear glass. There is some blue glass in there, but if you look really carefully, you'll find pieces of ceramic and china. And those are the bestest ever :) I took some of my favorite, but not too loved pieces, and created a necklace out of them. Here's some pics :)

 The blue of this is so pretty.

 Bam. One of my favorite pieces ever. It's green and gorgeous.

 awkward picture. But whatever. The necklace is pretty, isn't it?

It was so simple to make. I used wire, a clasp, glass, and...oh, that's IT! super fun. If you're ever in Fort Bragg, Ca, go to glass beach at all costs. Seriously.

a trip to the coast

Last weekend my family and I took a trip to the coast to go camping and fishing. It was pretty fun, and although I don't have boat/fishing pictures of the (amazing) salmon we caught, these ones will work for now.

 I love the landscape.

 Pretty ocean <3

My cousin and I sat looking at this view for a good hour...'twas nice.

 A trip is never complete without a shoe picture.

 Me and the little brother...he's riding his bike :)

 Glass beach - it's a beach that used to be a dump, and now, all the glass pieces that were there are round and smooth. It's the coolest thing.

 It takes talent to be beautiful without even looking at the camera...my lovely cousin <3

 Another glass beach picture. But of the street...

 This is just so classic. I mean really.

This AWESOME car was parked near us and I had to take a picture. It's so stellar!

The Harbor

Me and the little sister :)

This has nothing to do with Fort Bragg, I know. But it was cool.

I have an obsession with street signs.

I really could go on and on and on about how lovely Fort Bragg, California is, but I think these do a better job than I ever could.

pillows...yes. pillows.

Fact: I am a lover of sewing.

Fact: I will and can make almost anything from, well, almost anything.

Fact: I love JoAnn's.

Fact: More than JoAnn's, I love their fabric remnants basket.

Fact: These pillows cost under $12 for both of them.

Fact: They're just about the cutest thing I think I've ever made. This week... ;) And, even better than that, no pattern was needed...kachow! Freehand patterns are the bomb...

Here are a few pictures of these darling pillows...:)

My kitty, Ivy, wanted to be in on the picture taking...and honestly it was just too cute of a picture to deny her that! She does this frequently, however. She's not camera shy...so she's getting her own tag called "kitty kandids"...with a K...classy, I know...muah.

The ruffles are one of my favorite parts. They're so...just yeah. ha... 

The Nautical theme was for my daddy, as well. Our entire basement has this kind of theme carried on throughout it...pretty snazzy and totally adorable if you ask me....*wink*...

Aren't they adorable? Took me an hour and a half to make two; $12 for both, and a source of entertainment for the evening. And, they realllllly look cute in our home theater.

Score.

you know you're a tourist if....

So, one of the things that comes with living in such a beautiful part of the country, is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. And I mean that....at least in my book. And in your book too, if you ever came here and saw how gorgeous this place is....Really. it's amazing.

Now you have to understand. In the Truckee/Tahoe area there are two seasons. Winter, and road construction. Regardless of what season it is, however, there are only three kinds of people who hang around here. Legit locals (people who have lived here over 20 years, like my parents, who have lived here for over 35 years), tree-hugger locals (those who have lived here under 15 years), and, the dreaded tourists, those who contribute to our economy and buy into the ridiculous prices that are "normal" around here.

I really have nothing against tourists. No, I love showing off my home to them. In fact, tourists are one of the only reasons my area is still thriving in this economy. My family and I are guilty of being tourists, as well. But. What I cannot stand, however, is clueless tourists. Yes, there is a difference. People who know how to try and not act like tourists are cool. People who are clueless as to how they should conduct themselves as tourists, are not. Let me elaborate.

At the state parksm, there are squirrels. You are not supposed to feed the squirrels. It is posted "DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS". Quite obviously. So when parents and these cute little kids are feeding the squirrels out of their hands, a big, bold sign flashes above their head, screaming at you "tourist!!". These squirrels are adorable...only if tourists don't do that, making them annoying little creatures who get into everything you leave out (or put away).

These are the silly things tourists do. While at Sand Harbor, a state park/beach on thursday, my mom and I began a list of  "You know you're a tourist if..." 's. here is the beginnings of this wonderful list.

You Know You're a Tourist If...

• You can't figure out how to get the "bear proof" trash cans open...
• You video the squirrels getting into a bag of dorritos.
• You buy your entire lunch at "The Char Pit"...seriously. $40 for a two person lunch is a rip off. The food isn't even that fantastic.
• You have an air pump for your floaty toys in it's original packaging.

It goes on, but I figured I'd be nice...for now. muahahha...