Monday, August 6, 2012

Fall Anticipation and Other Randomness

Well, today's post is going to be short. I have a few craft projects on the table right now, but nothing is ready for me to do a blog about. So, I'm just going to talk about a few things going on with me.

Even though it's still HOT, HOT, HOT outside, I can feel fall coming. There's something about the sky now that says autumn is on its way*, and believe it or not, some of the leaves around here are starting to turn. I can't wait for cooler weather, fairs, bonfires, apple cider, beautiful foliage, mums, asters, and HALLOWEEN. It makes me so giddy I want to squeal!

What also makes me giddy is our new house. We signed the lease two weeks ago, and since we've been moving our stuff over one truckload at a time. I like our new place more and more each time I go over, so I think we're going to be really happy there. I sure am looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee on our new porch!

I just found out recently that the Mists of Pandaria expansion for World of Warcraft is coming out at the end of September. I'm excited and a little surprised that it's coming out then; it's sooner than I expected. This means I have some work to do, like finish leveling some toons I wanted to have ready for the new content. Guess I'll be spending some time in Azeroth!

*For you science buffs, I did a little research because I wanted to know if I was just crazy or if there really is something to my feeling that the sky is indicating the coming autumn. I can't actually explain what I pick up on that makes me recognize the change of the season, but here's what I discovered: because of Earth's tilt, the sun appears higher in the sky during the summer than it does in the winter. This causes a change in the appearance of the sky's color, due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering (what makes the sky blue). The change would be pretty subtle and would vary based on latitudes, but the lowest estimate I've seen about human color perception is that we can see approximately 2 million different colors, and I've also seen estimates as high as 10 million colors. Color variations are subjective, but it probably is possible for a person to pick up on a change in the sky's hue. Read about it all here:

http://www.morehead.unc.edu/Shows/EMS/seasons.htm
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1998-10/909280669.Ph.r.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_scattering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color



Thursday, August 2, 2012

Sorry So Late

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about you this week. Never fear, I have not. No, instead I've been busy recovering from a weekend at my husband's family reunion by moving stuff to our new rental. So yeah, that craft blog I've been promising - I think I'm just going to break it up into several small blogs. Let's face it, my picture blogs are pretty long aren't they? This way, it'll be more convenient for all of us.

With that said, here's what I want to show you this week:

This is a wreath I made using jute twine, some wire, old jeans, and three vintage costume brooches that belonged to my granny. I started out with the intent to make something like a wreath I saw, where else, on Pinterest. The wreath is actually for sale on Etsy via TheCreativeGypsy's shop, but I thought, "I'm pretty crafty, let me try my hand at this." So I started wrapping the wreath with jute twine and was about to make the linen flowers when I saw this tutorial for denim flowers on Pinterest. The center beading looked so much like my granny's brooches that I changed my plans for the wreath right then and there. See, I love the old costume jewelry that my granny gave me, but it's not my style for wearing, so I've been looking for some way to incorporate it into something that I could see every day and get enjoyment from. Behold, my wreath! I just love it! It's rustic with a bit of glam. I'm sure the girls at Mary Jane's Farm would be proud. But I didn't stop there - oh no. See, in my granny's box of vintage jewelry was also a pair of clip-on earrings:


So I made myself some flowers that never die. They look just lovely in my milk glass bud vase. So just remember, if you've got something that means a lot to you, but all it's doing is cluttering up your space, turn it into something new. Happy crafting!