branching out

i've always been called picky. i don't like a lot of things. i've had to learn to temper my gag reflex on my international travels as i've been asked to ingest rancid goat milk and millet, fish with literally thousands of bones, parts of chickens I never knew were considered food, turkey heart, marmite, and ox tail. surely, all these things are considered edible, if not delicacies where they are natively served, but to me, they were just weird. however, in an effort not to offend my hosts, i have tasted. it hasn't always been good; i haven't always been able to swallow/not gag; i have tasted almost everything put in front of me (i drew the line at the chinese soup that included every part of the chicken, and i couldn't be sure which partswere in my bowl).

but here in america, i've been a little more stubborn about the foods i don't like. these are usually foods that i wished i liked, because life would be easier if i did (I wouldn't have to make special orders or wonder about the fare at a dinner party). because i'm not allergic to any foods, i think it would be rude of me to say to someone, "oh, please don't serve that dish, i really hate tomatoes." i mean, come on... my friends and family know i don't like certain things, and aren't offended when i pick something out, at least, they've never told me it bothers them (sorry if it does...). i don't make a fuss about it, i just don't like certain foods. these, for example:i've never liked tomatoes, mushrooms are a fungus for goodness sake, watermelon is weird and doesn't really taste like much more than water, and avocados are exotic and buttery-ish. these have been my excuses. until this year, that is. i decided i would grow up this year. it's been a slow process, i know. i'm 24 and i'm finally getting there.

anyway, it started in China when there was pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and i was going the miss out on dessert because i don't like pumpkin pie. it's a texture thing. i love pumpkin bread, and pumpkin butter when the season is right. but, i have an extreme sweet n' salty tooth, which basically means i crave everything, sadly. so i decided that dessert is not something you just pass up, took and big honkin' (okay, half a slice) of pumpkin pie, and proceede

d cautiously. and, it was delicious! amazing! i can't believe i never liked it before i was 22 years old. oh, what those 22 years were missing!

so i came home and slowly started to try foods i'd never liked before. my mom's squash casserole. avocados, and by extension, guacamole (i had a horrific reason for never liking guacamole), salsa, spinach dip, hummus. all of these endeavors proved at least moderately successful: i no longer didn't like any of these things, and would eat them if served, although, they wouldn't necessarily be craved by me.

the past few months, i've been trying to keep the trend going. i tried watermelon in may. it was alright, but still, it was mostly water. i'd really rather drink my water and not worry about spitting out the seeds. but i could eat it.

the big step, however, came tonight. i was served a sandwich for dinner. a sandwich with a big, gargantuan, thick slice of tomato on it. it was so juicy that pulling it off would have still left the taste behind, not to mention would have been rude, i think. so i held my breath and took a bite. it was a little rough at first. the taste was hard to get past. but i didn't gag. i filled my mouth with delicious garden salsa sun chips (amazing that i love things with a tomato flavor, but not actual tomatoes...) once my palette was mollified, i took another bite. it was better than the first. then, i kept taking bites until the whole sandwich was gone. and you know what, not only did i not gag, but i think i actually liked it. a little. maybe.

so i'm going to keep branching out. i'm not going to order things without tomatoes for a while, and who knows, but this time next year, i could be chowing down on this:

okay, that may be a little crazy, but you never know...

sassacraft #18 and preview

wow. it has been a while. i really miss blogging. a lot has been happening in my life that has deterred my semi-frequent craft and life updates, the main event being the complete demise of my previous computer. i say this wishing i could tell you some awesome story about how my computer burst into flames while using it, or how it blue-screened on me and i went office space on it, but i don't have an awesome story. it just got too old and too full of all my digital stuff that it became, for all intents and purposes, useless. it took about half an hour to turn on and boot; the battery fried completely, so it only ran on ac power; the programs frequently encountered problems and had to be shut down; error reports failed to send. In the end, my pc showed itself to be of less than enviable lineage. so i scrimped and saved and blew my savings on clothes and vacations and borrowed cash from Old Moneybags, a.k.a Dad, and forked out one and a half k for this brand spankin' new beauty, stickers not included:

and i received it in the mail a few weeks ago, ready to go right out of the box. i'm not interested in a big debate about the perks and pitfalls of macs versus pcs. i'm only interested in what will work best for me at this point in my life. which brings me to the next big event delaying my crafting, and therefore blogging about crafting: school. i enrolled in a local school to pursue a second Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts in Graphic Design. my first degree will remain a mystery, as you may begin to critique my grammar and point out any dangling modifiers in my posts if you knew. (mostly, i forget to spellcheck...) anyways, the computers in the art department are all macs, so i figure this is best.

but as the fall draws nearer, i am caught scurrying around making appointments with advisors and trying to get into full classes because i am registering so late. i transferred 122 credit hours from my first degree, and only need classes in Spanish and Graphic Design to complete this second degree. but i am super excited about both and can't wait until the semester begins.

while i wait, i'm looking for a job that can support me while in school. i love my babies at the daycare, but need to make more money, and would like to live on my own. or with my yet-to-be-realized-husband, whichever becomes achievable first. personally, i'd prefer option two.

with all this going on, i haven't found a lot of time to craft. but, i did make something several weeks ago that i didn't blog. i made another imitation piece from emily's blog.

i used some gray linen and foam letter stamps for the "dwell," and free-handed the bird. i cut out the matte and painted it the same color as the lettering, and framed it in a cheap Hobby Lobby frame. but why did i make it? when i saw it, all i could think of was Psalm 91 where it says "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty....He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge." i don't know if that's how emily meant it when she made it, or if i took it for what i wanted, but i knew i couldn't afford her price for the piece. so i made one myself. i had the paints and stencils and linen at home, bought some card stock for the matte, and got the frame during a half off sale. it worked out great, and i love the piece. and it's a good reminder to me to dwell i God's presence, and rest in His shadow, instead of trying to figure out this life thing on my own.

lastly, i wanted to show this preview of a piece i'm making for a friend. and i'm going to be honest. it will either look pretty good and a little funky, or it will look like a third grade art project. i'm leaning towards funky right now, but it isn't finished, and i'll never know until the recipient sees it and lets me know. i told her if i came over and found it hanging in her closet, i would know how she felt, and i wouldn't be offended. it's a first attempt at this kind of thing, and i've struggled with it a lot. we'll all just have to wait and see how it turns out.

well, i haven't forgotten

i know it has been a while since my last post. like a month or something. and it's not like i have forgotten. i've attempted several times to post. i even have new crafts to put up. but i've been a little busy/tired/unable to get time on the computer. but now, at least, part of this matter is solved. i received my new Mac today. and i am in the midst of transferring files and getting everything set up and filling this new computer with me.

i'm excited to have it. it will help a great deal when i start school again in the fall, seeking m second degree in Graphic Design. yeah, i'm going to make this creative stuff my job. i've just got to get through two or three more years of school.

but for tonight, i need to figure out how to get my music from my ipod to my new mac without completely wiping all my music from existence in my life. that should be challenge enough for now. i'll write again soon. if all goes as planned.

sassacraft #17

spring is here. i've been told this is true. calendarily speaking it is true. but after unseasonable cold snaps, late frost warnings, and having to find my winter coat after prematurely putting it away, i think it is safe to say that spring is actually here. the thunderstorms confirm. the tulips concur. the daffodils dance for joy.

in honor of this season of renewal and beauty, i wanted to make something special. i was perusing my new favorite blog and came across this:

i thought is was just splendid, and wanted to make one. so, a trip to hobby lobby, thirty-six feet of ruffled muslin, a mess of dried moss, a ripped-up bouquet, a trail of blue paint, a jammed sewing machine, and a week of procrastination later, i made this:

now, don't just stand back in awe of my astounding abilities of imitation and reproduction. Emily (she's my new favorite blogger) posts very detailed tutorials for her readers. i combined her lesson on the wreath with her post about wire words and added "bloom" to my wreath in copper. i didn't glitter my eggs because the one thing i don't get about Emily is her love affair with glitter. and i didn't use sheet moss because that stuff is expensive.

it makes me smile. does it make you smile? spring always make me smile.

crafts are brewing...

just so you know.

sassacraft #16

happy first birthday, B. for you, i made this. your mommy (my friend Emily) picked the verse 3 John 4 and i decided where to go from there. i painted a cross, off-center, on this canvas. then i mod podged pages from the Gospel of John. i painted your sweet little feet pink and let you make some footprints on the canvas. i wrote the verse: "I have no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in the truth," on the cross and around your footprints.

this piece is so special, because it reminds your mommy and, eventually, hopefully, you that you must strive each day to walk in the Truth. and i pray that every time your precious mommy sees it she will remember to pray for your salvation and walk with Christ, that you will grow each day closer to the heart of God and rest your head always upon His chest and cherish His Name. i know your mommy already prays for your salvation. you should know that. you are so precious to her, but you are even more precious to Jesus, sweet girl. that is why you are a Joy.

sassacraft #15

well, this is it, folks.

i know you have just been dying for me to reveal the piece i made for Emily. at least, i know i've been dying to reveal it, so your impatience is understandable.

but first, let me tell you a little about this piece. i love it. a lot. i wish i wasn't giving it away, because i have the perfect place to hang it. and it would look awesome there. it really would.

second, it is a mod podge canvas with burlap embellishments. i ripped apart my copy of Out of Africa by Isak Denisen and asked my mom to help me sort through the pages looking for good quotes and interesting pages. i mod podged the pages down one at a time, working very carefully not to leave any bubbles (there are a few, but not too many). then i drew out a large outline of Africa and used my new favorite tool--a rotary blade--to cut it out. i cut a heart from red burlap and used some thin gardening twine to stitch the heart to Africa. threading that needle was the most difficult part of this whole project. then, i used tacky glue to stick Africa to the canvas. ta-da, art!

and Emily loves it. see for yourself.