The Hope Of Spring

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. 

Charles Dickens

Happy-ness is the hope of Spring and all that it brings.  Flowers.  Fresh Air.  Clothes blowing and drying on a line outside.  Skirts and flip-flops worn with a favorite schleppy sweatshirt (which has been my Spring wardrobe for a week or so now!)  Summer in the sunshine; winter in the shade.  May you enjoy your Springtime!

Rrrrrrruffles!

I found this ruffle fabric at my favorite sewing store and decided the Pipsqueak needs skinny ruffle capris.  I found this pattern book, also at my favorite sewing store.  The pattern book is fabulous!  And my requirements for any pattern, book or otherwise, are really very simple:
1.  The pictures have to be awesome.
2.  I need to understand the directions.
3.  The directions need to contain no sewing grammar at all.  Patterns need to have words that I understand.  Also words that make me feel like it is speaking directly to me.  (Read:  dumbed down.  A lot.  For me.)
4.  I need to feel confident that I will use several of the patterns in a book or that I will use the pattern over and over and over again.
5.  Dumbed down.  A lot.  For me.
I love to sew.  I love to sew.  Probably more than kintting.  Which is saying a lot.  But I don't have a lot of confidence because I don't know what "bias" means.  "Basting stitch"?  Why bother?!  I also hate to cut.  I hate to think that I spent money on fabric and before it even gets to the sewing machine, I have ruined it by cutting it wrong.  "Cut on the grain" . . . . . ????  And quite honestly, my method of sewing would make my mother cringe.  I mostly wing it.  I can see it in my head so I usually just skip a lot (A. LOT.) of the steps in written patterns to get to that finished piece.  Not so with the skinny ruffle capris!!  5 steps.  That's it.  (And, since it's me, I did it in 4 steps!!)
It took me 90 minutes.  Including running out to Michaels to find a white t-shirt to applique the cute little heart with the extra ruffle fabric. 90 minutes from laying out, cutting, sewing, running to Michaels, appliqueing to finished.

[Side note #1: So tickled with myself, I took pictures with my iPhone and showed them to everyone at work.  I showed the pictures to one of my favorite friends, Jason.  He is a 35 year old single man, never been married.  Only goes to the grocery store when he runs out of laundry detergent or toilet paper.  Love him to death and have knit socks for him and given him soups and casseroles just because.  As I was showing him how cute (!!!), I said, "I wish they made them in my size!"  He laughed out loud.  Belly laugh.  And said, "Did you seriously just say that you wished they made them in your size?!?!?!  YOU MADE those pants!!!!" *giggle*]
So in love with this outfit are we, I went out and bought more fabric.  Just one more color.  It had to be orange.

(Blurry photo?!?!  Ugh. . .)

[Side note #2:  Pipsqueak is days away from being 9 years old.  I used the size 6 pattern.  She's a . . . well, pipsqueak!  I teased her that she will have Big Bird legs in her orange ruffly pants!  Because, hey!  It looks like legs that Big Bird might wear!  And she said, "The great thing about Big Bird is that he's . . . . . BIG!!!"  Poor little Pipsqueak. . . . ]
Happy-ness is RRRRRRRuffles!!!!!!

Birthdays

Much birthday-ing in February!
Mine:
I decided that since it was my 24th birthday (yeah, don't argue.  Don't even question.  I'm 24 . . . . ) . . . . since it was my 24th birthday, I would treat myself to my very own store-bought bakery cake.  I have a twin brother.  We always shared a cake.  Then I baked my own birthday cake.  And since I am now 24, have been fighting a cold for a month, have been working crazy weird and toying with an Etsy shop (details soon!  OMG Excitement!), I would treat myself to my very own store-bought cake.  A raspberry torte.  With a not-buttercream icing (I forget the icing!) and roses.  My very own roses.  I will admit, it was very, very hard to pay $32 for a cake.  For me.  And I almost changed my mind.  But I'm only 24 once, right?!  (wink-wink!)

A few of my favorite gifts:

My best friend gave me a new tea kettle but that will be another day :-)
And my big teenager also celebrated a birthday.  15!  (Again, don't do the math.  Don't question. Don't argue.  He is 15 and I am 24. . .)
He requested chocolate.  Anything chocolate.

He raked in the cash, scored some good gift cards and enjoyed a case of Mountain Dew.  I'd say not bad for a birthday!!!
Happy-ness is feeling forever 24!  Celebrating birthdays with loved ones.  Really living your days and making every day a celebration with loved ones.  Finding love in each day . . . .
Enjoy this moment of your day.  Enjoy the warmth and sunshine.  Surround yourself with your friends and loved ones and laugh today!

Today

My new favorite happy place.  1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab.  Over The Rhine.  Cincinnati.  I'm speechless.  It's fabulous.

OMG!  The espresso machine!  See the steam?!

The cappuccino was amazing!  And look at the foam art!

I swooned over this brioche.  It's an almond chocolate chip brioche.  Warm.  And I dipped the crust into the espresso like a biscotti.

And the atmosphere?!  Quiet and loverly!!  Delightful and divine!!
I'm just sorry the crummy iPhone pictures are offensive to how extremely wonderful 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab truly is!!
Happy-ness is today.  (Even if it is Valentine's Day!)

Life Imitating Art

It's true.
Happy-ness!

Cupcakes

Some days just require a LOT of woodland fairy cupcakes.  Baked and decorated by woodland fairies, of course.

It's been a week.
. . . . . but there's always next week!
Happy-ness is a cupcake my 8 year old is over the fairy moon for!

Finished Projects

A few years ago, I started this pattern.  I knit.  I re-knit.  I bought buttons.  I returned buttons.  I knit sleeves to length.  I shortened sleeves.  I knit sweater longer.  I made sweater shorter.  This is finally what came off the needles.

I used the pattern that Amanda Blake Soule used, The Garter Yoke Cardigan, from the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Knit.1 Magazine.  I used Rowan Felted Tweed and I have 6 skeins left (anyone want them?!)  Unlike the incredibly talented Soule Mama, this is NOT my favorite sweater.  In fact, it is being shipped to a long-lost, new-found dear friend of mine in Indiana (happy day!)!! 

And I have decided that this is just the year.  The year to finish the years-long projects and give them to homes where they will be loved and worn!  I have begun to think boldly!  Outside the box, even!  I have "allowed" myself the option of actually ripping out almost-finished sweaters to start newer, more exciting projects (gulp!)!  Projects that I may actually want to finish!  That does make me think, though, that I am a process knitter and not a finished project knitter.  Otherwise, I would be more motivated to finish and wear the darned things!!  It's true.

On a side note, I was sitting at the orthodontist's office this morning and I invented an "app"!!  I was reading a magazine and I wanted the recipe for the french onion soup that was causing my many fantasies.  And I thought, "Huh. Too bad I can't invent an app where I can just hold my iPhone up to this page and scan this recipe into my phone . . . . . " I even talked about my new invention to the other moms and even the orthodontist staff.  They all agreed that I was almost a genius!  Except . . . . . . it's been invented already.  But I'm not paying $6.99 to get it.

Happy-ness!  It's finishing projects!  Connecting with very good friends again!  It's inventing apps, even though they've been invented already!  Make and enjoy your own happy-ness, too!!!!

Love love!