Japanese Key Chains

While in Japan, I went through a phase of getting key chains as souvenirs. It was an easy souvenir to get since they're small, sturdy and there was usually a wide variety to choose from. I would get one (or more) at any place I was visiting. I never really thought too deeply about what I would do with them in the future, I just wanted something tangible from the place I was visiting. Basically it was a souvenir for souvenir's sake, as I never actually used any of these key chains. [Sigh.] But some them are interesting to look at:

So Sick of Summer

A couple of months ago I semi-complained about the lackluster summer we’d been having in Oregon with the seemingly never-ending cloudy and cool days. This past week made me regret those words as temperatures were consistently in the mid-nineties and I was absolutely miserable. People who say they love hot weather are people with air-conditioning—and I’m not one of them.

It was a difficult week because of the heat, and it forced me to become both extra busy and extra lazy. The mornings and early afternoons were bearable enough, so I fell into a rhythm of trying to get everything done by 3pm (which wasn’t always possible, but I tried). The evenings were very unpleasant as the heat accumulated indoors leaving me feeling hot and tired and irritable.

Thus evenings became chunks of unproductive time. I lost all motivation to do anything; it was just too much effort to think, let alone move. All I wanted to do was stretch out like a cat in front of the television and eat ice cream (which I did, but it hardly helped me feel much better). I pretty much came to the conclusion that I was sick of summer. I was tired of having a bowl of cereal for dinner because it was too hot to cook. And I was tired of the heat disturbing my sleep. And most of all I was tired of hours being wasted because I was too hot to do anything.

So I’m hoping that the height of summer has finally passed. Yesterday the temperature finally went down a good ten degrees and I look forward to a much cooler week. With more temperate weather brings a more temperate (and more motivated) me, and I’m hoping that I can finally get stuff done. So bring on the clouds…I’ve missed you.

Idiom Calendar

Sometime in April I decided to create an idiom calendar for my “Make Something Present” for this year. I am particularly partial to wordplay and I love idioms. There are idioms for practically every situation and I find some quite amusing. Idioms paint visual pictures with just a few words and I wanted to portray that in my idiom calendar.

DIY: Knotted Yarn Tassel Bracelet

I had extra yarn and thought I could use it in a simple bracelet that revolves around knotting. It’s not very difficult to make, and I think it creates a nice texture and pop of color.

Animals Gone 7 Deadly Sins Calendar

Spring 2010. Although it was early, I thought that I should get started on my “Make Something Present”. I like making calendars, so I wanted to make another and came up with the format first. I wanted to create something with layers, so I decided on using different sized sheets that would go from the smallest size in the front to the largest size in the back.

Once I figured out how the calendar would be put together, I thought about what the calendar should be about. Suddenly it came to me: 7 Deadly Sins. With seven sins, I could divide the months up to two a sheet plus a cover sheet. But I didn’t want it to be a straight up “sins” calendar; I wanted to do something that would amuse me.