Gum Drop Tree

Every Christmas as a child, we'd pull up to my grandparents' house, and there in the yard, the gum drop tree had bloomed. Gum drop trees bloom once a year on Christmas day.

This year was my nephew's first Christmas. He experienced his first Santa visit, first crazy and over the top gift opening extravaganza with my insane (yet loving) family and his first gum drop tree. Like me and my brother as kids, he doesn't yet know to question if gum drops can really grow on trees, he just wanted to eat some gum drops.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas!

It's a Santa Christmas

Last week I got to see Santa with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. It's my nephew's first Christmas. He's so adorable, I can't get enough of him.

BSTW vol. 4

Dos Cielos' new packaging is amazing. I love it. Those squiggles are awesome.

One of my favorite blogging ladies, Katrina from Pugly Pixel, have a tutorial on glitter magnets. They look like so much fun!

Love these Mr. C's Chocolates. They're funny and awesome. Not to mention simple.

Beautiful embroidery created for the Paula Ledesma store opening.

Geometric Prism necklace, divine!

I have no idea where I'd ever wear them, but I am pining for these amazing glitter shorts from Spool No. 72.

I love Betty Crocker's redesign. It's really cute and fun while still adhering to the brand's identity.

Have a lovely weekend!

A Gift Guide For Knitters: Don't Buy Us Yarn

I've been perusing knitting gift guides online, and I don't think that the people making the lists are actual knitters. I've seen yarn at the top of the list several times. While yarn does seem like the obvious choice for the voracious knitter in your life, never get her yarn (unless specified which kind and how many skeins). While the thought is super sweet and thank you so much, we can't make anything with one skein. It will sit in the box under my bed with all of my other single skeins I just had to have at that yarn sale (that I've now moved into 3 or 4 apartments and never used).

In that light, here are some awesome things every knitter can use and appreciate. With these items on hand, she can save her money (and patience) for that next big knitting project.

1. Harmony Interchangeable Knitting Needles (I have these and they are amazing) $69.99

2. Knitting Chart Keeper (I can't chart without it) $14.99

3. Twinkle's Big City Knits (One day, I will have this book. It's been on Christmas lists for, no joke, 6 years) $17.99

4. Herdy Stitch Markers $13.00

5. Lamb Tape Measure (I'm on my 3rd. Cat pulled the head off the first and dog claimed the second) $10.50

6. The Knit Kit  (best gift ever for the obsessive knitter in your life) $24.00

7. Knitting Tool Case $32.00

8. Persnickity Knits Knitting Clutch (My most favorite knitting accessory every. I've used it constantly for 4 years)

9. Skully Knitting Needles Shirt $20.00

10. Vogue Stitchionary vol. 1 (These books have amazing stitches that I love to practice and add to different projects--if she loves knitting, she'll love this) $13.57

11. Swedish Glimakra Large Wood Umbrella Swift (I effing want this--never lose an entire hank to knots again...not to mention less cussing) $79.00

Horror Review: The Cabin in the Woods

I watched The Cabin in the Woods the other day. First movie of a horror movie marathon (which was glorious), and it was a lovely way to kick off the day. I really meant to see this movie in theaters, but time slipped away from me (with graduate school and all). Here's the trailer in case you don't have tv, don't look at youtube or don't care.



So. Guys. While slasher movies aren't really my thing, I kind of love this movie.  Probably because it's not a true slasher. (Don't worry, I'm not going to ruin anything for you as you read ahead.) The movie starts off with two guys (whose dialogue is awesome, btw) discussing a planned something or other and how they're going to beat Japan...very vague (and then later their's a scene of some wispy gray spirit attacking Japanese school children). Cut to your typical horror movie crew, the whore, jock, stoner, virgin, blah...

I can't tell you much more without ruining, other than it's unexpected and very smart. The actual Cabin in the Woods is only a small part of the whole of this movie. It takes the normal slasher film, turns it on it's head, laughs at is and is still frightening.

Watch. It. Now.

BSTW vol. 3

This was an intense week. I wrapped up my quarter and participated in my last critique ever. It's so hard for me not to take those things intensely personal. But, now it's over! And onto the awesome!

If you don't support gay marriage, gay guys will start marrying the shit out of your girlfriends:

Don't you just love Passive Agressive notes?

Click through to an amazing array of homemade holiday cards! They're awesome. Since I'm out of school, I might try some of these. Or lay in my bed and think about it.

Pattern for knitted beads. I'm going to be all. over. this during my break.

The most amazing dress and skirt ever.

Have a great weekend!

W

Ah Ha! vol. 5: Average

Recently, I realized average might just be good enough. 

I've always been one of those people that doesn't try if I don't think I'm going to be the best at something (or at least very good at it). If I'm not going to stand out and be a shining star, I've never seen the point. The only times in my life (until lately) I tried things I didn't know I was going to rock at, were trying out for dance team in 8th grade (oh the horror) and summer swim league in 9th and 10th grades (I was so slow my coach made me swim with the 12 year olds). 

I've always felt I need to be the smartest, best, prettiest, thinnest, funniest, ect...It's extremely exhausting. 

When I look at pictures from a few years ago and I weighed 100lbs, I think how nice it would be to be that thin again and how awesome I looked. Instead of getting stuck in thinking I look horrible now, I have to remember how miserable I was then. My boyfriend of 4 years and I just broke up, I cried all the time, I wasn't eating; I was generally being a shady mothafucka. Was it worth it? Do I really want to look like that again in exchange for feeling horrible? I don't think so.

I need to accept that average is often good enough. There's always going to be someone prettier, smarter, thinner, funnier, more talented. That's life. Instead of focusing on how much I think I suck, I need to spend my energy being as awesome as I want to be. And enjoy my life. Because it's pretty amazing.

BSTW vol. 2

While I'd never wear this, it's awesome.

Very cute and the type is really fun.

Adorb

So true.

I need it. For reals.

I love collage and I really like what the artist is doing here. It makes me want to get my scissors out.

Amaze-balls

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be at school working my ass off :)

That's a "Girl Problem"

Lately, I've heard several men say, "That sounds like a women problem" or "My girlfriend/wife was being a bitch. You know, PMS." This shit infuriates me.

While it is true that women can become a little emotional and sometimes slightly irrational (I'm guilty) during menstration, it's ridiculous and very insulting when men use this as an excuse to dismiss women.

I've worked in environments where I'm the only woman. And I was often treated like a second class citizen. Not like being inappropriately touched all the time (although my boss thought it was fine to poke me in the butt with pencils several times a week) or sexualized, just little things. Such as, not being taken seriously when a man asked me a question and didn't receive an answer he liked. He'd go ask a man. Such as rolling their eyes when I said certain "woman things." Such as calling me a bitch, forcing me to do the "woman's job" and on and on. And when discussing this with some friends, a man told me to report it and if it were him, he wouldn't put up with that. Men just don't know what they're talking about.

I'm tired of putting up with this shit from every angle. I had a teacher recently make several rude comments over a few weeks about "women troubles" and "PMS." If a man had to go through what women have to experience constantly, they'd curl up and die. Can you imagine if someone dismissed your proud grandfather with, "He's just got PMS."

I'm so tired of being seen as weaker, fairer, sexual, slut, bitch, crazy, irrational, whore, stuck up, stupid, "just a girl." How about we start getting some respect for the amazing people we are inside and the men stop demeaning us because we have vaginas?! (And, just for the record, a whore is someone who has sex for money, not someone who wear a short, tight skirt you don't like.)

I'm not one to play I Am Woman Hear Me Roar. I'm just sooooooo tired of all this shit. We have to go through the pain of menstrating every month, have the babies, take birth control (which puts tons of chemicals in our bodies and makes us feel out of whack), be the sex police, often work the same job with less respect and less pay, do the housework (I realize this is changing), take care of the babies and run the household. Give me a fucking break, men.

And don't minimize me. Don't reduce every feeling and reaction I have to "PMS." Because, a lot of the time, I'm having this reaction because you're being a dick.