I love lamp

My bedroom has no overhead light. This is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Now that I think about it though, I believe I previously had an apartment (maybe in college) that didn't have a light. I used Christmas lights... That was in college though, when it was whimsical to not have lights. Now it's just annoying. How can I put away laundry or vacuum or find a black bra? Let me tell you, it's very difficult! All I had were these puny little paper lanterns.

So, they're cute right? Just not very bright. They were a Christmas gift years ago and were originally cream and green. Well they hadn't matched anything I owned for quite some time. So I attacked them with brown spray paint (making them less than bright) and pink ribbon and hot glue. A good end result, unless you want to use them to see.

Now comes the new lamps. I bought them post college when I was planning to have a blue room. They were on clearance and I loved the look. Well, I never really had a blue room after I bought them. So I've used them, they just never really matched and it drove me crazy so I did not bring them when I moved. However, after discovering the lack of light in my room I wished desperately for them and had my mom bring them to me last weekend. And thus a craft project was born.

1. This is the original lamp shade. Or what was on the frame. I forgot to take a real before picture. See how the inside is blue. So when the light was on you could see the blue through the white. Clever idea really. Unless your room is pink. So I got out my X-acto knife and a pair of scissors and went to town.
2. So after I cut the old shade off I realized the top and bottom of the shade frame were only held together by the fabric of the shade. Ooh, wooden skewers in the kitchen, problem solved. So, some hot glue, 6 wooden skewers and some white fabric later we have a very plain lamp shade. I was proud that I'd done it but it wasn't anything exciting.
3. Today I bought ribbon. I really just wanted a brown satin (but remember the sucky crafts department at Wal-Mart) but they didn't have any. It was like destiny though. I found pink and brown striped ribbon. So, add some more hot glue and I have fantastic lamp shades. I am so thrilled with how they turned out. I looooove them!

peppermint bark

It’s official, it’s winter. There was ice, there was snow, I sat on my couch and ate Taco Bell. I don’t like winter, not one bit. I think it’s the worst season. Of course it has its redeeming qualities – Christmas, wearing sweaters and fuzzy boots, cuddling up on the couch with someone you love, and drinking hot beverages. Other than that, I could do without winter.

Winter does cause me to want to bake and be even more domestic. I told the boy last night to think about what he wants to eat when he comes over and I’ll fix extra for him to take home. I always love cooking for him. He’ll always try new things and likes pretty much whatever I fix him. It’s fantastic.

So I’ve been tossing around the idea of starting a shop on etsy.com, I’m quite crafty and it would be fantastic to make some extra money doing something I really like. So we’ll see. Probably after Christmas. I still have 2 presents to entirely make, I need to finish a baby blanket, and figure out what else to get the boy for Christmas.

butterscotch brownies

I just had to pull on the first pair of socks for the fall, my toes were cold. I wish I were drinking a mug of hot cider. Ooh, or some mulled wine. I discovered that last winter, my boyfriends parents bought us some. It was absolutely delicious.

I really love fall. I love pulling out sweaters and boots to wear. And scarves. Scarves are the best. A lot of the scarves I have I've crocheted. Colors to match just about every outfit. Some with fringe, some a little more serious. But all definitely cozy. And fall means the beginning of the baking season. I think holiday baking is my favorite. All the candies, cookies, breads. I don't even necessarily want to eat them but just fix them for other people.

Yesterday I made one of my favorites, butterscotch brownies. They're usually especially for my dad. Their his favorite. My mom had a recipe for them in the late 60s when they lived in California. Somehow when they moved the recipe disappeared. In high school I went on a quest to find a recipe to replace his old favorite. And I found it. Now whenever I require car maintenance or am just feeling especially nice I make the butterscotch brownies. They're also the choice dessert among most of my friends. Whenever we plan dinners that's always their request from me.

Right now I'm woring on the greatest baby blanket ever. My boyfriends sister is expecting a little boy in December. Her husband is rather outdoorsy (as is my boyfriend) so I'm making them a camo baby blanket. Well, actually it's striped. Green, brown and camo. Surprisingly it's really cute. I keep telling the bf that I'm going to make one for him as well so I can cuddle up under it at his house. He doesn't seem too thrilled.

Fall is also a good craft time. In the summer it's always way too hot to crochet. I'm lookig forward to lots of crocheting on these cooler nights. Well and curling up on the couch with a blanket, a mug of something warm to drink, and a new episode of The Office.