Yo La Tejo

This 'n that. And a meme.

Hoo, boy. It's been a while since I've posted, and while I haven't made much progress on my Sahara, I've been kept busy with lots of other little projects, here and there.

It's been the busiest gift season for me since Christmas, what with baby showers and Mother's Day. A little knitting, a little sewing, and a little painting, and I got through it...I even managed to work on a little something for myself:
Yay! I finally tried freezer paper stencils, after watching everyone else turn out adorable projects. This is a stencil of a graphic from one of my favorite local bands, Maneja Beto. They haven't gotten around to making and selling band t-shirts yet, so I finally decided to take matters into my own hands.

I have a sticker that I based this sketch on, and then traced that sketch onto the freezer paper. I love the way it turned out! I've now washed it, and the only small problem is that the paint is cracking a little where the ribs are on the tank top.

You should also know that I brightened this picture with Snipshots, an online photo editing tool that one of y'all turned me on to (sorry! I can't remember exactly who it was, but I'm very grateful!). It's got limited capabilities, but it's great because you don't have to go through the hassle of creating an account or anything like that. You just upload your picture, fix it, and save it back to your computer.

I was so happy with the stencil that when my friend Lena got a baby shower invitation that specified "homemade gifts only," I helped her paint some onesies with a giraffe and an elephant stencil I found here. I think we had the most fun we've had crafting since kindergarten fingerpainting. I got the same shower invitation, but I just finished the Pasha I was working on and wrapped it up. I didn't get any pictures for the blog, but both gifts were a big hit, and I actually think that the mom-to-be might hoard Pasha for herself!

And here is an apron I made from Lotte Jansdotter's Simple Sewing:

This is for a friend's mom, for Mother's Day. She and I were shopping at Williams-Sonoma and she was admiring an expensive, overpriced apron. I joked that I'd make it for her and only charge her half, and she got excited and asked me to do it. We went straight to Jo-Ann's and she picked out this pretty home decorating fabric, and because the apron is reversible, we got some lightweight cotton for the other side. I modified the pattern slightly by adding a pocket and trimming the top and bottom edges with bias tape.

I really love this book! I joked with Karen, who made me want the book in the first place, that some of the patterns seem sort of ridiculous (napkin? Um, isn't that just a square?), but the simple patterns are definitely a good place for beginners to practice their straight seams.

I mostly bought the book for the tote bag and the duvet cover (um, isn't that just a really big square?), but all of the designs are adorable and practical--now I want to make the wall organizer, the magazine holder, the bedside pocket, the sun hat... I'm sure the book will keep me busy for a while.

Whelp, it looks like the 7 random things meme is making the rounds again, and Nancy tagged me this time. In fairness, Marisa tagged me a few months ago with the 6 weird things meme, but since I couldn't think of anything weird or eccentric about me (ahem), I'll let this one count for both.

Seven Random Things About Me

1. My childhood names were Cookie and Lili. My niece now calls me Tia Cookie.

2. When I walk into stores like Banana Republic or J. Crew, I have to touch everything I'm interested in, and sometimes I pick things up and smell them. Silk and leather smell the best to me.

3. I've had the same pair of Rollerblades for 12 years, although I've switched out the wheels once. I still use them, but have lately been considering an upgrade.

4. I hate bathrooms on airplanes and refuse to go unless an accident is imminent.

5. I love horror movies, but am having a hard time watching them alone the older I get. I'm borrowing my friend's husband to see 28 Weeks Later tonight, because all of my other friends are too chicken to see it.

6. I love nothing better than to organize someone else's mess, but hate cleaning my own desk/office/apartment.

7. I've only had two "real" vacations in my adult life, which I call those trips that had nothing to do with visiting friends or family: Grand Cayman and Paris. I'm about to take my third in June...Cancun! Yay! With my friend Jennifer and her lovely family, who agreed to let me tag along on their annual vacation. I. CANNOT. WAIT.

I'll tag Jennifer and La Rebelde. If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged!

posted by Olga @ 2:36 PM