Between a Rock and a Hard Place

More than likely, it is bed time. But I am unable to close my eyes and rest. I am restless and my thoughts are racing in my head. Its tough being out of work and bored… and overfilled with coffee…

Regardless of my own personal status, it’s best that I keep my head above water and stay positive. It’s in my moto, isn’t it?

If, at this exact moment in time, I was a magnet; I would  most likely be a negative one.

While I wait patiently, basking in my negative force field and dreaming of positive things, is it possible that my current negativity will attract some of the positive energies of the universe?

I have hope that good things will come my way. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Maybe to brighten things up a bit, I have added some more items to my Etsy shop! yay!

I made some baby slippers and I think that they are pretty stylin’..

Well… Love is in bed and I think its about time that I make my way to dream land.

Cheers,

By all means, Justine.

Winter Knittin’ Blues

I woke up this morning in a rush.. In the back of my head I was expecting the ice that had been present for a week previous, would be waiting patiently for me to scrape it off of the Jeeps higher-than-I windshields and rear windows. Like normal..

But, I was wrong… To my surprise, it was raining. I guess that is the weather that we are blessed with here in Vancouver.

On the bright side, whether it is icy, snowy, rainy, windy or howling with cats and dogs, the winter just isn’t winter without a couple cozy handmade garments.

I am so thankful that my hands haven’t given up on me this winter from all of the knitting, and crafting that I have been doing. I can honestly say that I have been knitting SOLID since October. I will admit, with distaste to my actions, that nearly ALL of my knitting projects this winter have been dedicated to the one and only me…

I am terrible, aren’t I?

But, fear not! I did happen to make some creations for Christmas gifts as well, and I don’t think that they could have gone to better homes! Here is the one that I gave to my older brother Russell. Also, some captions from some other projects I have completed along the way!

The Blues Scarf – For Russell

This scarf turned out beautifully! It was a dream to knit and the stitches were perfectly snug together. I worked in stockinette stitch, switching the colours over after 10 rows. I must admit… this one was hard to give up. But I feel great knowing that my brother, who told me how much he loved it, is keeping it as cozy as it keeps him!

Herringbone Stitch Cowl – pattern from the Purl Bee

I came across an image of a scarf in herringbone stitch after sifting through a million pictures on Pinterest. I was totally stunned by the beauty and simplicity of the herringbone stitch. The stitch seems intimidating at first; with all of the hidden intricacy of each stitch. But then you realize that this stitch has nothing to hide at all! This pattern was only difficult because I did not have the proper length circular needles…

Check out the Purl Bee. There are many incredible and FREE patterns available. PLUS some great products as well   ^_^

Last but not least,

The Second Attempt Sweater

I will first tell you the tale of the First Attempt Sweater…

‘Once upon a time, there was a sweater that took a long time to knit. It was beautiful and intricate. Every stitch had meaning and was created with great care.

In the infinite wisdom of the handy crafter that spent endless hours and effort in creating the sweater, felt it was necessary to wash the garment.

With disregard to washing instructions and basic garment care, it was unbeknownst to the crafter that the %100 wool sweater was to turn into something new…”

It became something ‘NEW’ alright.. The sweater felted and every stitch was lost.. It was a disaster.. I cannot even begin to explain how frustrated my mistake made me feel. But a year later, I picked up the same pattern and embarked on the journey to satisfaction; this time, in acrylic!

Well campers.. Its getting to be that time.. When I wake up tomorrow, whether rain or shine, at least I will have something cozy to wear.

Good night,

By all means,

-Justine

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As my title above may suggest, I am feeling incredibly stumped. So very stumped..

Every so often, I get in a slump where I honestly just don’t want to do anything. This “slump” seems to be happening all too often these days, and has come to be a very tiresome and repetitive cycle.

It could be my surroundings and various environments that I meet on a daily basis. Maybe I am bored and need an adventurous challenge or two. Could it possibly be that I am playing too many video games? Or, is Fall just getting the better of me?

I think that sometimes Life just throws you lemons. If you don’t catch all of your lemons, then you can’t make your lemonade. Otherwise, you get floor lemons, and who wants to drink floor-lemonade? I can’t say that I am a fan..

Although I may sound dreary, I am on the other hand very happy that in my absence of the interwebs, I have been a very busy bee.
I have here a few pictures of one of my latest projects!

PAPER MACHE ANTIQUEY SHELF

Let me just say, I LOVE PAPER MACHE  OU  Papier-mâché.

It is just such a fun craft and I have never had a bad time with glue and flour. It is also a great way to keep your home furnishings inexpensive and super cute!

With this project, I needed usable space for all of my bathroom trinkets and knick-knacks, and I really wanted it to have an antiquey look. By painting it white and keeping it as simple as possible, this great antiquey vibe radiates and really brightens up our bathroom!  My little shelf has turned out superbly and I am incredibly excited to welcome it to our little space!

Maybe I just need a bright new coat of paint to break my slump of stumped brain, and radiate the sunshine of my mind.
My slumping has taken the better of me; but for no longer. For I love lemonade.

By all means, Justine.

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Last weekend was nothing short of incredible.

My little brother is finally back from fishing and hard working summer, and now has nothing but fun and exciting things left to do.

To help make up for his short summer, we took a little 4x4ing trip somewhere along the Vedder River. I can’t speak for him, but I HAD A BLAST!!! Last weekend, alone, confirmed my already solid choice of getting a Jeep ! I swear that it has been the funnest, most self-esteem boosting, and bad-ass idea I have ever had. I love my Jeep. Love loves his babe in a Jeep too!

For the whole ride, we didn’t follow any difficult trails, just the easy ones as I am an amateur..  But good thing that we did! Because we found a couch on the side of the trail and decided that it would be a good photo op ( I just hope that there were no bugs or grubby things on it.) Seriously,who brings a couch into the forest? and WHY did they leave it there???!?!  T_T

We drove and drove and blasted through some dinky little puddles, and then we came across a bridge and a beautiful creek that was flowing with clear water underneath. Absolutely stunning.

Overall our adventure was great. We ended up on blacktop safely, along with a very dirty jeep.

Take a peak at the pics!!

Cheers!

By all means, Justine.

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Hello All!!

It is lovely to be back for a breif update and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about how terrible I am for not posting anything.. But on the bright side, the summer, so far, has been TOO incredible! I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of my doings and quaint adventures.

Reika has grown so much and totally filled up her puppy skin with a full sized dog. It seems like only yesterday she was just a floppy puppy.. She is now 1 years old!! (or pretty close to it).  I may have to plan a puppy Birthday party.

Lesley also came back home to visit and we gorged ourselves with drink and tasty morsels for our pleasure and a good old fashioned spoiling. I can’t even explain how much I miss having my sister so conveniently close to my dwelling.. But not only that, I miss her cooking and pastries too!!

Visiting old friends, taking bike rides by the river and checking out some pretty neat wildlife. My summer has been beautiful.

But even though I know this summer has been nothing short of incredible, I feel like the summer has breezed by without seeming to actually have had any breeze at all!! Where did the time go?!!? Has everyone else’s summer disappeared right before their eyes? It is so strange to think that we are getting close to mid August, and summer will be ending come September. I guess time really does fly when your having fun.

I thought that I might reminisce and share some pics of the surprisingly fast (and hard to capture in my camera) pups before they all found wonderful homes (and I’m sure they all did!!!). I couldn’t help myself.. They were all just soo cute!

Anyways, I do plan to report back, although I have been having FAR too much fun in my Jeep. You can’t blame me.. It is just the most incredibly fun way to spend your summer in the sun! Reika loves it too! I just hope that the sunshine holds out for a little while longer.

I am in love with the sunshine.

Cheers all, and happy August!!

By all means, Justine.