Makin' Magnets

Nope, this isn't a post about how to actually make something magnetic that isn't already. Instead, this is a post about how to reuse old magnets you might have lying around.

 I decided to use some awesome scrapbook stickers that I had on hand. I'd been wondering for quite some time how to put these to use. In the foreground, you can see the magnet I started with. I like to use magnetic list pads in the kitchen to keep track of groceries I need and tasks around the house I have to do. When the paper is gone, this ugly magnet remains!

 These six magnets are the ones I made! (Please excuse the blue magnet interloper!)

One of the coolest things about this project is that it doesn't really matter much what shape you cut the magnet into, as long as all of its edges are within the confines of the sticker. So, I did my best to hack apart this thick piece of magnet with regular scissors, and this is the result.

 For the magnets that are covered by the gold flowers, I actually used a different magnet for the back: a super thin, flexible magnet that was initially an advertisement sent to me by a business. I suspect you have at least a few magnets like this in your house, unless you've thrown them away already! I didn't need the magnet to remind me of the business's phone number, so I included it in this project.

 After finding an interesting metal board at JoAnn's, and making these magnets, I packed the whole thing up and brought it down to my cubicle. The tech staff just recently put a new computer on my desk that's a little bit of a different shape than the old one, so I found myself with some free space for a little more decor.

And here's the final finished product! I had a couple of beautiful cards (both of which were sent to me by Violet) that complement the color of the board and magnets. This project was super simple! You can use the magnets on any metallic surface: a file cabinet, a mirror, a pizza pan, or even a refrigerator. Plus its nice to find a creative reuse for otherwise dull magnets that might end up in a landfill.

The First Snow

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's here! Today, November 12, is the first snow of the season!

I know I'm probably a little crazy for being excited about this. Nevertheless, I'm most excited about the circumstances: I was able to watch the big, fat flakes slowly drift down from the comfort (meaning warmth) of my apartment. Also, because my workplace is observing Veterans' Day today, I don't have anywhere I have to go. And word is, the roads are slick and drivers are unprepared. I also feel especially fortunate to have spotted this scene because I woke up earlier than I had planned. I could have stayed in bed, but I would have missed actually seeing the snow fall had I done so. Instead, I woke up early and found a winter wonderland. What a perfect First Snow!

The Thrifty Federalist

A couple of weekends ago, I had the chance to go on a thrift shop excursion with several of the girls from my book club. Why did book club wind up out thrifting? I guess that's a good question. It seems like just about all of the girls in the group enjoy thrifting or antiquing. But, it was also clear at the beginning that everyone had a different favorite spot. Once we got to talking, it seemed like an awesome outing to get together and spend the afternoon visiting most of the suggested favorites. I enjoyed having places on our agenda that were familiar, as well as some that were not!

At one place I'd never been before, a shop called It Takes A Village, at 34th Street and Chicago in South Minneapolis, I hit the jackpot. I found dishes that match my dishes! This was the very best thing I could ever have imagined finding!

 Here they are: 2 dessert plates and 2 dinner plates!

 This pattern is called Federalist Ironstone. It's a super durable collection of ceramic dishes. Up until this addition, the entirety of my collection came from my grandparents' house. When I was in college, my dad's dad passed away after a brief, ferocious battle with brain cancer. He left a house full of furnishings, including these dishes, which my parents packed up and brought back to Minnesota from St. Louis.

These dishes were sold in big sets at Sears during the 1960s and 70s. My dad's mom, who passed away when I was a baby, picked them out. I brought the dishes to my first apartment mostly because I didn't have anything else. I've treated them pretty roughly in the time I've had them, using them in the microwave and washing them in the dishwasher. I like that my grandma chose them and I think they're beautiful. So, over time, I've grown to love them and think of them as an heirloom.

 The new additions were mostly in pretty good shape. This dessert plate was marked by some stains and covered in crazing (cracks below the surface). I have another piece that's covered in crazing as well, and I've treated it just as roughly for the 6 years I've used these as my everyday dishes and it doesn't seem to be any worse for the wear. Plus, since they were only asking 50 cents each for the dessert plates, I figured I would just throw it away if it broke.

Does this pattern look familiar to you? I think they bear an uncanny resemblance to the Ikea Arv collection, available at everybody's favorite Swedish retailer. In fact, when I spotted them, I assumed that's what they were. The scale of the pattern, and the shade of the ceramic, are quite similar. But, I found this telltale stamp on the back, and then I knew for sure they were coming home with me!

I'm happy to report that these new additions to my collection have safely survived their first trip through the dishwasher. I was hoping this experience would take care of the stains on the dessert plate pictured above, but unfortunately, it did not. Otherwise, everything held up great! The new plates are now in the stack along with the old ones. What a great find! I'll be sure to head back to It Takes A Village!

The Darlings

Several months ago, I read a review of this book, by Cristina Alger. After what felt like eons on the waiting list, my copy finally came in at the library!

I would definitely recommend this book! It tells the story of a family, the Darlings, and the collapse of their hedge-fund business during the financial turmoil of recent years. The entire collapse unfurls during the course of one tense Thanksgiving weekend, making it a perfect fit to read during this season. This story includes plenty of insight into the technical basis for the financial collapse, as well as the effects of the rapid loss of wealth on those who had enjoyed it. Before picking up this novel, I expected that its tale would focus blame on one political approach or another: pointing the finger at either too much regulation or not enough as the underlying cause of the financial collapse. I was really impressed that the author avoided this temptation and told a story about a business that collapsed for reasons that were basically independent of the political process.

This book reminded me a lot of the very best movie I've seen regarding the financial crisis: Margin Call. The primary similarity between these two narratives is the way they present the convergence of multiple perspectives. For example, in the book, we move through time in chronological order, including a statement of the date and time at the beginning of each chapter. However, the author effortlessly bounces from one narrator to another, telling the story from a range of viewpoints. In fact, one of the viewpoints that was the most important was that of the administrative staff to very powerful people. (This happened in Margin Call, also.) These two stories were also similar in that they described a mystery unraveling in a hurry, which made the "time-stamped" chapters an even more effective way to tell the story. The only part of this book I enjoyed even more than Margin Call was the added component of how making tough decisions affected relationships within the family. I'm definitely a sucker for that kind of drama! Overall, I enjoyed this book a ton and would certainly recommend it!

Don't forget...

That's right, my favorite time of year is here once again!

You have a chance to do your civic duty today - don't miss out! Your country is counting on you!

Do you like this image? I made it using some sweet Picasa features and a photo of this, my very favorite totebag!

I wish you all short lines at the polling places and an exciting night of watching the returns!

The Second Baby Hat

Some of you might remember that, early in the summer, I crossed a big threshold in my knitting skills: I learned how to knit with double pointed needles. I was very excited to make my first DPN project: a baby hat! I didn't really have a pattern and wound up making this disaster. Yikes!

As an aside, I've now realized just how lucky I am to have friends who are so supportive. One even referred to this train wreck as "cute" - seriously, I'm blessed to be so encouraged! I also received encouragement in the form of advice from another friend, Clover, who has much more knitting experience than I do. Clover first pointed out to me that my problem was using only 4 needles. This meant that, at any given time, there were stitches on three needles with one additional needle working. No surprise, then, that the top turned out somewhat triangular. Clover suggested that using 5 needles (requiring me to buy another set of four - those needle-making jerks!) would almost certainly help things. She also recommended I modify a pattern she'd used in the past. The pattern was to make a cute little hat with a stem top. I was looking for something simpler, but Clover suggested I could make a few changes and get just what I wanted, and she was definitely right! With a few simple adjustments, my pattern was ready to go. Here's the result!

 Ahhhh! It actually looks like a hat!

 Here's a view of it standing up by itself. Yep, this hat is so well constructed that it can stand up on its own!

 This is the inside. I know its not meant to be viewed from this angle, but I think it looks neat even from this angle. It's something that looks nice enough it could be given as a gift - which is, of course, the reason I want to make baby-sized hats in the first place!

And here's a view of the top! I made a little mistake in modifying the pattern to remove the stem that's supposed to come out of the center, so it's got a little more of a nipple top than I had intended. It's not super obvious, and I made this one just for practice anyways, so I'm thinking about how to eliminate that feature next time.

Overall, the only real surprise I encountered with this finished product is that it's bigger than I had expected. I used a different gauge yarn, which is probably to blame, though the gulf between what I planned and what I got is probably even bigger than the yarn alone can explain. It was my plan to make the hat the right size for a newborn. Instead, when I showed it to Ginny, she put it on 10 month old Miss M, for whom it was basically too big! She told me she thought it would probably be just the right size for 3 year old Mr. O. Wow! I've got to do more to investigate what size would be right for a newborn and then make adjustments accordingly. Either way, this one makes me proud!

FD: Master Bedroom

So here we are, the final stop on the tour of the Tree House apartment. The master bedroom!

 Here's the main part of the room. Please excuse the icky cords by the window - they've been messy for so long, I've become immune to them I guess.

 Here's a close-up of some of the art, along with my nightstand.

 And here's some more of the art. The two paintings on the wall behind the TV set were painted by a friend of my grandmother's who traveled to China.

 And here's my dresser, where I put on my jewelry every morning.

 I kind of like the "up-high" angle in this shot.

 I kind of like this one with the lamps on, though their light gets kind of blown out.

 Here's the room as seen from the doorway. I think these lights look a little better than the pink lampshades.

 This little decoration was a gift long ago from a very dear friend. I've always hung it on the wall in my room, even in the dorm! I like the lighting and the perspective in this shot.

 Here's the hallway leading to the en suite bathroom. Those large white spaces on the right are my tremendously dull closet doors.

 Here's my little bitty master bathroom.

 Here's the tie rack where I keep most of my necklaces. It's pretty plain jane, but it does the trick. Also, to the right, there's the memo board that contains my favorite quote - bonus points if you can identify the movie it's from!

 Here's the rest of the master bath. Notice anything missing? That's right: it's a half bathroom, with no shower or tub. Weird? Yes, definitely. But, I suppose that the people who designed the apartment understood that if there were two people living here, the one thing they might really want would be a second toilet.

So, there you have it: the completed tour of my apartment. I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pictures. It was definitely a good experience for me to take the pictures and then see them on the computer screen and try to describe them for my friendly readers before I submit my materials to the Small Cool Contest over at Apartment Therapy in 2013. Hopefully this will help me take my best photos and select the right mix!