Despite not really being evident here as of late, I have been crafting up a storm (I believe I'm up to 5 completed projects and 2 works-in-progress for the year, not that I'm counting).

A few weeks ago, right after committing to knitting Fair Isle Totoro mittens for A Small Fox, in typical Sarah fashion, I went out, bought the yarn for the new project, got home and promptly decided I needed to knit a surprise baby hat for my college roommate's newborn daughter.

Why my brain works like that I do not know. It's just something I've learned to live with. At least I was getting something done because if I try to fight it, nothing (and I mean, NOTHING) gets done (that includes housework).

At least this time, I didn't choose a big procrastination project. Just a tiny little baby hat that I've had my eye on for months. I'm so happy I finally jumped in and did it because though I swore off hats for a while in December, having zero pressure to do this one made it a breeze. No problems. Yay! And it knit up quick, but you know what was even quicker than knitting it? The USPS. I sent it out standard 1st class mail on a Saturday afternoon and by Monday evening I was seeing picture of my adorable teal hat on an adorable baby girl.

I think the Aviatrix will become a go-to baby gift (that and the Saartje Bootees).

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The Aviatrix is actually being modeled by my childhood baby doll, Rosie (wow, mom dropping off all those boxes of toys came in handy!). If you saw Rosie without this adorable hat you would think that I was a very bad child, but actually it was my sister who was the bad one. You see, Rosie belonged to her well before I was even a glimmer in my parents' eyes. And it was my sister that took scissors poor little Rosie's head. So Rosie has wildly chopped hair, but after searching around for what kind of doll she really is, I think I'm partial to the chopped look as opposed to the 70s bob I think she originally came with - from what I can tell she's a 1975 Vogue Hug-a-Bye Baby (life-size and she used to cry) - she's just a little bit hardcore. ;)

Let me tell you what a pain it was to search for information on this doll. All I had to go on was the copyright imprint on the neck (1975 Vogue) and that brought up only one result that was feasibly her (the rest were tiny little dolls). I also tried searching by the information on her pajamas, but it turns out those belonged to another doll, a World of Wonders Pamela doll, who I guess was a little like Teddy Ruxpin, but I have no recollection of her at all.

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PS I'm still not done with that Teal yarn. Despite making an adult size hat and a baby hat, I still have more left. When it's not going into a dishcloth, this yarn I'm trying to destash sure does take a long time to use up! Any ideas what I can do with 1/4 - 1/3 of a skein of teal acrylic (it's surprisingly soft) and 1/2 - 2/3 of a skein of guacamole colored yarn (same stuff as the teal - see here for the color). I've been tempted to do a scrap yarn blanket, but I don't think I have enough scrap yarn in non-clashing colors. Hmm, maybe I should just do it. It can be a hodge podge of colors & fibers, just adding to it when I have those partial skeins. Ugh! I just don't know. Does anyone have experience working a bunch of different weights & fibers together into a blanket or something?

Pink Perfection

In celebration of tomorrow's love fest, Molly and Kit have been decked out in their most perfectly pink outfits.

No Valentine's Day crafts here. No decadent desserts shaped as hearts and dusted with powdered sugar.

Just dolls.

Dolls in pink dresses.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll break out the valentines PEZ in celebration of Mike's gift to me. Let's hope for another weekend of good light.

I do have other things to share as well, but sometimes breaking out the dolls just makes you smile (and be glad I didn't bust out the close-ups of the doll shoes).

Steal of the Century

In my last post, I briefly mentioned scoring an expensive American Girl item for $30 bucks. Well it arrived earlier this week and is currently being displayed for all its bargain glory.

Despite the fact I am not a nine year old girl, I could not pass up the opportunity to own this monstrosity (in size only). Especially to own it, in mint condition from the manufacturer, at 19% of the original cost - including tax and shipping.

Yes…19%.

Unbelievable, I know.

It's big, yes, but makes a cute display on top of my American Girl display cabinet. Especially since we never got around to figuring out the shelf to sit above it.

My only problem now is to figure out where to store it, as the "box for under bed storage" is about double the size of the collapsed stage. Too big to maneuver into my cabinet. I guess I really could keep in under our bed. But I really liked the idea of having everything together in one spot.

Oh well, that's a problem for another day. For now it is displayed.

Wii Are Finally In The Loop.

Sarah Mii diligently doing her yoga.

Mike and I finally welcomed the new world of gaming into our home last Friday, yes, a Nintendo Wii. An early Christmas present to ourselves…hopefully we'll have enough cash now to buy gift for others.

We perhaps had the easiest transition into the world of Wii. No hunting stores. No early mornings in line.

We decided early last week to take the plunge after going over some holiday budget numbers and ordered online. Mike had begun "stalking" (really he just signed up for a notification email) a website that would tell him when something was available online the week before.

We ordered and it was in our hands in less than a week.

Our initial plan was to get Wii Fit right away, but when it proved to be tougher to find, we were ok with waiting until we could find one for the price we wanted (90 vs 120+).

And what does that patience get us…a Wii Fit, just 2 days after getting the Wii.

I wa up early Sunday thanks to the time change, going through ads and what do I see but an ad for Circuit City handing out vouchers for Wii Fits 1 hour before the store opens. A quick check of store hours and tossing on some jeans, I was at the store 56 minutes before it opened to obtain my voucher. And an hour later I was the proud owner of 1 of 8 Wii Fits to be in store.

I'm pretty sure obtaining a voucher to get a game makes me a hardcore gamer.

I now proudly don my title as my little Mii and I do yoga and hula hoop together (I even named our trainer. I call her Melanie. I have not gone as far as to name my balance board…yet).

Sarah Mii for Reals…poor posture and the epidemy of boredom.

Pumpkin Throw Down…

Project #27 in "50 in 2008 Challenge" - Oscar the Grouch Pumpkin

I work for a very serious company…

We do things like paint hot dog ornaments and decorate pumpkins.

The joys of working for a small company in a creative field. We may have a lot of work, but we have a good time too.

So today we had our "first annual pumpkin throw down" with another small company we work with a lot. 6 contestants, some gourds and 4 prizes at stake.

Considering the desperate struggle to figure out how to decorate/carve my greenish blue pumpkin (picked for its beauty, not for its decorating prowess) after Grey's Anatomy last night, I actually pulled off a double win.

Most creative and Best of the Patch. Hell yeah!

If only I could share my mani/pedi with Mike. For he deserves some major props too. He's the one, after seeing me struggle to make a pumpkin clock ("most timely" - Ha Ha!) and listening to me complain that I busted my carving knife, said, "Well…it's a green pumpkin, so you should make Oscar the Grouch." With a roll of the eyes.

That was all I needed and in about 2 hours (and Mike's assistance constructing my lid out of wood) Oscar and Slimely the Worm were created.

The worry that I was going to have the lamest pumpkin proved to be unnecessary. But really I think I swayed the wait staff at the restaurant with my use of props and sewn eyebrows.

Or maybe as Mike suggested, Slimey just pulled it all together.

Simple Saturday: part one - a playful doll

I'm tickled with how well this image came out, and as I've been asked by a few to share more about my American Girl collection, I thought I'd oblige. Especially since Kit is sporting the new outfit I picked up while in Chicago last weekend.

Molly was photographed as well, but since she's been seen here in the same outfit (in better conditions), only Kit's featured today.

The specifics:
doll- Kit Kittredge
outfit - Ruthie's Play Outfit

Makes You Wonder.

If a girl is old enough to read this warning,
don't you think she's old enough to know not to eat her plastic toys?

After staying home sick on Monday, I was welcomed home from work yesterday by these, Molly's Theater Seats. If you know me, you know I'm a big American Girl collector. So you can imagine the excitement when receiving anything AG. Add to that, being 50% off and a high quality item, I was over the moon. Even sat down and did wardrobe changes while watching The Sound of Music (my first viewing - pretty good). Molly and Kit just had to be in summer outfits appropriate for viewing a Saturday matinée.

Thanks to a recent sales ploy on the AG website, I've been sucked into buying merchandise at discount via the website instead of waiting for a trip to American Girl Place next month. Perhaps my next shipment will also bear such obvious warnings.

I mean it would be one thing if they had little "no eat" pictographs for little girls who can't read. Those are the kids that may actually shove this stuff in their mouth.

Rough Week.

It's been a rough week. Working early. A few evenings spent in the basement with sirens blaring. flooded basement. Heat. Not sleeping well at night.

It all adds up…ask Mike. I haven't been the happiest camper the last couple days.

But he still made me this!

A custom built cabinet to hold my American Girl collection. Made to fit perfectly in this nook we have in our library. Considering he's never really made anything, and certainly nothing this big, he did an excellent job.

I mean do you see how he made the door's look fancy with molding. That was all his idea. And that the shelves fit things perfectly? Like the steamer trunk on the bottom.

I spent a couple evening early this week (they were interrupted by tornado warnings/sirens) going through all my stuff, finally changing "the girls" from winter outfits. Boxes were recycled, newer clothes moved from the shopping bag they've been sitting in since last summer to their proper storage boxes and trunks.

You don't know how nice it is to have everything all in one spot. Display and storage in one. What a relief. And there's still room to grow.

Currently the cabinet top is the only (yet large) display area, but there are plans to add a shelf above it as well. We just need to decide on the best way to do the shelf.

It's exciting that I'll be able to work with my collection more now. Since we've moved everything AG has been stored haphazardly in the nook, not condusive to pulling out on a whim. And the girls has been placed on top of the bookcases and basically forgotten about. It's sad when a collection hits a lull like that. But this is just the thing I needed.

Now if only I could get my act together and get the PEZ cabinets up. That collection is eating my the roomy large top shelf of my studio closet. I could really use that space!


Thanks for my cabinet, honey! I love it.

National Bike to Work Day

Tomorrow (Friday, May 16) is National Bike to Work Day. Though I'm not a hard core bike commuter, I do ride my bike when conditions are ideal (aka above 40 and no chance of rain). This week's been rainy, so I only made it out one day, but luckily tomorrow is supposed to sunny and 70.

I'll be out, will you?




If you do ride tomorrow, be sure to wear your helmet…that means you husband! You may even get a cookie. And look even Molly wears a helmet. And she's from the 1940's before they knew things like smoking were bad.

Could There Possibly Be Anymore Pumpkins?!

A bit late this year, but Mike and I sat down to our yearly tradition and carved pumpkins. This year was a breeze compared to last. The Corpse Bride took a lot out of me, so this year I went simple…a cute little grim reaper based on a piece of jewelry I stumbled across on Wists.

And Mike rocked the unibrow. I've never seen anyone as anal as Mike on getting the inside of a pumpkin clean. He's like obsessive about it. And critiqued mine. I got an 'OK.' I'll try harder next year.

Both on my pumpkin cleaning and house decorating. Though the new house is celebrating it's first holiday, it is not doing it with a bang.

A is for…

American Girl!

Wow, I can't wait to move out of our dark, damp apartment…if only for better photo opportunities.

A new meme is rounding the blogosphere, thanks to Bella Dia, "Encyclopedia of Me." During August, the goal is to blog daily using yourself and the next letter of the alphabet as your prompt. And by the end of 26 days, you'll have a nice grouping of information about yourself that others might or might not know. A fun idea, so I'm joining in. We all know I like challenges, and it's a nice way to recommit myself to good ole CraftNClutter.

So we start off this story of myself with "A is for American Girl." Not in the sense that I'm overly patriotic. But in the dolls that have been part of my life for almost 15 years.

When I was in 5th grade, my best friend, Tara, had an American Girl doll…Molly to be exact. I spent a lot of time at Tara's house, so I became intrigued. As a young history buff who loved to read how could they not peak my interest. Though the thing is I was never a girly girl. I had dolls, but was never a doll girl. So when I declared to my parents that I wanted a Molly (the doll most like me being sort of a tomboy), they scoffed and said that if I earned the money for her, I most certainly could purchase her.

During this time in my life, I was a babysitter and I had regular gigs, so I had money at my disposal. Babysitting money, Christmas money, birthday money all went into a special envelope. And as my 11th birthday neared, my envelope became more and more padded. I was at the point where I figured with the money I was expecting for my birthday, Molly would be mine in a matter of weeks.

Imagine my surprise while opening presents at the family birthday party and a burgundy box with a gold emblemn appeared from beneath wrapping paper.

I had managed to show my parents that their little tomboy really, truly did want a doll. And though it was expensive, it must have been important to me. All my extended family went in together that birthday and the next few birthday and Christmases to follow to help build my collection.

And though I was at the top of Pleasant Company's target age group, I continued to love my Molly and collect her clothing and accessories until I hit high school. And even then, though other things took priority of my time, Molly was never relegated to the attic or closet, all boxed up. She held a prominent position in my room, in a lovely wooden display case my mom purchased for me when she most likely realized my day of playing with Molly were fading. I would change her clothes every few months and flip through the Pleasant Company catalog whenever one came my way.

And this was how the relationship stayed until I hit sophomore year in college, when I rediscovered American Girl in a quest for mail to be sent to my dorm room. Oh how the company had grown in those "missing" years. Eight dolls (up from 3 to 4 then 5), and store in Chicago, and some many more accessories and outfits that I knew I had some catching up to do.

It was at this time, I fell in love with Kit as well. Knowing one day I would have her. I waited until the winter after I graduated from college to finally get my hands on her. I was fortunate to live within commuting distance from the AG call center, and was able to work the holiday season there. With the assistance of a 30% discount and winning the newest doll (Nellie) in the Thanksgiving Day Give-Away, Kit was at home with Molly and a ton more stuff before Christmas.

And now I plug away at my collections…both Molly & Kit. Wanting to devour everything they have. Thanks to a wedding day gift from Mike, I was able to complete Molly's collection…just in time for her movie and therefore a flew of new products to come available. So now I just chip away, setting priorities for things I think may be retired, and preparing the onslaught of products that will no doubt be released next summer when Kit's movie (starring Abigail Breslin) hits movie theaters.

And after all these years, I still get the same joy from sitting with the catalog in my lap flipping through the pages. Before I had a doll, I could spend hours with the catalogs and their lifesize spreads of each doll. And having everything pulled out on the floor around me, while I change outfits for a new month or season, is surprising relaxing. A release, where I can let the kid in me run wild for awhile.

I look forward to one day being able to share this love with a daughter…or niece. I know how special these dolls can be. Not a status symbol like many like to accuse, but as a creative outlet to learn with, to grow with, to love.

The recap show

Here's what I've been doing the past few days instead of cleaning… that's right, I've been watching Animaniacs Volume 1 FABOO!

Our place is messy with Christmas debris, but I can't stop. Apparently this volume has been out since July! And the second volume came out earlier this month. I loved this show. I watched it everyday after school. I strived to win Wakko stuffed animals at Great America at the carnival games (I won on two different occassions, once was even the BIG prize - like a two foot Wakko which I think I still have). And I wrote a fan letter and received a signed glossy back from the voices of Yakko, Wakko and Dot, which hung framed on my wall until I moved out when I got married.

Though as big of a fan as I am, I do not match my old roommate's (Mariah) husband. He can sing all the crazy songs, like the one naming all the state capitals, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew the countries of the world song too. It's weird, in all the years I've known Mariah, I didn't know she loved Animaniacs until Joe started hanging around the last semester of our senior year. And now she upstaged me…by getting both Volumes 1 and 2 of the DVDs. I thought I was all cool emailing her about how I got Volume 1.

Goes to show, you're never as cool as you think.

And how could this be an after-Christmas post without some sort of gift recap. I know it'd be pretty lame if I told you about everything I got, but I thought I'd share a couple pics of the quirky gifts I got.

I always have a hard time with what my "favorite" present is. I pretty much just love every gift. I get excited, and if you saw me on Christmas you'd think I'm the biggest nerd. I really wanted these though, and I've been hoping that my sister was pulling through for me as I passed them in the stores and resisted every urge to run out of the store with the collectors tin.

PEZ had a general rule about not creating dispensers of real people (with exception of the Becentennial collection in the 1970s of Betsy Ross, Paul Revere and Daniel Boone - they were long dead) until this year when some sort of deal was worked out and the men of OC Choppers were molded. They're kinda scary, aren't they? But cool, nonetheless.

Mike's brother, Steve, gave us this "London Souvenir" as part of our Christmas present (he just came back from studying the semester in Canterbury). It says right on it "London Souvenir." I think its great. I've actually regretted not getting cheesy souvenirs like this while I was in Italy. I could have had a little David statue and a mini model of the Eiffel Tower. I know I've posted about this before, but if Mike and I ever do go on a real vacation, I'm snatching up my cheesy souvenir and creating a travel jar!

It's actually really detailed, I love the double decker bus and the phone booth (that's kinda hidden). The only question is what am I going to do with the "London Souvenir"?

To leave you on a silly note…perhaps this is next year's Christmas card? I know I look doofy, I couldn't put my hat on all the way because I had my hair pulled into buns, but it's still cute. My mom wanted to bring out a leash, but I put my foot down. :P

Halloween Traditions

Mike and I are lucky in the sense that we met young. I mean, we're not like preschool sweethearts or anything, but we were still teenagers when we met (18), became friends (umm, still 18) and then significant others (::cough:: 18 ::cough::). Heck, we even got married young(23), especially since alot of people are waiting until they're almost 30 to marry nowadays.

We've grown up together. We've got to be stupid kids together (remind me to post a picture or two from a Walmart adventure that involved riding in shopping carts and wearing boas). We've also grown alot together. We've watched each other struggle with things. But we've been there to support the other. We're adults now. We have full-time career jobs (well, we may not be that adult, I mean, adults don't distinguish jobs like that, do they?), we each own a car fully in our own names, we own a house.

But we still try to have fun. yes, I nag Mike more than I ever did. But to my defense he's become alot more dependent. I've seen him take care of himself, to live on his own, but now it's difficuly for him to put dirty laundry in the hamper or cut a cooked frozen pizza. But we still have fun. We play board games, we go to batting cages, we play catch (…until Mike starts giving too much "advice").

A few years ago, while we were juniors at ISU, still leaving in the dorms, we started this tradition of carving Halloween pumpkins. That first year was fun, we made basic jack-o-latern faces. And then not even a week later things went very sour. In the damp, humid, festering environment of Atkin-Colby, our pumpkins turned to mush. And molded. And leaked gross pumpkin juice all over the place. Mine lasted longer than Mike's (as us girls we cleaner and more airy), but Mike's room was like a humedor and turned his pumpkin into a science experiment. And that gross pumpkin juice dripped all off the shelf onto his bed.

As a couple we had a few bedding energencies between us, that involved panicked stripping of beds and frantic searches for laundry facilities not in use.

So I'm sure you're wondering how I started out with us being "lucky" and ended up here…

Well, I'm not really sure. That's just kinda how my mind works.

And please stayed tuned in the next day or two. Our lasted weekend adventure has made me incredibly proud of my Mike, and though I have very few pictures, I'd still like to share with you. It's just that these pumpkins were too cool to wait!

My (not so) Secret Confession

This is my girl… Molly.

Some of you have doll houses (which are making me really jealous, by the way, but I don't think I should push my luck with Mike - he already deals with PEZ and American Girl), other people collect porcelian dolls or McDonald's Happy Meal Toys. Like I've said before, I think its good for adults to hold onto a bit of their childhood and the innocence that comes along with it.

When I was in fifth grade, I learned about Pleasant Company American Girl dolls from my best friend, Tara. She had Molly as well. At that time there were only 4 dolls, Samantha (from the Victorian era), Kirsten (a Swedish immigrant during the Pioneer days), Molly (growing up on the homefront while her father was in WWI) and Felicity (a patriot at the beginning of the American Revolution). These babies were catalog-only, and very expensive. But they were great…are great. Wholesome, educational, and adorable.

After reading through the catalog (which was more of a book than a catalog), I decided Molly was the one for me. Not prissy, more of a tom boy, plus she had the best clothes (aka the clothes I would wear). My parents couldn't believe I wanted a doll at all, nonetheless at 10 years old. I was in love. I was always a fan of history and these dolls were all about history. Their stories, the clothes, their furniture, and the way down to their little accessories. Plus I was never one to really care what my peers thought of me. I did my own thing (I wasn't like the weirdo, I just knew what I believed and how I felt, etc). So since my parents thought it was just a phase, a case of trying to keep up with the Joneses, they told me I could get Molly if I saved up for her. So that I did. I'd been babysitting for about a year, Christmas came around too, and I was always very diligent with my money. As my 11th birthday rolled around, I was so close. Close enough that with my expected birthday cash, Molly would be mine.

Much to my surprise, as I opened all my presents at my family birthday party, Molly was there! Along with outfits, more than I could hope for.

And from that moment on, I was hooked. For several years after late, my birthdays and Christmases were American Girl occasions. Always receiving something. As I reached high school, my interests turned to other things, but dear Molly was never banished. In fact, my mom took me to the furniture store and we found a glass front case that would be suitable for storing and displaying Molly and her collection. In 1997, AG released Limited Edition outfits for each girl (which was a total of 5 now), and as a sophomore in high school, I requested this for Christmas(probably). So all during this time, Molly sat displayed in her cabinet, waiting for me, being there when I needed the comfort of childhood.

So since that 11th birthday, I've been hooked. And actually it has progressed and grown as I've aged. My first year in college I "rediscovered" AG and had catalogs sent to my dorm. And by my junior year, I'd visited American Girl Place - Chicago and purchased something with my own money. When I graduated college, I spent the summer and early fall jobless, and then while passing by the AG office on a trip to the Jelly Belly"factory" with my little cousins, I decided to apply for a job there. I had the opportunity of a lifetime for someone obsessed with AG. I spent 6 months working the phones for AG. I had 20% discount, I won AG stuff, even the newest doll-Nellie (who I sold on eBay BIN, for less than she can be bought new because I hate people who rip other people off on purpose on eBay---and bought Kit, the doll that peaked my interest when I "rediscovered" AG). I spent alot of money working there (though my mom moreso), but I also made a lot of extra money between eBaying the giveaways and tacking on small fees for all the favors I did by ordering things for family and neighbors.

And now I'm pretty much obsessed. It was my new year's resolution to finish Molly's Complete Collection. I managed that, then they came out with a new outfit (her roller skating outfit, which she is wearing in the top picture), and now that is all crashing down. American Girl has started making TV movies based on the stories of the dolls, starting in 2004 with Samantha, last year with Felicity, and now this year, Molly. With each movie release, AG release a best friend doll along with new items in the collection for both dolls. So after working so hard for over decade on completing Molly's collection, including one retired item that required me to spend a bit more than I care to admit on ebay, I am now going to fall behind come September 1st. The new doll (Emily) and items premiered last night at AGPNY and AGPLA (and tonight at AGPC), and the loyal followers on the AG Message Board promptly posted photos for all of us to gawk at (I may see if I can get permission to post a couple pics here). And though there is plenty for my to lust after and save for, there are a few items that will probably never make it into my collection. For money and space concerns.

Having a complete collection was fun while it lasted. And now I will move my focus onto Kit, for it has been announced that next year she will be the focus of the movie. But this time it will be a feature film, and I think I'll have to try my hardest to attend her premiere party. Just for the experience. Sure I won't be an 8 year old, or have one in tow, but I've been there. For over half of the lifespan of the company.

And that my friends…is my not-so secret confession, for if you already knew me all this is evidently clear, and if you don't know my personally, this will help get to know me and how my mind works. Some of may be even thinking back to your own American Girl memories, or curious to see what all the hub-bub is about…as I said this weekend to Mike, our friend, Ben and his new girlfriend (who after seeing my displayed dolls, struck up a conversation with some strangers in Chicago about them)…American Girl dolls are a great unifier of girls/women of my generation. We either had them, or wanted them, and the topic can cause people to strike up conversation with complete strangers whether they see a little girl walking down the street with one, or just have them on the mind (like I always do).

In other news, I finally figured out how to take good close-up pictures with our digital camera! Yeah! Well, until WIP Friday most likely…ciao!