Check-In: August 25

What I’m working on: Finally! Finally I can make this big announcement that I’ve been keeping a secret for absolutely no reason! For the past few weeks, I’ve actually been working on a whole new category of offerings for my store:

Printable invitations and note cards! Yay! I’ve got three listings up now, and I’ll be posting some thank you note cards very soon. I’m starting off slow to kind of refine processes and test the market, but I’m feeling pretty optimistic.

I’m also excited to get to do a different kind of design. I’m still very much exploring pattern design, but this kind of thing is actually more what I’m used to. So we’ll see where I wander to in both areas.

What I’m reading: I just started Cailin Moran’s How to Build a Girl. I’m only a couple chapters in, but it’s a delightful change of pace from the absolute downer that was Valley of the Dolls. I enjoy that the main character has the same daydreams I do about being friends with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.

What I’m watching: I’m actually typing this entry up on Wednesday night and scheduling it to go live on Thursday, because this time tomorrow I’ll be watching the premier of RuPauls’ Drag Race All Stars Season 2!! and I will be completely unreachable. Just leave a message and I’ll get back to you after Untucked.

I’m 100% #teamkatya but also #stilldelightedifalaskawins and #justhappytoseemoreofalyssaandphihi.

 

Check-In: August 18

What I’m working on: Man, you ever feel sooooo busy but end up with nothing to show for it really and you’re all… what am I even doing? It’s a little like that. But still plugging away.

What I’m reading: I’m almost done with Valley of the Dolls. Guys. This book is a real bummer. But it’s compelling. It’s one of those things that my husband can’t believe I subject myself to. He’s got a pretty strict “No Bummers” policy. I do see the merits of this policy. I really need a palette cleanser after this.

What I’m playing: Speaking of palette cleanser… thanks to Pokemon Go and Griffin McElroy’s Nuzlocke Challenge, I’ve picked up Pokemon Y again. I started from the beginning. My favorite pokemon I’ve caught so far is a Skitty I named Syrup. She’s pink and nice and my friend.

KonMari Step 3: Part 1 of 58

So, step 3 of KonMari seems like a misnomer because it’s actually about a dozen small categories. And yet… it took me so long to get to it. The first part is CDs and DVDs. I started with CDs and basically just put everything in my iTunes and only kept physical copies of my favorite artists. Some of them are signed. I went through all of those a month or so ago, and lost my before/after photos. But here’s my current CD collection in its entirety:

I still have half a CD binder full of jewel-case-less discs, though. Somewhere I know I’ve got a box of cd cases, but I can’t find it anywhere. We’ve looked in every box in the garage and the closets. I’m wondering if they’re at my parents’ house still.

Next was DVDs, which were easy. I’m not really one for buying DVDs in the first place. My husband even joined in and tossed some of his.

Here’s the keepers:

And the go-ers:

A lot of these are movies I really enjoyed, but will probably never watch on DVD again. I very, very rarely sit through a movie. And once is usually enough. And now with streaming, I’m even less likely to go looking for a DVD.

Sorting DVDs was a tiny portion of my Sunday. It wasn’t much, but it did make me feel productive, which I needed at the time. Who would have thought a fifteen-minute “throw it all away” session would be such a pick-me-up?

Next up: Toiletries, make-up and skin/hair products!

 

 

 

Check-In: August 11

What I’m working on: I’m still acting like it’s a secret… but here’s a sneak peek!

It’s a mysterious.

What I’m playing: I got the Humble Bundle yesterday. This one’s survival games, which I’m not great at. I paid a dollar and got Tharsis, Savage Lands and Kholat. Not bad for a dollar.

I bought it mostly for Kholat. It’s a survival horror game based on my favorite real-life X-File — the Dyatlov Pass incident (Warning: There’s some fairly graphic photos toward the bottom of that Wikipedia article). I was really curious about what a spooky, fictionalized version would be like. But… I’ll probably never know. I didn’t make it much farther past the prologue. I was barely pressing forward and whispering “no no no no no” to myself. No amount of Sean Bean narration could help me. I forgot that I’m absolutely terrified of horror games. I might make my husband play so I can watch from under a blanket.

Speaking of Dyatlov Pass, I’d recommend reading Dead Mountain if you’re interested in the incident. It’s very well researched. And it presents a compelling theory as to what happened that’s completely scientific but still pretty spooky. But, more importantly, it really humanizes the victims of the accident. It really paints a good portrait of who these students were aside from their mysterious deaths. Having read the book, and looked all the photos in it, I can tell you that at least the first five minutes of Kholat get the setting right. The town you start in looks like the photos. And after a disorienting walk in the woods, you find yourself snow blind… until you see the tent. And it’s immediately recognizable as the tent. It’s a heart stopping moment.

It’s a shame I hate heartstopping moments.

Luckily, my dollar was not wasted. I got really into Tharsis despite not ever hearing about it before I bought it. It’s got some of my favorite stuff. Space, strategy… and a little mystery. It’s pretty addicting.

In Stitches

So, I dabble in cross-stitch. And like any good cross-stitch enthusiast, I’ve got at least three unfinished projects sitting around. But, I always need more. Here’s some I’m considering.

1. I love this sweet little sampler from Steotch. Steotch is one of my favorites, I’ve bought from them before and will most definitely buy from them again.
2. Stitchrovia has so many good patterns, but I especially love the typography heavy designs.
3. Why not skip the actual stitching part and buy this tiny framed piece from Mississippi Mayhem? It’s cute and it’ll give you more time to work on all those other projects.
4. And speaking of cute, little designs… I love this retro space motif from MidCentury Maude.
5. And for more retro, try Tiny Modernist. These little kitchen doodads are going to be hanging in my kitchen one day.

Check-In: August 4

Well, I thought it’d been a couple of weeks since I last posted. Turns out it’s been nearly a month. July’s always a  little crazy for me. One of my day job’s biggest projects of the year hits its crescendo in mid-July, which means I spend a little over a week stressing and working overtime.

This year, I followed that up with a week of being sick. Nothing serious — but stress, extreme comfort eating and probably too much naproxen sodium aren’t great for the guts. One prescription for Nexium later and I’m doing just fine. I’m eating better, meditating again and just doing a better job of keeping on track. I even bought a new notebook to restart my bullet journal. Let’s do this!

What I’m working on: I jumped back in with something simple for the shop — some rustic ticking-style stripes.

I’m working on a new “product line.” I’m hoping to be able to launch a whole group of new printable products before the end of the month. It’s a little bit of an experiment, so we’ll see what happens. (I’m not telling what it is yet.)

What I’m reading: I’ve gotten just as behind on my reading as everything else, but I have started both Valley of the Dolls and Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. Both really good books that are just a tooooooouch depressing. I might have to throw something fun in the mix.

What I’m playing: C’mon. You know what I’m playing.

I caught a Ponyta in the Walgreens.