Where's that damn muse?

I have been told I need to revitalize my hobbying strategy. Lately my hobbies have included, in no particular order: advanced worrying, budgeting for the weak willed, feeling guilty for spending money, cooking after cooking, trying not to kill plants, and not finishing hats. Also I have been experimenting with frustration and playing zombie computer games.

Yeah, maybe he's right. But I'm sure you guys can sympathize. I have ideas for things I would like to do, but all of them require Bright Shiny Purchases; right now I can't justify spending for anything new. I have lots of great yarn, but don't feel like knitting or crocheting. I have a scanner, printer, camera, thread, modge podge, awesome aluminum tape, altoids tins, nature, a sewing machine that hates me, a needle punch doohicky, perler beads and the more stuff I put on this list the worse I feel for not doing anything with it and/or feeling like there is a need to buy anything ever. Gah! Rampant vicious consumer guilt cycle! I want little projects, not quite instant gratification but something that I can put down when the pastry cream boils over but still want to pick back up when the strawberry tart is done.

Really, though, I want something that is mine. Something that is more than just copying someone else's project. Something that is immune to the critique of others. I read on someone else's blog recently that cooking professionally is the equivalent of saying I love you to complete strangers every day knowing they will never, ever say it back. What I'm looking for right now is a project that lets me say I love you to MYSELF, because I know I will totally reciprocate.

Know the feeling?

When did thread get so expensive? It should be 75 cents.

I have already discussed my feelings on sewing. Hemming is almost worse than sewing, because hemming is something I have to do, rather than something I am doing by choice.

Now, let us discuss chef pants. Chef pants are designed 1. for men, 2. to be washed and worn a gazillion times until they fall apart, 3. out of enough fabric so that in the event they catch fire, the actual pant is nowhere near skin and finally 4. for men. Given these factors every pair of pants I get for work I need to hem. Lots.

I got two new pairs of pants this week to replace ones with holes that were potentially against the company's HR policies. So now, I must hem.

Can you tell I'm trying to delay?

I hate hemming.

An official message

Stupid fricking evil spam comments have been appearing here. I have been attempting to destroy them with my magic clicky trash can. If I miss one, let me know, because I hate them.

Also, I am officially opting out of today's thing because of the charity chocolate competition of doom that I am in tonight.... but if I can get any hilarious phone pictures worth posting, I totally will. (Basically it is an invite only people's choice comp for 6 catering companies in the area. We have to serve up 400 mini samples of this one dessert, and I am thinking that we have way not enough prep. We'll see. )

An auspicious beginning...

Happy February!

So I went to register for Thingaday and couldn't because of random computer glitch that was annoying. That sister o' mine said that I should just do it on our blog. Hey, there's a thought... and much less pressure if I skip a day.

At work, I pondered, what shall I make today? Which was ironic, considering the job, and in particular the job today. Today's work involved making a (I kid you not) $1800.00 birthday cake for a thirteen year old. This involved fashioning a crown shaped cake top out of sugar, fondant, buttercream, a bundt pan, a wire rack, cake boards, and masking tape. We pulled it off, although I still say that red and fuschia pink DO NOT MATCH. Three giant cake tiers, cake stand, and crown are layered together, and loaded into the boss's wife's car (a corvette wouldn't work for this, so he had to borrow that car). I am elected to join boss in the delivery process.

Of course, the trip there involves many sudden starts and stops, sharp curves, speed bumps, and my job is to say if the cake slips. All is well until boss gets impatient and tries to zip around a car trying to turn left. Splooty. The cake slides off the cake stand, into the hatchback door. Of course, the part that hit is the front of the cake. The good news is the cake holds together - we can repair it, we have the technology!

And so I found myself piping buttercream on top of fondant in the back of this SUV to cover the splooted parts, then holding the cake on the cake stand while trying not to mess up anything else for the harrowing remainder of the trip to the event. We got it in, got it down in place, and RAN for the door.

I got home a good while later, thanks to 5 o'clock Friday commute times, and realized I had to still make something. I made cheeseburgers appear in my hand that someone else cooked. Does that count?

Ah well, there is still time...

Granny Octagon, Drat!

Four not eight! Math is NOT hard! But I think I'm making progress....

what is this thing called free time?

I am very impressed by those who are committed to all handmade gifts this season.

Obviously none of them work for catering companies.

Craft Store Confessional

It was a little thing really. I successfully purged two whole bags of old clothes from my closet and wanted to find some weekend project to celebrate my liberation. So, I went to the craft store.

OK, I live in a world where I barely know what day of the week it is, the actual date retains an elusive mystery. So I found myself at the craft store on 1. Saturday 2. Of a three day weekend 3. before a major decorative holiday season.

I realized I hate the craft store.

First off, since I have the dreaded Allergy to Acrylic there is a certain amount of frustration inevitable. Oh look, this yarn is nice!... oh. And hey this looks like fun!....um. Nifty, and I'm not going to even touch the package. Right. Add to that the hordes of people prepping for the Great Octoberal House Makeover and yeah, I bought $3 worth of fabric to recover a pillow and then spent a long, long time trying to get out of that place.

I find it hard, sometimes, to reconcile my crafty streak with the projects in the big craft stores. Most of them look dated, lifeless and dare I say it, tacky? Thankfully the internet gives me hope. I see people using the same techniques to do things creative, stylish, inspiring.

Now if I just had more time...

Also, making monsters is sooo much more fun than making these booties I'm working on. Which is probably part of the reason they aren't done yet.