Sewing Rabbit Team - Handmade Holidays

The ladies of the Sewing Rabbit Team have put together the coolest collection of tutorials/DIYs that can be used for gifts this holiday season!

Check it out here! (It's like a mini-magazine!)

Girl Sewing

I have to first say, I had no idea I had been doing this much sewing... I mean, I sew as often as I have time, so I guess it just makes sense that the stack of kids clothing I am accumulating would begin to get rather large since I have yet to make something for anyone other than my kids, but wow.

I'm posting this to share the patterns I have been using lately. There is so much awesome stuff out there for toddler-aged kids and older, but the pattern selection is slimmer for infants for the kind of PDF patterns I love to buy. But I have found a few good ones!

1 and 2. Both these dresses were made using Rae's free Itty Bitty Baby Dress Pattern.
3. This is a dress from the Baby Basics Pattern Bundle from Shwin Designs. (I have a few of their other patterns that are for older children and can't wait to try them out.)
4. This is the Raglan Dress Pattern I blogged about before by Brindille and Twig. I am posting this one again because I got the colors right this time. :) Better photo.

5. Brindille and Twig again. This time the Baby Shirt Pattern with a ruffle added to the bottom to make it a tunic.

6. Brindille and Twig. Faux Pocket Baby Pants. Love these faux pockets. Also pictured with these pants is a little turban headband I made. There are a gazillion tutorials online for these, but I kind of just did my own thing.

7 and 8. Both these hoodies are from a pattern by Brindille and Twig. The first one was an utter disaster. (It's also the reason you might hear me call baby girl a swamp creature, because seriously, look at that fabric. Moss queen, much?) I picked this fabric up at Hancock because it was funky and on clearance. I don't know if I'll ever sew with something like this again. It's velour or something and such a freaking nightmare to work with. The hood is so off-centered because of how slippery that garbage was, that I don't know if I'm shameless enough to put it on my daughter when she comes. Version #2 (image number 8) with the stripey sleeves with the black sparkly fabric turned out much better. :)

9 and 10. This top and dress are both made from the Polly Peasant Dress & Blouse pattern by the gal over at Sew Much Ado. I would definitely recommend this pattern to everyone because not only is it incredibly easy to sew, but the size range is incredible! 0-3 month to size 6! I did lengthen the sleeves a little and left out the elastic on them. This pattern includes an option for a scalloped hem which I'm pretty excited to try in the future.

And in case you noticed, there is not a Geranium in sight. Sadly, I have yet to purchase that pattern, but hopefully that will be remedied before too long. It's definitely on my gigantic pattern wishlist.

Thanks for reading!

Creative Intiative: Week 1

I decided to join in on the Creative Initiative. This week's theme was a "free sketch", so I just drew what came to mind when I thought of creativity. I don't know about you guys, but for a really long time, I felt too vulnerable sharing the things I had created with others and most of what I doodled stayed hidden in a sketchbook in my bedroom. We are inspired to create by things that we love. And a lot of heart goes into those creations. I love this project because I think it will help a lot of otherwise shy creators share what they are capable of. 

I hope it's okay that I created this drawing digitally. One of the rules is to draw something in your "sketch book". I can do that next week, but 1) I didn't see that before I started this and 2)I don't use a sketch book the way most artists do, although I know I need to be better about that. This will help me use more paper for my art. :)

Be sure to check out the other awesome stuff people have created.

Fantasizing About Fashion... Again

I took a break from my freelance work this evening (ALMOST DONE!) to draw some fun little fantasy outfit illustrations. I've been super excited about clothes lately (which is highly unusual for me). I'm sure it's because I'm sewing and realizing that I can actually try to replicate some of the style from my favorite brands without having to rent my shed as a living space or take out a loan. 

I recently discovered the genius Tina Givens. I instantly fell in love with the whimsical and yet simple designs she sells as patterns on her website. They reminded me so much of some of the stuff you can order from Anthropologie and Free People and I was overwhelmed with the possibilities. 

Try to ignore how inaccurately these drawings portray my figure...lol.

The top for the first outfit is inspired by a Free People shirt. I haven't seen leggings like those anywhere, so if I ever decide to make some I may have to paint my own stripes. My sister has some rockin' pants with vertical stripes and I've been in love with them ever since I saw then on her tiny butt. These mary janes (from UO) are on my wishlist, so I decided to add them to my illustration for that first outfit.

The second outfit looks comfy enough to sleep in... I bought my first infinity scarf today which is why I included one on this outfit. I love the darn thing and decided I need to make myself a bunch more. That's another Free People shirt, but I thought it would be fun to see how something like that would look layered over a Tina Givens dress or slip that was made from a light linen. I'm in love with the idea. (Not very practical for nursing, though....Hm.)

Anyway, it was a fun, relaxing drawing exercise, and I'll probably do more in the future.
All this sewing/fashion dreaming has me wondering about things like dyeing fabric, fabric paint brands and garbage like that.

Preparing the Two Year-Old

I'm a little anxious to see how things will go for Parley when baby girl shows up in a few weeks. I have so many emotions about my little boy and the fact that he is about to become a big brother, that they are practically spilling over. It's hard for me to imagine loving another little person like I love Parley. But, I know I will and I'm so excited. But I am a little nervous about this adjustment for all of us.

Parley has been my best friend since the day he was born and I want him to always feel that way. I've read several articles and received sage advice from family and friends which I'm sure will help us through the transition. The more Parley grows and the more I see his personality emerge (not that it hasn't been full-blown since like his second week of life...) the more excited I am for him to be a big brother. I don't know a more affectionate person.

About a week ago, Parley received a very thoughtful gift for his second birthday from his darling aunt. She really nailed it with this one. She gave him the gift bag to open and after removing the tissue paper to discover what was inside he squealed. It was a cute little stuffed leopard (he could be a jaguar, but we're going with leopard at this point) and an extremely soft and perfectly small Mickey Mouse blanket. I'm sure she intended the blanket to be for Parley to snuggle himself in along with his new stuffie, but to Parley that blanket has been the one thing that keeps his "baby", the leopard, warm and cozy at night time.

Try to ignore the mess in the background...

Now, I bring this experience up because I'm pretty confident that this leopard is going to be a huge help in the near future. :) You see, Parley IS baby leopard's daddy as far as he is concerned. He tucks him into a little basket-turned-baby-bed each night next to his own bed and smothers him with kisses. He even pretends to share his bedtime drink with him. And "baby" must always be wrapped up in the little blanket. Yes. It's very cute. And not only has it really helped me get Parley in bed each night without much wrestling, I think it might help when the "other baby" decides to drop in.

I'm planning on trying to have something for Parley at the hospital as a gift from the new sis and doing my best to make sure he is still my main man. But I am sure grateful for tender mercies and thoughtful sisters-in-law who unknowingly do things like this for me.

Because it's you I like...

My Wardrobe To-Do Board

So, this pregnancy is coming to a close. Rapidly. In fact, the whole ordeal has come and gone rather quickly, but that's one of the perks of already having a kid during your pregnancy. I'm sure those that follow will be similar.

The light at the end of the tunnel has made me consider my clothing a little more. I don't really have enough time left to justify expanding my belly wardrobe, so I've been planning fantasizing about what I'd like to have in my wardrobe for after baby girl makes her debut. I say "fantasizing" because there is one major problem with my particular taste in clothing... I'm cheap.

Check out my "fashion" board on pinterest:

Follow Clothes Stress Me Out by Andrea Hatch on Pinterest

You may notice that the majority of the clothes I've pinned are from Free People, which is outrageously expensive. I have ordered exactly one article of clothing from their website and will probably hold on to it forever to justify the shameful amount of money I scraped out of my paypal account for it. (Did I mention that I'm super cheap?)

So, what is the solution? Well, I could either go out and get a job that I would probably hate and order one or two things a month, or I can put my new sewing skills to use and start making my own FP inspired stuff. Enter the "clothing pattern" board. It's a great age for seamstresses. There are so many great patterns available to us. Sure, you can find a lot of really cool stuff that is probably easy to modify from Butterick, McCalls, etc, but have you SEEN all of the amazing independant pattern designers out there and the patterns their churning out like rainbow butter?!

And all the amazing Japanese pattern books!? I WANNA CATCH THEM ALL!

Follow Creating My Wardrobe by Andrea Hatch on Pinterest
So, there's a pretty good chance that sometime in the future my nightly sewing with yield more than just kids clothes and altered shirts for my husband. Hopefully I will be good enough eventually to stop buying most clothing items and make them for myself. I mean, you can even get some pretty darn cute lingerie patterns...

Happy Halloween - Spoonflower Contest Top Ten

 

I got an exciting email this morning from the cool people at Spoonflower! After a week of voting, my Victorian Ghosties design made it into the top ten for this weeks Ghost themed fabric design contest!

I was pretty excited to see that most of the designs that made it in the top ten were designs I had voted for! I am especially fond of the winning design. I love the colors and the idea.

Here is what my design looked like.

While I was getting this screenshot I noticed that a photo of the printed fabric had been uploaded. I almost screamed. I definitely need to get my hands on some of this fabric! And how fun to get this awesome news on Halloween morning! This was the first design I had entered into a competition on Spoonflower and only my second design to be uploaded at all. Maybe if I keep trying, one of these weeks I'll win the competition and score that $100 to order beautiful Spoonflower fabric with! 

In other news, I continue to stay happily busy with freelance work and preparing for the swamp creature I am about to give birth to. (More on that soon.) I've also been sewing like a mad person since it's so calming to me. (Most of the time.) Well, I better get back to work. I've wasted most of naptime revamping this blog and writing this post. Not a waste, really, but y'know.

KCW: Baby Raglan Dress (Another Brindille and Twig Patter I love)

Well Kid's Clothes Week just ended and I had a lot of fun working on kid's clothing projects for one hour each evening. I was able to finish two complete garments and get a lot of pattern cutting/taping done. I'm also half-way through a darling dress for the daughter. (I'm going to keep calling her that because I have no idea what we're going to name her anymore...)

This is my favorite project for this week:

I have every intention of uploading better photos of this baby dress. The style is a sort of oversized sweater that I will probably pair with some funky colored leggings. 

The Good:

- This Pattern. Plain and simple. It's easy, straight forward and absolutely DARLING.

- My fabric. Which is actually THIS jersey cotton blend from Girl Charlee. This new journey of sewing clothes for my kids has been full of knit fabric. I have absolutely no fear of knits and neither should you if you want to try sewing. Having a really cool serger helps, too, but is not necessary. Also, ribbing is fun. I need to accumulate a much bigger stash of ribbing with a lot more colors.

- I plan to make a few more of these with some funky color/pattern combinations with the pockets and sleeves. And in different sizes so the daughter can wear them a lot. I just LOVE this pattern.

The Bad:

- I only had one real blunder with this dress and it was 100% my fault. I was finishing this project up around midnight and was extremely tired. I was on the very last step, attaching the ribbing on the bottom of the dress, and I had completely zoned out. SO! The big seam which is supposed to be nicely hidden in the back of the garment is front and center for all to see. Unfortunately, I serged it on and was way too lazy/tired to unpick the darn thing and it's going to stay that way. Oh well!

Free Printable: Latter-Day Prophets!

Some of you may have seen this little print when I had it available in my Etsy shop last year. I no longer sell it so I decided to make it available for download! With General Conference right around the corner, I thought it might be fun to add to any activities you have your kids do for Conference. (Bingo, etc.) It's availble at Scribd for free as a PDF. Enjoy!

Latter-Day Prophet Printable

2013 October GC

I am so excited for General Conference. I just wanted to remind everyone that it's super soon and to get excited with me! Now, my little graphic isn't entirely accurate. The General Relief Society Broadcast (which only happens in October) is actually this weekend on Saturday at 6:00 pm. I haven't made it to one of these in a couple of years, so I'm excited to go.

Click here for the times for the general sessions!

Have a fantastic week everyone! I'm hoping to get a cute Halloween printable up this week, also, but until then...!

After Midnight Again

I couldn't bring myself to write clock the way Parley really pronounces it.

The Hatch family is doing well. We're all feeling extremely blessed as of late. I'm particularly excited that the holidays are just around the corner. I've been too busy filling virtual shopping carts with faux cobwebs and creepy cloth to keep up with my blog. 

But in all seriousness, I have been busy. And busy is a blessing. (Especially right after beginning trimester three of pregnancy number two.) I wish I could show you some of the artwork I have been busy creating, but that will have to wait for now. I'll be sure to have some stuff up on the blog in the next week or so since the holidays really are so soon. I'm thinking more printables and such, but we'll see. I also have a few tutorials in mind for little sewing projects I have planned.

I've been reading Not My Will, but Thine by Neal A. Maxwell in my spare time and it has been really nice. The way the book is written is really so modern and quite refreshing. And of course, the content is a good, uplifting boost of "Fear not; God loves you a lot a lot a lot a lot". Which is something we all need to be reminded occasionally, right?

Until next time! (I'm going to sleep. Why do I do this to myself...)

SHAMELESS PLUG: There's still time to get the early bird special for my Custom Christmas Cards! They're super fun this year and I've already had several orders! Click here to find out more!

Craft Inpiration - Paper Source Glasses

I received the latest Paper Source catalogue this morning. I haven't ordered anything from them in a while, but this catalogue is such a great source of inspiration that I usually carry them around my house for a few weeks. As I was flipping through it today the owl glasses caught my eye.

Now, let me say that last night, I stayed up too late finishing another clipart set for my shop. This time featuring a parliament of particularly goofy looking owls. So, I already have owls on the brain.

Check out the whole set here.

Well, naturally, I thought to myself "How can I get MY owls on a glass like that!?" I would love to have my own set of quirky owl glasses, but I'd love to use my own artwork. So, I think one of these days I might have to give some glass paint a try and do some spiffing up of thrift or dollar store glasses. Martha Stewart has a fancy line of glass paints which come in a variety of colors an finishes, but like most of her craft stuff they are quite pricey. Does anyone have any experience with glass paints? I'd love to hear what you think.

I just might have to do a tutorial on this in the next couple of months if I ever get around to trying it myself.

Tutorial: Customizing PNG Clipart - A Photoshop How-To

There is a lot of really great clipart out there for free or can be purchased! I even have some in my own Etsy Shop! My own clipart is designed to be easy to customize. I do provide several different color options for each element in my premade clipart packs, but I know that for me personally, I would like to have the freedom to make purchased clipart work for ANY project I might have in the future. This is why I decided to include the transparent .PNG lineart in my clipart packs. Check this out:

The thing that is really exciting about having the lineart files with no background is that it gives you a lot of freedom. You can easily fill the lines in with any color of your choice and even change the color of the lineart itself. This makes it easy to get a perfectly matching bow for your cute blog graphic, invitation, etc. 

I'm going to show you my favorite ways to do this in Photoshop and then I will make a separate post for using GIMP for anyone who doesn't own Photoshop. :)

I am using Photoshop CS3 for this tutorial, but this technique should work for any version of PS you may currently be using.

We'll start with the clipart element you'd like to customize.

(I added a white background layer to make the bow easier to see.) First I'll show you how I add color to my lineart.

I always keep my lineart and colors on separate layers. Create a layer below the layer your lineart is on and call it "color". (Or whatever you want. Some of my layer names get kind of crazy when I've got more than 20.)

Now, I actually fill color in like a coloring book with my tablet and neatly color inside the lines, but since I know most of you probably don't have tablets, I'll show you how I did in my pre-tablet days. Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool from the toolbar. The hotkey for this is "L". If your lasso button looks different, simply right click on the button and select the Polygonal one from the drop-down menu.

Trace the linart (around the outside edge) with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. I did mine in two sections, but you can trace the whole thing at once. 

Once you have made your selection, select the Paint Bucket Tool from the toolbar. I think the default for this button is the Gradient Tool, so you will have to right click on the button to have the option of using the Paint Bucket Tool. Click inside your selection with the Paint Bucket Tool and VIOLA! A newly colored clipart.

And if you can imagine in, coloring the lineart is even easier. Make sure your lineart layer is selected. 

Now, for one of my very favorite (and most used) tools in Photoshop.

You see that teeny tiny checkered box in the layers window? That is the "Lock Transparent Pixels" button and it's seriously one of the most important tools I use for creating digital art. What this will do is make it so that the only thing you can make changes to on this layer are pixels which are NOT transparent. So, since my lineart is the only thing drawn on this layer, the lineart is the only thing which can be altered. So, I dare you to click on it. 

Once you have clicked that button to activate the "Lock Transparent Pixels" all you have to do is fill your layer with your desired color. I use the hotkey "Shift + Backspace" (Foreground Color, Normal, 100%) to fill, but the clicking on the lineart with the Paint Bucket Tool works, too. 

If you look at the clipart pack that this bow comes in, you may notice that I combine both these techniques for a softer look. I love using colored lineart in my artwork and you'll see it in almost everything I do, even my big, complicated illustrations.

Now, go. Use your new Photoshop knowledge and make something fabulous.

Free Articulated Doll Craft - PDF

So, I've been busy working on new products for my etsy shop. I've decided to really embrace my inner kid and start making craft printables/kits for younger people. I spent the morning assembling one of my Halloween Articulated Paper Dolls, and had so much fun doing it, that I decided that it's something I'm going to make more of them for my shop. (Think party themes, holidays, etc.)

To kind of kick this whole DIY/Printable PDF movement off for Galactytes, I am making a cute autumn girl paper doll available for free! You can download her by clicking the image below.

She's extremely easy to put together.

○ Bust out your favorite coloring tools. I used crayons, but colored pencils would also work great! (We also did a few with markers.) Color your cute autumn lady.

○ Carefully cut her out.

○ Punch holes on the little X's. This paper doll is designed for smaller brads, so I would recommend using a smaller punch as well. I have this set and used the 1/16" punch for this craft, but the 1/8" would be fine, too.

○ Create the joints and attach the limbs to the body with your brads.

○ Position your darling creation however you like and VIOLA! 

Check out my shop here:

Just buy me an old warehouse.

I'd imagine that a lot of new brides have a pretty good idea of the style of home decor they like. Well, thank goodness for Pinterest or I would have never figured out what I like. I've been married for three years and I'm just now beginning to understand what my taste is like.

Let me first say, that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to live in a small house. I have no idea how long we'll live here (could be forever, I guess), but I have learned to think harder about how I utilize space and the important of "less is more". I hope to someday buy a house that I just can't fill right away. And not because it will be gigantic, but because I will have purged all unnecessary possessions from my life.

Anyway, a while after creating my dream home board on Pinterest, I went back to see what I had been pinning over the months and it became quite obvious that I favor the good old industrial-modern style. Combine that with stark white walls (and exposed brick of course) and you've got a palace fit for me. And boy, I love me some exposed beams/vents/ducts in the ceiling combined with factory windows.

Anyhoo, here's hoping Pax and I have years of discipline and sacrifice ahead of us. ;) Gotta make this dream happen!

Brindille and Twig Sewing Patterns

We are having a baby girl in December. Yes, I'm ecstatic. Yes, I'm a little nervous about how much more money I'm going to be tempted to spend on this kid than the darling son I already have. There is just so much out there for girls. Dresses, leggings, headbands, cute little everythings. It's overwhelming enough that I've been able to refrain from draining our bank account for this Hatchling who still has 14 weeks to bake. (Well, almost. Paying for the delivery two months in advance has been brutal.)

However, Baby S has inspired me to start sewing. This wasn't originally in an effort to save money. I find sewing therapeutic and I have been wanting to make clothes for a long time. I have a hard time spending money on clothing and sewing give you the opportunity to have something just the way you want it. Color, pattern, fabric, all of that. And I love that. That being said, I think I can create personal, unique clothing for my family and do it on a budget.

So, I made some leggings//
I have been sifting through the many baby legging tutorials/patterns on pinterest for a couple of months. There are a lot of great ones out there, but nothing seemed to be exactly what I needed. For starters, a lot of these patterns were supposed to based off of pants you have for your child already. And most of them were patterns for one size, to be modified by you, the seamstress. I don't know about you guys, but patterns are already incredibly intimidating to me. I didn't want to waste time and fabric on that. I was looking for something legit. In desperation, I searched newborn/toddler legging patterns on Etsy.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot. Sewing friends, head over to Brindille and Twig and give the brilliant Melissa Hendrickson ALL of your money. The woman is an absolute genius. Not only are these patterns convenient PDF's, which means you're not wasting any sizes of your pattern by cutting out the tiniest one, but they are easy to read/understand and a breeze to sew. I immediately purchased two patterns. The first was her Baby Leggings. Okay, obviously this lady knows how to display her patterns. The fabric she chose for each of her products could make ANYONE want to sew. But the thing that finalized the deal for me was the fact that both these patterns range from size 0-3 month to 2/3T. Again, jackpot.

The fabric I used is from the Doodles Collection at Joann. It was on sale and these pants are tiny, so I had a ton of leftover fabric.
I finished this masterpiece in less than 30 minutes. Needless to say, I will be make more. Many, many more.

Pax asked me why they were "half crotch" and I had to remind him about diaper butt.
Hah. I love baby clothes.

And then the scariest thing I have ever sewn//
The second pattern I bought was the Envelope Neck Tee.
I'm just going to say quickly, as someone who hasn't really sewn in several years, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. I'm sure the cute example shirts listed in the shop had a hand in this, but perhaps I just felt like pushing myself. Not only does this garment have real SLEEVES, but the whole envelope nonsense going on that we all love on babies onesies/shirts. I'm SO glad I went for it, though. This shirt was easy to make.

Obviously, it's not perfect and I'm definitely going to invest in a serger since I've got the knit fabric bug, but I am very proud of how this turned out. The grey fabric I bought for this shirt required a LOT more of my patience, but it's soft and drapey and will make a great tee for my girl.

Let me also just add, really quick, that I was dreading the whole ribbing situation on this shirt. BUT! My rotary cutter and cutting mat made that a cinch and the rest was a piece of cake.

So, I'm going to wrap this up, because it's already really long, but the bottom line is, sewing is extremely rewarding and I'm excited to get even better at it. If I can get those tiny sleeves on that shirt made of extremely stretchy fabric, then by golly I can make whatever the cuss I want. Bam.

I'm most excited about the fact that both these pattern are no doubt going to be utilized for Parley too. Onward!

Please go check out Brindille and Twig. 

This is the pattern I'm getting next!

Cakes and Pretty Shoes

Posted a garbage drawing of Lizzie Bennett on facebook and my awesome cousin, Caroline suggested I draw Marie Antoinette.

Okay, I probably would have drawn Marie purely for the opportunity to draw that ridiculous hair, but the truth is, this was sort of like a "measure my progress" piece. When I first got my tablet I was experimenting with techniques and what not and the cake lady was the first real portrait I drew. And by "real portrait" I mean full on start to finish drawing which I considered to be complete. I was so impressed with myself at the time that I turned her into a wallpaper which is probably still on my personal account on my parents' computer. Anyway! I am quite fond of how this turned out, but I wouldn't go as far as to make myself stare at it everytime I boot up.

Well, I should probably hit the sack (browse pinterest) because it's kinda late.
Bye.

Lady Locke

More garbage I stayed up way too late to draw.

Bye.

Craftpot

I need more money so I can screenprint, sew, paint, and all that other crafty crap I've had on my mind for the past year.

Wanna gimme some money? I'll trade a drawing for money.

Just a little warm-up drawing inspired by the little witch I've been drawing.
Maybe she makes candy.

Sera

Midnight drawings. Sometimes good stuff happens!

Sera, my original character doing what she does best. Reading instead of making potions.

Blimp Tops for Women Who Already Feel Like Blimps.

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate these gloriously ridiculous maternity patterns I just stumbled upon?

Hair Just Don't Care

I'm getting a much needed haircut on Friday. Hopefully it will be worth the guilt of paying someone to do it for me. I'm grateful that there are hairdressers who know how to make us all look absolutely fabulous and I totally think they deserve every penny they earn, but wow hair can be a frustrating thing when you're broke.

Oh well.

Hip hip hooray, though for busting the old copic markers out. I want to get more because I LOVE how pretty they are. I drew this little doodle on one of my 3x5 (or 4x6 I'm not sure). I like how these little doodles turn out, so I'm going to try to do them more often. :)

Nanlew & Meekakitty Tee

Submitted this to Tessa and Shawna's tee design contest a few months back. Been sitting on it for so long that I decided to go ahead and upload it to the blog.

I could probably do a much better one now that it's been a while since I've looked at this, but it's still a fun little drawing. 

Both these girls are hilarious.

New Web Design and a Late Night

I can't believe I am still awake.
I am going to be so pissed at myself tomorrow morning.

And yet here I am, after 2am, writing a blog post.
Updated my website tonight with a LOT of help from my fabulous husband.
Here's his cool website, www.paxhatch.com.

Good night.

Elantris

I am on a Brandon Sanderson spree. My husband purchased the entire mistborn trilogy a while back and told me he thought they were good. I had never heard of it, but was in need of something new to read so I dove in. And BOY am I glad I did.

I blew through those tomes faster than I've ever read anything. (It helps that I was reading them on kindle and didn't realize how long they each were, but wow, I don't think it would have mattered.)

I love a good author who can create so many unique and relateable characters.

Yesterday I finished Elantris. It's been a really long time since I have read a single book that isn't part of some epic series/trilogy. I found it refreshing. Elantris was long (which seems to follow suit for Mr. Sanderson), but again, it was enjoyable enough to keep reading.

Brandon definitely deserves credit for his ability to create kick butt female characters, too. And the love stories/relationships between his characters so far have been so believeable and still dreamy.

I'm working on The Way of Kings right now and excited that it's meant to be part of a HUGE series.

But, I absolutely recommend his books to anyone who likes a good fantasy/science fic novel.

Rant 001

I created this blog today because I need some creative warming up before I dive in for my naptime today.
I think I need a studio of some sort. I wish I could convert the gigantic shed in our backyard into a functional art studio so that I'd have a quiet place to work and concentrate.

I've been having a hard time balancing all of my projects. I think I got overwhelmed and basically shut it all out. But, an honest sit-down with my husband the other night helped me realize that I need to get out of my funk and decide what I want to do with my art.

And a reality check from me, surprisingly, revealed that I need to calm the heck down. I tend to have an idea and dive ALL the way in. Maybe that sounds like what you're supposed to do, but for me it doesn't work. I'm doing it right now as I write this blog post. After writing that sentence I sat here staring at the wall wondering if I'm jumping around too much with my thoughts in this particular post. Like it matters if someone actually reads this and doesn't understand what I'm talking about.

I need to stop caring what people think.
Who am I writing for? You?

Sorry, but no. I'm writing for me. This isn't so I can become a famous mommy blogger and change the world with my half [beep] writing. I'm actually doing this for myself to help me think and just word vomit all over the internet. Sure, there are places where I put a lot of thought into what I put out there, my webcomic for example is my baby and I do care that people read it and how they feel about it. But this blog. This blog which was created only moments ago on a whim (like everything else I do) is about me. Sure, I plan to share stuff about my life for anyone who feels like reading, but I don't really expect or care that anyone does.

So, let this be the last impulsive thing I do for a while. I need to be deliberate and careful. With my time. With my commitments. With everything me.

I think I do have time for all of the things I want to accomplish in the next few months. I just need to stop wasting time with things like Netflix and video games. I think I was using them as an excuse. It made me feel like I was having some kind of emotional crisis and that I just didn't feel like doing the one thing I love the most, but the truth is probably that I was just being lazy.

I'm done.