About 17 years ago I was in college, my first year to be exact. I was taking classes at Austin Community College to get some easy credit before I headed over to the University of Texas.

Every day I would trudge in at 7 AM with my Dad who worked near the college. He would drop me off at Captain Quakenbush's on the Drag in front of UT. I'd have a cup of coffee and head over to class on the Dillo buses. I had a two hour break between a couple of my classes so I used to head back to the same coffee shop, grab another cup and walk another block and play video games at Le Fun. At the end of all my classes I'd bus it over to my job as a picture framer at Michael's.

One Friday afternoon when I didn't have to work, I was taking the Dillo back to campus and there was this guy waiting too. He started chatting me up - which I didn't mind because he was VERY attractive. We talked about our favorite authors, and electrical engineering, the TV station he worked at, and few other things. He got off the bus before I did and I never got up the courage to give him my number or get off the bus with him.

I felt like a chicken for months before I forgot the whole thing because I started dating a sweet guy.

Fast forward two years...

Sweet Guy and I have broken up. I'm working somewhere else and spending a lot of time hanging out at a goth industrial club downtown regularly with a friend of mine. I start catching glimpses of this really really hot guy at the club and he looks familiar. I'm still chicken so I don't go talk to him - plus it doesn't help that I usually see this hot guy with another girl.

I start asking around about this guy and get lots of different opinions. He's awesome, he's an jerk - that sort of thing. Rumors abound at this club so I don't listen to any of the opinions really.

Fast forward almost another year....

Finally one night, Mr. Hot Guy is talking to one of my friends, someone I've known since high school. I walk up to talk to my friend and get introduced. We all sit talking for awhile (and I'm nervous as hell). Some how, one of us gets side tracked and I end up on the dance floor dancing to my favorite song at the time (which they played every Tuesday night at the same time) with the guy I'm semi-dating.

Mr. Hot Guy, super gutsty I thought, walks up to me on the dance floor while I'm dancing and asks me out and for my phone number.

EEEK!!!!! I say "yes," of course. He has a cell phone and I am duly impressed - he put my number in. A few days later I get a call from Mr. Hot Guy. I tell him point blank, I've had some weird dates and I'd like to something relatively normal and average for our first date. We go out a few nights later for Dinner and Movie.

Why am I typing all this you ask? you'll see.

So at dinner, we're talking about our interests and everything he's telling I've heard before. I have met this guy before! He's the guy from the bus!!!

AND it turns out the girl he's always with at the club is his ex-girl friend and just recently ex-room mate.

We keep going out and a week or so later we are at the club again. He and his buddies have been drinking Rumplemintz while Mr. Hot Guy is kneeling down next to me the ground. After a bit, I notice Mr. Hot Guy is oddly quiet. He's got his head down on the arm rest and it's wavering a little bit. Friends rally around, pick him up and walk him to the men's room, and finally to the back room of the bar which is closed for the evening. I ask the friends to take me to him - Mr. Hot Guy is gagging and passed out on the couch.

I volunteer to drive him home! (what am I nuts?) He throws up out the window of my car, narrowly missing his best friend in the back seat.

I figured I must really like this guy a lot if I can take him home in this state.

Fast Forward a few days....

Mr. Hot Guy has strep throat and apparently this is what caused his abnormal reaction to alcohol. I gave it to him on our first date. I had strep a month before and didn't think I was still contagious. I'm forgiven - I guess this guy must really like me.

Fast forward a few months....

I'm basically never going home and spending all my time between work and school with Mr. Hot Guy and crashing with him.

Fast forward a few more months.....

Mr. Hot Guy really does have a name, it's Lee. Lee and I are living together and sharing a place with his best friend.

Fast Forward eight years....

Lots of flack from the parental units over the years, but we're both out of work and need a change. Our current room mate needs a change too. The internet jobs have tanked and no one can get a job. We pack up our entire house and move to Los Angeles.

Fast Forward three years....

It's down to two people in a cute apartment in the middle of Hollywood. We only have each other - no one to speak for either of us if something goes awry. Taxes are kicking our asses.

We break down and do the inevitable, even though we wanted a different ceremony, even though we've been committed for twelve years and didn't want to do it unless we went mad and decided to have kids. We get married.

Fast forward to today....

It's been thirteen years. We are happy, we make each other crazy, but we love each other more than anything.

Happy anniversary, Love.

I just got back in from a leisurely bike ride with the Husband.

We were tootling along La Brea when we saw this:



That's me and my bike in the back ground. The letters and logo are from a real retired Bank of America sign, we found out when we talked to the sales folks.

The store is called Voila! and it's more like an art and antique gallery than a store. I was drooling the whole time we were in there. It's the perfect mix of industrial and antique (mostly books and science related stuff) that both the husband and I like.

When we left, I thought out loud that I would love to have our apartment decorated like that store. Husband immediately answered that we are no where near rich enough for that!

I'm FINALLY getting around to posting the pattern for a water bottle holder I made for the Ongoing Wish List swap on Craftster.org.

Supplies:

* hook of your choice - what ever is recommended for your yarn.
* cotton yarn with some stretch (I used yarn that was lighter than worsted weight)





Pattern:

* chain 4
* sl in 1st chain to form a loop
* work 8 sc in loop
* sl to join round

BOTTOM:

RD 1 - ch 1, sc in same stitch (2 sc - ch1 counts as 1st stitch), *sc in next stitch, 2sc in teh following stitch* repeat from * to * until you get back to the join - sl into ch1 stitch of round [12 stiches]
RD2 - repeat Rd 1 [18 st]
RD3 - repeat Rd 1 [27 st]
RD4 - repeat Rd 1 [40 st]
RD5 - repeat Rd 1 [60 st] - this should be enough for a smal bottle with small yarn - you can keep going if you need a larger bottle size.
RD6 - repeat Rd 1 [88 st]

THE NEXT ROUND WILL BE STITCHED FRONT LOOPS ONLY (the side facing you)

RD7 - ch1, sc in same stitch, sc each stitch in rd, sl to join round (this row should now appear to be on the edge of the circle you just made).
RD8 - Begin mesh - ch 6, skip 2 sc, 1 tr in next stitch repeat from * to * (all sc in round) sl into 4th ch on 1st stitch to join rd.
REPEAT RD8 until the holder is the desired height.

STRAP:

RDx - ch1, sc in each stitch around, sl to join round
RDx+1 - sc in next 8 stitches
RDx+2 - ch1, turn, sc in each stitch across.

REPEAT RD x+2 until strap is desired length

Flatten the main body of the holder to determine placement on other side of holder (should be directly opposite from the other side of strap).

sl into sc to join strap to holder.

FO

Weave in ends

THE END!!

Let me know if you try this pattern, by leaving a comment.

As a self proclaimed paper and fabric whore - I love this site. The papercraft isn't what makes it great to me - it's the tips and tricks as well as the paper engineering and sculptural aspects of paper that they go over.

found via craft gossip and coriandr...

From the Fashion Incubator article about working as a textile designer - I found this:

NedGraphics

must have - but I probably don't want to know how much it costs....

Fashion Incubator does it again, with an awesome article about working as a textile designer.

Blog Archive - Working as a Textile Designer

I seriously cannot believe it, but I won a blog give away! Lizzy house picked my entry as the winner!

I just found her lovely site through Paint in My Hair.

MODKIDBOUTIQUE

She's another designer that does all sorts of stuff including fabrics.

Tula Pink does is again! She goes further into depth on her design process in three separate posts. These spawned an hour long discussion, show and tell regarding design workflow and process with my husband last night at one in the morning I might add ;).

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

I love the turtle design the best of all of them

It's raining in Los Angeles!!

This hasn't happened since February, I think