Break is almost over and I haven't completed the hundreds of crafts I had set out to tackle. I should stop making break resolutions. This is why I don't even attempt new year resolutions.
Jonathan gave me Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts for Christmas. It's as wonderful as it sounds for all you doubters. But somewhere between C and S (Candles and Soaps) I became overwhelmed with the materials that had to be purchased and my lack of real inspiration for either projects. Also: the lack of space and weight capacity in my suitcase to bring anything back to school with me.
So I tackled a smaller, more useful craft: cards. I always want to give a homemade card, but every time an event presents itself that requires a card I (claim to) have no time to make one. So why not get a head start while I have the time?
I had been wanting to try some sort of embroidered card for a while, with each card having a unique symbol that reminds me of the person receiving the card. My friend Sara's birthday is coming up in January (and she doesn't read my blog, so I can ruin her card surprise here:) She and I love leaves. So my first attempt at this embroidered card thing: a simple leaf. Judge the results below. And, oh yeah, paper shopping is kind of overwhelming. There's so much beautiful paper to be bought and used out there, goodness. I need to start a craft fund before I attempt Martha's A-Z.
I also baked cupcakes today, another Martha moment. My mom just received Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and I wanted to try a few before I go back to my nonexistent not baker-friendly kitchen in Columbia. I really wanted to make pistachio raspberry but, lo and behold, unsalted pistachios are not the easiest things to find here. So I switched to good ol' chocolate chip cupcakes. They're quite tasty if I do say so myself -- it made me miss Abigail and her master baking and the few times I "helped" her in the kitchen with creations like Salted Caramel Chocolate cupcakes.
C'mon creativity: you have about a week left with free reigns of my heart and soul (and brain). Then it's back to dreaming about you as a scapegoat to studying.
In other news: I have come to the realization that my ideal magazine does not exist. This is a little sad but also a little exciting. Maybe I'll get the chance to create my ideal magazine one day? Like, say, as a prototype in Magazine Publishing? Who knows. What I do know is that my pseudo-perfect magazine would be a combo of:
-Real Simple and Good Housekeeping crafts and recipes
-National Geographic Traveler's city features
-Esquire's boyish charm
-New York magazine's food and art sections
-The New Yorker's illustrated covers and illustrations
-The New York Times' home and garden section
Ahh. Bliss.
