carrie girl

oh geeze.

so when i called apple they told me my warranty had expired 4 days ago, and that they couldn't help me over the phone unless i paid them $49.  4 days?!?! so i called a place in town, and they said it could cost up to $700 to fix my computer.  i decided to call apple back and basically beg them to make an exception--i think i actually said, "i'm a public school teacher...i can't afford to fix this!!" at that point they transfered me to customer service, where a nice lady took pity on me and extended my warranty, so they'll fix it for free (sigh.) it is at an apple repair shop now, and hopefully i'll have it back by sometime next week. 

this has just been a crazy week--the school was flooded when i got to work this morning, we had to go into lock-down mode on wednesday because of a possible intruder, i found out i have two cavities (so embarrassing!) and my computer died.  surprisingly enough though, i'm in a pretty good mood.  i think it's because i am so close to the end of the school year, and we have a really good friend from new york coming to visit us for 10 days.  it's hard to get new yorkers to venture into the midwest for a visit, so it's pretty nice when a friend braves the rising airfare and makes the journey. 

have a great weekend!

fried

my computer is sick.  it's been just under a year since i got her, so hopefully the nice people at mac will fix her for free.  so for now, i'm using ted's computer, which is going to be hard to get my hands on seeing as how he's a writer and all.  so posts might be few and far between for a little bit.  hopefully not too long--keep your fingers crossed!

the very tall little girl

this week i'm cleaning out my classroom and moving downstairs to a smaller room with no air conditioning...how did i get so lucky? anyway, i'm finding all sorts of old books and games from long ago and, by far, my favorite find is this book, the very tall little girl.

i would have loved this book as a kid. today, i'm nearly 6 feet tall, and i consider that a wonderful thing, but as a kid...i was a tad awkward.  my pants were way too short most of the time, and i had nicknames like "string bean" and "stretch." 

i remember that in the kindergarten play i had to be the big big billy goat because i was the tallest one in the class.  i really wanted to be the troll under the bridge, but mrs. sullivan said that just wasn't possible.

i ended up really loving that i was tall--but it took a while.  i actually hope that one day i have a very tall little girl.  at least nowadays they make pants long enough!

oysters in pyrex

this was such a great weekend--it makes such a difference to have one extra day off. i was actually able to finish a project...20 oyster brooches.  it doesn't seem like such a triumph because it is something i've made before, but i've never made 20 of anything.  some will be going in my store during the next update, and a few will be heading to amsterdam for an etsy friend's (soon to be opened) online store.

two weeks left of school and then...freedom!

have a wonderful week!

vintage telephone desk

after the giant armoire i got from goodwill, i swore i wasn't going to buy any more furniture, but then i saw this...

it was $6.38, and on top of that it was 30% off and it fit in the yaris, i couldn't say no.  the wood needs to be sanded and stained, and one of the corners of the seat cushion has been torn off, so it does need a little help. 

i'm thinking a darker stain, and a bold (maybe vintage) fabric for the cushion. 

now i'm really done with buying furniture...i think.

trying out

i decided that this summer i'm going to try my hand at making clothes...or at least a simple dress.  i was at joann fabric last week, and all the mccall's patterns were $1.50--i figured it was worth a try. 

i really like this dress for several reasons, but the main one is that there isn't a zipper.  i've never tried to put a zipper on anything, so i'm a bit intimidated. i'm sure it isn't quite as hard as i've built it up to be, but i am going to have to work up to it.  this dress just has one little button closure on the back...i think i can handle that. 

i'm thinking i'll practice with a couple vintage sheets i've picked up these past few months. i think they will make nice light and summery dresses.

have a great week!

tuesday

a riveting tuesday night: oyster brooch making and 30 rock watching. not too exciting, but pretty productive.

plaid

this weekend went by way too fast, and i hardly got anything finished. i did relax and have a great time at the prom, but now it's sunday and my projects are still staring at me from my ironing board and work table. don't you hate that feeling? 

i did actually use the sewing machine tonight (for the first time in about a month) to try out a vintage pattern i got at goodwill for a bermuda bag.  i got as far as the lining, but i'm not satisfied with it enough to go and staple gun it to my wooden handles, so i'm going to keep trying. i also think i found another project that will put my vintage plaid shirt collecting to good use.

have a great week! i know for me it's going to be a busy one.

prom night

i'm going to the prom tonight!  the writers' workshop at the university is having their annual "workshop prom," so ted and i will be dancing the night away at a bar called, "candy land."  sounds super classy, right?

in the spirit of the decade in which we attended prom, the 90's, i have been working on a little mix.  a little goo goo dolls, blind mellon, 4 non blondes, the cranberries...the list goes on and on. i can only listen to a couple of the songs, chumbawamba's tubthumping and hanson's mmmbop to name a couple, once maybe twice at the most.

in keeping with the 90's theme---here is my freshman homecoming picture for your viewing pleasure.

i remember i had on fake red glue-on nails, and i loved that dress.

i feel confident in saying that my fashion sense has improved since 1996, and i will not be donning fake nails or black tights to the prom tonight.

have a great weekend!

stocked

the shop is officially stocked with vintage goodies. i actually feel like i'm getting things done around here. i'm still in the planning stages of some of my projects, but i feel like i'm making progress.  getting the shop updated and the craft studio organized were definitely on the top of my list.  next up...heat set my gocco prints and dust off the old sewing machine. 

it's almost friday!