Virtual Vacation destination California

I am a bit late on posting this but here is my virtual vacation to California. It was an amazing trip let me tell you. I got to go to disney land and got some tinker bell stationary. Picked up some postcards from alcatraz, never finished the unfinished project (she packed an unfinished project how amazing is that!), my reading material i thought i'd read was hidden away in my towel (which is great for all occasions travel), Yarn that came from places I visited on my rounds of the cali sites, knick nacks from Midieveal Times, stickers from all over. I loved the package. Angela did a great job. She even mailed it in a suitcase she hand covered in retro traveling stickers which is something I have always wanted. She included a great letter which I enjoied to the fullest. I can't wait to use the yarn she sent and share what I make for her and everyone else to enjoy. Thank you Angela for a great virtual Vacation when I needed it most. <3 I aplogize for the opened suitcase picture being so blurry I didn't realize it until I laoded it how fuzzy it was and i have already taken the suitcase contents out and distributed them about my lodgings.

In the background of one of the photos you can see the rasta hat I am currently working on. I unfortunatly am at a stand still on it because I only bought one skein because I thought that was all I would need. Normally I follow that golden rule of buy one skein more than you think you'll need but I was like meh. So of course I ran out of yarn and of course where I got it is out and not going to be getting anymore in. GAH! so I am now on a quest to see if I can find it anywhere else and if I can't if I can find something compatable to finish the hat with. It'll all work out fine it s just an extra bit of leg work to get something good. Anywhoodles. I am going to jet off my brothers are visiting today to check out the college I attend so toodles.

This week has been rather heavy but I do have some goodies to share. I started working for the school maintenance team at the Craft Center to earn some extra bucks in my spare time and when ever I am notvacuuming I get to paint mini murals for different things. Here is a shot of the first one I did.

Other than that I started knitting a rasta hat for my friend Bethany for a trade of one of her scoodies (a hood and scarf combination) that she sews together. I am really excited about the scoodie and also about knitting my first rasta hat. Its a really easy pattern from the looks of it. Talking about projects for other people I have a picture of Andy wearing the scarf I made him. He loves it. Its charcoal grey with Navy Blue stripes that I knit at irregular intervales to give it interest then when it was finished I crocheted a navy border that goes up and down the scarf but
not across the bottom. I think it turned out pretty nice.

Andy's Irregular Stripe Scarf
Yarn: 1 skein each of Lion Brand Yarn Wool Ease in Navy Blue and Charcoal Grey
Pattern: CO 15 Stitches on Size 13 Needle
K1, P1 rib the whole thing, I just knit a stripe til I felt like switching so some are long stripes and others are very short.
Weave in ends
Crochet a row length wise on either side in the one of your stripe colors. I used Navy.
Wallah fin!

R.I.P Amy I miss you

My good friend Amy passed away on Sunday. She had a complication with her pregnancy and it lead to a heart failure. The baby survived which is a miracle since it was due in December but Amy unfortunately didn't. I am still in shock but heart broken at the same time. I just talked to her recently and she was doing great now I'll never get to talk to her again. I miss her already. I am hoping Andy, her husband and the rest of her family are doing ok. I can't even begin to imagine how they feel right now. Her memorial was on Wednesday but I couldn't make it which was really hard for me because I really wanted to be there. I have however gotten in touch with some of Amy and I's mutual friends whole live closer to me and we are going to try to get together to remember her since a good number of them couldn't make it to the memorial either.

The discovery of ones crucial missing things leads to anothers loss

Well for the most part. haha. Kasia said "I know the your pain with disappearing stuff... my grannie always said that it was a devil who covered them with his tail (you know one of Polish folklore) and if you will stop looking for the lost thing, it will surely come up! Works for me :D". She was right of course. This weekend with Nathan visiting and all the craziness with my new job, school and parties I found my glasses and my phone. I have to laugh at their hiding location which was in my closet hanging up in the pockets of some of my sweaters. I'm glad to have them back.

Nathan got here early on Friday and slept while I was at working painting mini murals for maintenance at the school I go too. I paint and vacuum for three hours a day three times a week and it gives me a little extra cash. After work Nathan and I went to my class and radio show, took a nap,went out for sushi with craft townees, attended Joe's moustache party. After which we went to see the dry valley gamblers at Spankies and hung out with Merideth, Jamie, Ben and Kyle.

Saturday we drove to Murpheesburro to visit Nathan's friend Mike. Drove back and attended a festival at IDA, a gay commune in these Smokey mountain hills. It was a blast. We all had a great time until we got back to the car and discovered it had been broken into. The only things that we couldn't find were Lori's purse, Rose's laptop and the beer which I believe they broke into the car to get to in the first place. Everything else that was missing was found this morning in the woods off to the side of the car. Other than us only one other group from IDA has reported anything missing theirs being the car itself being stolen. We've filed police reports and are awaiting any possible news. No one is mad about anything just sad that people can be like that in this world and worried that we won't be able to get the stuff back.

This morning after making breakfast for Nathan we talked of cthulu. Which is where this image of a plushie octopus I got him comes into play. haha I thought it would be funny to have the octopus checking out cthulu on the Internet while Nathan was in the shower so he'd get a giggle when he got out. After Nathan left Lori and I went to IDA to see if we could find anything which we did though only a few of the clothing items that had been stolen. After a hike around IDA we went to Wally world and got tissue paper for a class project and worked on our book projects while watching Nightmare Before Christmas, the Kill, and Office Space.

the strange disapperance of all things crucial

Nathan is coming to visit this weekend. Hurray! I can't wait for him to get here. I finished my scarf for my friend andy. He loves it and I will share pictures as soon as I can find my phone... which went missing this week in my room, along with my glasses which went missing last week. I can also add my drivers lisence to the list of the lost since I haven't been able to find it or the planner I stuck it in since I moved back to school. All I know is that its at my parents house... some where. I can't figure out how I am able to be so especially scatter brained lately. I loose stuff all the time but I can usually find it after a good search but these have just PFFT! disapeared up in to thin air some where. Interestingly enough an earring I haven't been able to find the mate to for the past year now has its mate back... the strange part I found it in the jewlery box that I had ripped apart searching for it in multiple times. It just appeared! I am hoping this same phenomenon will happen with the glasses and phone. As for the drivers lisence I am going to play it safe and go get it replaced.

I am going to apply for a local art scholarship. I hope that I get it. I figure it doesn't hurt to try. We'll see how that goes. I'll keep you posted. they don't decided til December so it'll be a while but I'll still let you know.

Now that Andy's scarf is out of the way I am determined to finish sewing the silk slip and knitting the tourquis sweater. Its cooling off and I totally want to wear it. I wish I had time to do more. I have just been squeezing knitting in between everything. i should probubly start knitting in my art history class since all I doodle in it. Shameful I know but she only tests us on a sheet she gives us so there isn't really any point to take notes unless I am just captured by something she's talking about which is usually an image and they I draw it really quick. So ya. I think I'll start doing that since I'll probubly focus alot more.

The Ultimate Combination EVER

If you haven't seen these yet you have to check them out they are amazing. I found them on Nice Knits page.

Silk Slip

This is what I have been doing for the past little bit. Finishing this top. I am not done yet but its getting decidedly closer. I am using my roommate Jenni's sewing machine since I haven't brought mine up yet. I had to stop once the bobbin thread ran out which was after sewing one cup on so in the picture one of the cups is just pinned and awaiting attachment. I haven't found a bottom fabric yet so I will still need sew that on after I get it. Which I think I'll do this week. I am really excited about finishing it. I hope I can get it done before Nathan gets here so I can wear it for him. He's the one who bought me the book and helped me pick the color of the yarn. I can't wait to show it off for him.

Other stuff. I recently adopted some new monsters from my friend Jamie. They were gifts from her last boyfriend that she doesn't want around as memories so I get to give them a good home. I present to you Big Toe(B.T.), Wedgehead (Wedgie), and the one who can not be named (jamie didn't get to look at the name tag before it got tossed so he is nameless). They are pictured here with Cuddles the penguin whose mate, Snuggles, lives with my boyfriend, Nathan. Yup. I have plushies and I love them.

How I rate

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I am amused that my blog has a g rating. Especially with the recent drag queen party post. Haha. I would have assumed that would have given me a pg rating at the least.

Another day in Craft town, USA

Today I went swimming at Love Colony with Jen, Andy, Mike H., Everette, Abe, and Micheal and his 15 year old dog, Bosco. It was perfect. The weather here is just starting to get the hint of fall. So there is a slight chill but the water was perfect.

After that I watched "Swap Women" a campy movie from the early 60's about a jail break and undercover police woman who is trying to recover some stole diamonds. Its pretty awesome.

Anywhoodles... the whole point of telling you all this was to get to the macrame necklace I made tonight while chillin with Jen, Megan, Renae, Tom, Mike H., Brad, Andy etc... I haven't done macrame since middle school when a girl named Desire (DEZ-ER-RAY) stole all my beads ($300 bucks worth) and just killed my drive to do it any more. Which is a shame because I really loved doing it. Its so fun. So anyways. Tonight I made a necklace and was suprised at how much I remembered. I did it all fro total recall which I think is pretty impressive after having not do this in over 10 years. So anywho... the picture is of Jen wearing it since I gave it to her. Had ot share because I was so excited about remembering how to do it.

Meet Tara Dactyll

This thursday was my roommates Sophie's "Schools a Drag" drag queen party. I have to say the most amazing party ever. It had cupcakes, wax lips, two dance floors, a pole on the lower level dance floor, a kareoke machine in the upstairs dance floor, spiked punch, hula hooping and then a ton of people in drag. I came as a girl dressed as a boy dressed as a girl because I love drag queens and seriously believe if I were a boy I would totally have to be one simply because they are that fabulous. So here is a shot of me as "Tara Dactyll". I wish you could see my boots in this shot. They were gold faux snake skin stilleto boots with camel color faux fur trim that I got for a dollar brand spankin' new at Rugged Warehouse. AMAZING! plus my uber hip hop earrings are hiding in my hair. They are these giant gold bamboo hoops that say "baby girl" in cursive across the hoop. haha. I love them and I am going to wear them so, so much.

Pipe cleaner mini me

Last night I went to Knoxville with my friend Merideth to go see Andrew Bird. The show was awesome! I got to meet the band memebers and have them sign my ticket stub too which made my week amazing. Merideth took pictures of us with them as well so when I get those from her I'll post them for you guys to see. I bought 2 LP's a cd and a long sleeve-t which means on top of the amazing chips and avacado/ atichoke dip, prickily pear margarita and mango margarita I spent way to much money in one evening for a college student with no job to spend.

Earlier that day in my Art Applications class I finished my "mini me" project. Its a project we can teach to kids as a reflective tool. We basically build ourselves out of pipe cleaners. It was fun and quick. Here is myself if I lived in a pipe cleaner world. All I can think of is Micheal Gondry. Can't you just imagine him making a movie with pipe cleaner people? The mini Heidi is now living a life as a dash board element since I can't think of a better place for a mini person to chill out.


I went to my parents for my brother Christian's birthday on Saturday. He just turned 20.

That is about all I have accomplished. I am almost done with Andy's scarf. I hope he likes it. I made it navy and charcaol grey striped. The stripes are irregular which I had fun with and I think he'll like but we'll see. I should be done with it by the end of the week I hope.

I still need to finish that top. I just haven't had a slow minute to just pull out the iron and get it all together. I am determined to get it done though.

The beginning

School and life have been slightly demanding for the past two weeks. My car is dead. I am now driving my brothers, school is really easy this semester. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Nathan is awesome and I love him. uh... I started a new scarf for a friend who is driving me around this semester so I can save gas and he gave me a glass vase that he blew. He's a glass blower. I still need to fuse and sew the pieces for the silk tank. I am planning to have that finished by the time Nathan visits so he can appreciate it since he bought me the book. <3

I haven't received my package from my virtual vacation buddy which makes me sad. But I think she's busy right now so I am going to drop her a line and see how she is. We've both been kind of MIA.

Hmmm.... I am rather amused because I am in college and for two of my classes we are doing middle school art projects in class. Haha they are fun classes and for art education so these are just showing us how to use projects like these to teach but it still feels like if my dad knew he was paying for me to do this he'd be pissed. hehe Here is the Beaded guardian that I made today.