• Imagine Fabric
  Fat quarters happiness.
  ( tags: shopping sewing fabric )
• NPR: Attention Songwriters
  "I hear an awful lot of people saying that despite the economic woes, these are exciting times. I want to see if we can capture this historic mood in music."
  ( tags: music npr )
• Independent Lens . HELVETICA .What Font Are You? | PBS
  I am Impact, apparently. haha
  ( tags: funny quiz fonts )
• lion_lamb: DVD Artwork
  It's real! Thank goodness it's not the movie poster.
  ( tags: twilight fandom )
• Aura the Siberian Husky | Puppies | Daily Puppy
  ok I love puppies but I find this one kind of scary.
  ( tags: puppies scary )
• ohnotheydidnt: OYTD: Jaydiohead
  Jay-Z + Radiohead. hmm I am kind of digging this.
  ( tags: music jay-z radiohead )
• The Lovely Bones (2009)
  I will probably end up seeing this, even though the book depressed me greatly.
  ( tags: movies thelovelybones )

Saw this at Shiny Shiny–Elevenses is having a contest, and the prizes are yarny and literary goodness. To enter, leave a comment telling who is your favorite literary character and why.

Be sure to mention that sassenach at mixedupbeauty sent you

I made a pouch! With a zipper. I am quite proud. There’s only one small mistake (which, if you stare hard enough, you can probably find), so this is pretty good for me. Normally when I sew something there are at least 5 mistakes, haha…but I am really happy with this one.

Right now my knitting notions are inside, and this pouch will go inside my knitting bag. I plan to make many more of these pouches!

I used twelve22’s tutorial - very well-written - and fabric by Michael Miller in Carnival Bloom (exterior) and Dumb Dot (interior).

Finished dimensions: 8.5″ L x 5.5″ H.

hmmm ok, so my WordPress broke for a while there…I couldn’t log in at all! The login page was blank. I re-uploaded the WP files and everything seems to be working ok. Looking at my error logs, I think the WordPress Automatic Upgrade plugin made everything wonky for a while…hopefully it’s fixed now!

• Craft Apple » The Diaper Bag
  Diaper bags always strike me as excellent knitting bags!
  ( tags: patterns bags sewing )
• Sewing Tip: Squarely Boxing those Corners « Craft Apple
  ahhh so that's how it's done.
  ( tags: bags sewing tutorial )
• Twitter Blog: Gone Phishing
  Beware of the phishing.
  ( tags: twitter security phishing )

#3 of 52 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

The short story: I loved this book so much that I cried my eyes dry at the end.

The long story: for me, the plot was unexpected in most places. The initial premise is that the main character, Helen, is a ghost–one who haunts (though “attaches herself to” is probably a better phrase)–several people over the course of time. One day, she is seen for the first time by one of the Living (the Quick, as she calls them).

The story blooms from there, and I won’t post any spoilers in case you’re inclined to read it. I quickly fell in love with the author’s beautiful prose, such as this:

Although I could not feel paper between my fingers, smell ink, or taste the tip of a pencil, I could see and hear the world with all the clarity of the Living. They, on the other hand, did not see me, as a shadow or a floating vapor. To the Quick, I was empty air.

So imagine Helen’s shock when, for the first time in decades after decades, one of the Living finally sees her.

I noticed that as the story progressed and included more dialogue, the poetic quality of the prose seemed to diminish. Nevertheless, the storytelling continued to keep me drawn in.

I didn’t realize until after I finished and did some searches online, that the novel is considered a young adult selection. I didn’t get a sense that it was–just because the characters are teenagers didn’t make it a young adult novel for me. Also, I’ve read some negative remarks regarding the portrayal of Christians, based on the Christian family in the story. It didn’t bother me, though I suppose I can see how some people, more sensitive probably, could respond that way. Personally, I didn’t find the novel to be “graphic” (another of the complaints in the Amazon reviews)–but I’m not sensitive to that type of writing either. There were a few elements to the resolution of the story that left me wondering–but I was satisfied with the ending.

Something that stayed with me is the juxtaposition of the novel’s premise, and my expectations prior to reading the book. I picked this up on a whim, based probably on the fact that I liked the cover of the book as well as the title (taken from an Emily Dickinson poem). When I read the synopsis on the back cover, I kind of thought it would be one of those “I see dead people” stories. While the theme of ghosts is definitely prevalent, in the end the story is just as much about the living; while it approaches the subject of death, it’s just as much about life. And that’s a beautiful thing.

• splityarn: sew an easy change purse (tutorial)
  hmmm I could fit my iPod in here…
  ( tags: patterns sewing tutorial wallets )
• TUTORIAL - Easy Peasey way to Set Snaps on a Wallet
  This is much more detailed than the instructions on the back of my snaps packaging.
  ( tags: sewing tutorial snaps )
• Easy Peasy Snap wallets
  These really do look easy, I'll have to make a few.
  ( tags: patterns sewing tutorial wallets )
• Tutorial: Hip Mama Diaper Bag « A Mingled Yarn
  This would make a great knitting bag.
  ( tags: patterns bags sewing tutorial )
• Dioramarama: Grocery Bag Dispenser Tutorial
  I need to make one (or several) of these!
  ( tags: sewing patterns bags tutorial )
• Tutorial: Pleated tote bag made from vintage fabric
  I might need to attempt this.
  ( tags: sewing patterns bags craftster tutorial )