"No matter how long the winter is..."

"...spring is sure to follow." ~Proverb

That's a nice little thought. Happy Groundhog Day! (Belated, if you're reading this afterward. I did start the post late on Groundhog Day)

Even though there is still ice and snow on the ground, my heart is looking forward to the loveliness of spring. And the loveliness of Valentine's Day is inspiring me to create. Normally, I don't really make a fuss over the holiday. Hubby and I do something together perhaps, usually without gifts involved. One year we went to Erie for the weekend, which was a nice little trip. But all in all, no biggie.

This year, I'm way into hearts. I am decorating the house (not like crazy, but with enthusiasm!) and have stumbled across all types of craft projects. And I've insisted we get each other gifts. Gifts that are wrapped and not given until the actual day. I'm so excited!

I came across this little set of crochet hearts that can be strung up and hung wherever you please. The picture at the top of this post is of one of the hearts I've crocheted. Mine aren't exactly turning out as nicely as the project creator's. I had some trouble finding the right thread, so I used a substitute at first. (It didn't turn out well, quite lumpy and uneven) I finally found a thread that is close to what I needed, but because the crochet hook and thread are SO tiny, it's tricky making the correct stitches. And perhaps because I haven't crocheted anything in at least 3 years, I had some trouble with the pattern. Oh, I understand what the different stitches are. But I think there was some detail left out of the pattern that I'm just now understanding exists. Each of the six hearts I've made so far have turned out a little differently. I think I realized that something I was doing was wrong, so I kept doing it differently to figure what the "correct" way was. And I think I've finally got it! But there is charm to my non-perfect little hearts, which my hubby pointed out. I agree and will keep them. After all, who's perfect? And what I love most about this project is that I have decorations that will last me a few Valentine's Days. Instead of hanging a string of paper hearts, or something inexpensive that will fall apart the day after and will get tossed, I'm inexpensively creating my own lasting decoration.

My other top-secret project is a card for my hubby. HUBBY: STOP reading if you are reading this post. I mean it! I check my visitor stats! OK, back to you other readers.....

I'm not going to post all of the pics here, in the hopes that if hubby continues reading, he won't bother to go to my flickr stream. Here's a little teaser pic for you, however. If you check out the Flickr pics of my card, you'll notice there is no text in it. Not yet, anyway. I don't mind sharing my project with you, but I'll keep the personal thoughts intended for my hubby just that. I came across the construction idea here. Since I'm not a member, I can't see all of the pictures. But I got enough of the idea to construct it on my own. Apologies for the lighting on the pictures. Some have flash, some don't. Because of winter hours being what they are, there is no daylight by the time I get home. I have to work with my indoor lighting. It is what it is.

I love this card idea so much that I might make a few cards for friends. I have smaller paper bags at home that would be perfect. Anyway, check out the link below for more detailed pictures. There's a spot for a hidden letter and a hidden gift as well. I don't believe my hubby didn't read this, so I can't post any more info just yet!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nightowldesigns/sets/72157625842653297/

"In order to change we must be sick..."

"...and tired of being sick and tired." ~Author Unknown

It's my 50th blog post! And I can't think of a better post than to thank everyone for their well wishes for my husband. He was finally discharged after 6 days in the hospital and he's recuperating slowly. The next 3-5 weeks will be tough for him because I know he will get bored. But relax he must. And I fervently hope that this surgery will put his Crohn's into remission, allowing him to eat all the wonderfully spicy foods he loves.

In other news, it's February 1st and despite this months notoriety as being the snowiest month of the year in the 'burgh, spring is right around the corner! Phil the groundhog will be making his prediction tomorrow and I've already brought in (fake) daffodils and tulips to decorate my office. I would love to have real plants and flowers, but alas, due to insects, I can't. We must lead by example in the Preservation Dept! I also have some great projects I'm working on for Valentine's Day, a holiday I usually only take note of by going out to dinner or something. But I'm very excited for it this year. I'll share some pictures soon. Happy February!

Library Day in the Life, Round 6

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." ~Cicero

Alright folks, just because it's a library posting, doesn't mean I can't start the post with my customary quote. It is Monday, the official Lib Day 6 and I am not feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite the lovely vision of a garden AND a library.

My first goal of the day: Survive the cold weather. It's about 4 degrees outside and with the wind chill, far below zero. Brrr! Thank goodness for an automatic car starter, AKA hubby. No pleasant gardens in sight except for the (mostly) thriving plants in my basement sucking up rays from the plant light.

I'm pleased to be participating in LibDay6 again, mostly because it's important for not only the public but other librarians and students who want to be librarians to understand what each of us do. At least in my case, the work is a bit specialized and I always have to explain what our department (Preservation) is responsible for.

8:45-9:30: I have a brief 45 minutes (it goes so fast!) to catch up on email, check my calendar, and create my (hopeful) agenda for the day until the student workers start arriving. I spend a great deal of my time training the students in the book repair work.

9:30-10:30: I am in the process of showing a student worker how to construct new cases. This will take several days and we are on day 2. I show her how to glue the super onto the spine of the book, knowing it will take her a bit to get all 4 of her books done. We batch some of our repairs so that more can be accomplished in a tiny bit of extra time. It also helps them remember all of the steps when they have to repeat it several times before moving on. I escape back to the office while she's occupied to get other work done (after proper supervision, of course!).

10:30-10:40: I respond to emails that arrived in the hour I was away from my desk. Sometimes it's amazing how many arrive in such a short time span.

10:40-11:30 I've decided to work on editing our treatment manual a little today. I am constantly in the process of editing our treatment manual simply because I'm always monitoring what works for our purpose, what doesn't, what is too difficult for students to learn, which treatments they can't perform well enough without constant re-dos. I'm always evaluating our treatments on a yearly basis. I think we finally have it down to the basic repairs and enclosures that students will learn, so I'm trying to update our manual to reflect that. It's a slow process since I need to type all new instructions in some cases and provide as many pictures/drawings as possible. My students do not learn from the book (I teach everything one-on-one) but it is a helpful guide for them. Especially if they take a copy of it with them when they graduate.

11:30-12:15 I return to my student, showing her the next couple of steps in the new case construction. I'm hoping to get in many steps without overwhelming her since the second half of the week will be crazy for me.

12:15-1:15 Lunch is spent in my office, broken up occasionally by student interruptions. I encourage them to always come ask me a question versus trying to fix it themselves when they are new to the process. However, this usually means it's difficult to get a relaxing, full hour.

1:15-1:35 I'm back with the student and new cases!

1:35-2:00 For a departmental project, I'm working on extensive descriptions of the many projects we have undertaken. If you are familiar with the ARL preservation statistics, you will know that they are lacking. It's very hard to incorporate some of the work we do, particularly for special projects. I need to have everything written up this week and I've been putting it off, which means it's been on my mind all the more. I'm anticipating the imminent leave of my student and uninterrupted computer time, so I pull up the Margot and the Nuclear So and So's station on Pandora and get to work.

2:00-2:05 So it won't be entirely free of interruptions. I take a time out to go over a special project that a colleague brought over, needing treatment by mid-February.

2:05-2:40 Back to work! Click clack, click clack....

2:40-2:45 I remembered that I need to check on a cloth portfolio I began constructing last week. I take a small break to assess my progress and rearrange the weights that will help it dry flat and remain flat. We don't want it to warp.

2:45-3:45 And back to work typing again!

3:45-3:55 Break time before my vision is permanently fuzzy. And a snack! Hm, cheez-its or shortbread cookies? Shortbread cookies, no cheez-its left in my snack drawer. I'm also starting to realize that this document is going to take a little longer than planned. I may have to work on it at home. It's not a requirement, I know, but I have many work projects I enjoy that I want to get ahead on so sometimes work and home overlap.

3:55-4:30 I'm back to typing for a short bit. I have to leave slightly early today for a personal appointment. I'm usually around until about 5:30. I also appreciate that I have excellent working hours, no evenings or weekends for us. Because our department does not interact with the public, we don't need to be open those hours. Our academic library was, I believe, the first to move all departments that do not deal with the public (minus the archive's reading room) to our off-site facilities. Sometimes it's hard for our building to relate to the tough schedules. Many people in the building work 7 - 3:30. If you're a morning person, that's not so bad. I'm not, thus the later hours. Plus, it would be hard to find students who want to work those hours!


My hubby is having surgery later this week so I doubt I will be able to contribute blog entries for my entire week. But to give you a small taste, I plan to work on developing our department website (we have none right now), post a job description for a new student that I need to hire, finish up that cloth portfolio, and order supplies. My favorite is Talas! There are many, many more tasks on the to-do list, not counting interruptions that will be sure to arrive. And rush requests! We always get a few of those when it's crunch time. I've also got a case study and an article that I'm working on, so hopefully I will get a chance to read a few of the articles I have printed out. Maybe while I'm at the hospital waiting for hours in an uncomfortable lounge chair.
Anyway, happy Lib Day all! Oh, and I almost forgot. If you live in the 'burgh area, I will be teaching a book repair workshop through the Pittsburgh Craft Collective. If you have books that are very personal to you, bring them in and I'll take a look. I would explain that I'm passionate about teaching others, preserving books, blah blah blah. But you get it. :)

"May you have the hindsight to know where you've been..."

"...the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far." ~Irish Blessing


Well, it's the last day of 2010 and like most others, I'm contemplating the year gone by. One never knows what to expect in the upcoming days, weeks, months, but 2010 was certainly....well, uncertain. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of fun and more downtime than 2009, but with it came its own trials and tribulations., tragic partings, and many many changes. I feel glad that the past few months seem to have flown by, if only because I can't imagine them being any more torturous (dramatic, I know). And please, don't think "here comes the 'why me' whinings." First off, I only whine to my husband. :) Second, my belief in life itself is based on balance. Without the bad, there can be no good. I do experience (more than my fair share) of good and I know that at times there will be unfortunate negative experiences. I have no problem facing them. It's just tough, ya know?

2011 is going to be a year of changes as well, but I think for the positive. We have more travel plans, and (minor) home renovations in the works, and a few other things that you will hear about. I feel in the midst of these changes at the moment, so I expect the first few months won't be any easier than the last. Hubby's surgery is in January and while it will be rough, it's the best thing for him and I can't wait for him to be healthier and happier. It's not always apparent to others, but I find that I'm not too bad at caring for others when they need it, so I know we'll be OK during his recuperation.

Earlier today, I stumbled across my horoscope for 2011. Sometimes I read my horoscope, but I'm not an avid follower. It can be eerily accurate or just downright ridiculous. But I have to say, this one was spot on. As you may have imagined, I'm a Libra (balance!) and my horoscope says (courtesy of Yahoo):

"Oh the lessons you have endured over the course of 2010. You're not the same people- pleasing darling you were a mere 12 months ago. On the contrary darling -- you are in the midst of a powerful process of cultivating the kind of backbone that makes greatness. Thanks to big daddy Saturn you're learning your lessons well in relinquishing laziness, strengthening discipline, and realizing your authority. You're taking yourself more seriously in the arenas where it matters most. (Read: career and getting paid what you're worth.)

Relationships bring plenty of passion, drama and unexpected plot twists especially during the spring. By the time May rolls around you'll be dealing with an unprecedented amount of planetary energy firing up your relationship sector. With six planets including Venus, your ruler and Jupiter, the planet of abundance lining up in your partnership sector you'll be anything but lonely. The challenge lies in staying true to your own needs without getting lost in the persuasive me-me-me demands of your significant others.

Although some of Saturn's lessons will weigh in on a heavier note and perhaps depriving you of any former easy-outs or shortcuts, you have the uncanny ability to take it all in stride. There's something to be said for the inherent Libran laid-back approach to life's challenges. But under current planetary duress you may join the ranks of the stressful millions in your quest for regaining inner peace and unshakable equilibrium. Forever striving for that elusive balance, you're being put through the cosmic ringer when it comes to finding and holding your own with others. But you will get there Libra -- just you wait and see!"

The description of this past year was quite spot on and the positive spin on 2011 (though not without its own amount of work) gives me renewed hope that things will get better. I'll keep trudging along.

Some people are probably planning their New Year's Resolutions, but I don't believe in them. Not to sound arrogant but I'd rather make a life decision instead of one that may last a week or two if I'm lucky. I know myself well enough to know that any resolutions I may come up with won't last long. I need to really put thought and planning and baby steps into any new goals. And New Year's is definitely not a time for me to start something! It's time for me to take a break and start the new year refreshed, not trying to change myself in a myriad of ways.

I hope those of you that are celebrating the new year's arrival will have a splendid time and do it safely. As for me, my annual house party will begin tomorrow evening and last roughly two days. I'm off to continue cleaning toilets like a good little hostess, because really, if people might be up all night puking their guts out from the over-consumption of alcohol, it's only decent of me to provide a clean toilet to hug.

I'm dedicating 2011 to friends and family and I leave you with this Irish toast:

There are good ships,
and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.

May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

Happy New Year!

"October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter."

Quote by Nova Blair.

As you may be able to tell, I'm getting caught up on some blog posts I have had tucked away in a dusty corner of my mind. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and though this has been a difficult fall, I'm grateful for many things, far too many to enumerate. I'm grateful to be enjoying the lovely weather we've had, although I hear that will be ending this week. A blustery prologue from winter may greet us immediately following Turkey Day. My office smells like cinnamon, courtesy of the scented sticks I brought in to decorate. I feel as though I'm sitting at home every time I take a deep breath.

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Last evening I had my third glass workshop, fall leaves in the hot shop. They won't be ready until next week, so I won't tempt you with details without a picture just yet. But I missed telling you about my wine topper workshop, a flame workshop using the torch.

I sucked at it. And not just a little, like clay. A lot. Don't get me wrong, I like my little fubar wine topper. As my instructor Melissa (who attempted to comfort me) said, it's MY wine topper. I don't think that's a satisfying defense. After all, you're just pointing out again that it's my mess. That's her working with another student and you can see the torch going. The torch takes a lot of practice (which admittedly I don't have) and a lot of patience (which I do have, but not enough). It's hard to know if you have it blowing hot enough or with enough oxygen vs. gas, plus the time it takes to heat up the glass rods to manipulate them seems endless. It was more frustrating when I tried to shape it, messed up, couldn't fix it because it had cooled already plus you can't touch it, and then have to wait for it to heat up all over again before another attempt. I had maybe 5 or 6 different shapes/designs and either I would like it and try to move on (and instead accidentally ruin it) or I didn't like the design. After receiving help from Melissa (who rounded it quite nicely for me) and then ruining it again, I decided to make it a square shape. I had put so much color in it that I had no idea what it would look like when it came out. And the attachment I used to get it off the punty ended up sticking, so I just swirled it and made it appear deliberate. I just noticed while taking photos of it that I somehow managed to add bubbles!

Long story short, I have a far greater appreciation for glass working than I did. It's very frustrating to not be able to touch it with your hands and shape it how you want. You have to let the tools do it for you. And it takes skill, knowledge, and patience. For now, I prefer the hot shop with it's almost instantaneous ability to heat up the glass.

"I'll bet living in a nudist colony..."

"...takes all the fun out of Halloween." ~Anon.

Of course it's the day before Thanksgiving and I am writing a little blurb about Halloween. You could either consider me behind (as usual) OR that I love Halloween so much I can't stop thinking about it no matter the time of year. Either works. :)

I really enjoyed my costume this year even though we really didn't do much for the holiday. This fall has been even crazier than usual (I didn't think that was possible!) and so we just watched our local parade and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. I took a sudden liking to the Mad Hatter costume a la Johnny Depp and decided to make my own.

The hat was the first part, naturally! I found some very easy instructions online and used scrap pieces of paperboard from here in the lab. Using hot glue, staples, and muscles, I wrapped the middle section based on my head measurements, secured it, and attached it to a dinner-plate size piece at the top of the hat. I picked up some fabrics from Joann's, which included the lovely textured purple fabric on the hat. I hot glued that as well and then added decorations. I needed to include the wide ribbon, the sign with the price, and a hat pin. I had been eyeing these feathers at Joann's for quite a while and finally found the perfect use for them! The little bird on top just added to the cute style. The only trouble I had was in locating a hat pin. I eventually realized I could just make one. I have various thickness of jewelry wire and all kinds of beads. It just took a little bit of wire wrapping and voila! A nice yellow hatpin that offsets the purple fabric nicely.

I was lucky enough to find this black Anna Sui coat (with matching skirt!) at Goodwill with a great tailored look that fit me well. I didn't really want a black coat, but it looked so good that it made the color worth it. I added lace cuffs that are white with black polka dots. It's hard to see in the picture but I also found a wonderful paisley silk vest filled with golds and purples. It was a perfect detail! I still needed fingerless gloves, which I fashioned out of purple lace with black polka dots on them. I finished off the body of the costume with a scarf I owned and created the sash of spools. I couldn't find a smaller version to purchase for an inexpensive amount so I used my own. I cut a plain brown leather belt in half (also from Goodwill!), strung the spools using a thick bookbinding waxed thread, and then sewed the ends to the belt. I need to take it apart to use my spools again, and because I have no need to wear a sash of spools, but it looks so lovely that I wish I didn't have to.

I added the green and black fake eyelashes instead of orange bushy eyebrows and didn't spray my hair either. I figured the bleach blonde I have it is bright enough. I don't need orange hair! I had that last year as a redhead. :)

This costume was great fun to wear because people really enjoyed it, kids and adults alike. Most people enjoyed either the hat or the sash the most, but a few told me I had "butterflies" on my eyes. The hat was heavy but luckily I made it perfect for my head measurement and with the addition of the fabric, it was a little tight. I just had to take it off every now and then or suffer a headache. And it was very easy to poke people (accidentally!) with the feathers so I had to be careful I didn't tip my head back too far.

I have an idea for next year's costume, so maybe I'll get started very early this year! I also have a few craft ideas for the holiday that maybe you'll see next year. I usually have no time for the bare minimum at Halloween, despite it being my favorite holiday. I might start early this year and show some creativity!

"If your only goal is to become rich..."

"...you will never achieve it." ~ John D. Rockefeller

I think I've been very honest with myself when thinking about getting rich doing all my crafting and artwork (i.e. not going to happen). And before you think it's a case of low self-esteem and a lack of belief in what I can accomplish, it's really a matter of enjoyment. I like designing and editing and creating my latest project. And then moving on to something else. I'm not big into marketing or sales or figuring out what my price point should be. I do this for fun and to share my creations with others. You may have noticed that I still haven't listed the books I made for the craft fair back in June on my Etsy site. Again, meh.

But I've had so many comments on my tape measure watch (from friends and strangers alike), that I'm considering making a few to post on Etsy. Just to see if people like them enough to purchase and if it's worth my time. However! (no cheering yet) I have a dilemma. Although I was able to measure my wrist and use that number, I still had my wrist to test it on throughout the creative process. I have no idea if I could make a watch that fits well with only the circumference of their wrist. So you, dear readers, must help me!

If you would like a free (yes, FREE) tape measure watch that may...or may not....fit you, please leave a comment with the circumference of your wrist (in inches) around the spot you would like the watch to rest. I will only be giving out one free watch, so if many people comment, I will just draw a random winner. You have until Friday, Nov. 12th, at 5 PM (Eastern time). If the winner is a female, I will use a watch face similar to the one I used for my watch (see my previous post). If the winner is a male, I will try to locate a more masculine-looking watch. Unless you want the other one! And if there are only two people who want one, well maybe I'll just make two.

I'm hoping this will work out since so many people enjoyed the watch. Good luck!