The Crazed Muppet Poncho
A few days ago I watched an episode of Uncommon Threads on the DIY network and saw the guest create a baby poncho out of polar fleece, pom pom ball trim and some rick rack. Looked pretty easy and I liked the idea of a poncho to slip over Daphne’s head when she’s in her car seat. That episode plus the dozen episodes of Project Runway (reruns leading up to the new season last night) I watched inspired me to head out to Hancock Fabrics last night. This morning I searched online for a few more poncho ideas and came across a no-sew poncho pattern. I liked the fringe at the seam and the little collar so now I had to figure out how to cut the pattern down. Three wrapping paper pattern ponchos later I was ready to start with the polar fleece. My first problem was I accidentally fringed the collar, which I had not intended to do and I wasn’t really consistent with how I was cutting the fringes. The result.. Daphne looked like a crazed Muppet, or a deranged Fraggle. Apparently I have learned nothing from all those seasons of Project Runway. Too much pattern, too much fringe, TOO MUCH!!! I was like Kayne from Season 3. Anyway, with Tim Gunn’s “Make it Work!” in my head I decided to cut off all the fringe. The result is a little better, but now the poncho has a weird shape. And Daphne chews on the seam fringe by her face. Oh well, I can always make a hat. Luckily I have enough material left to make my original poncho idea.
After I chopped off the fringe:
I still think this is a cute idea, but definitely for a simpler fleece pattern. Stay tuned for Poncho Part II.
Filed under Crafts, Daphne | Comment (0)Adobe Lightroom
Chris has had several photo gigs lately which is great, but since his D50 has a stubborn dust spot on the sensor it means a lot of post processing work. We’ve tried everything and the spots are still there. Our next step would be to send it in to Nikon to be cleaned, but you never know what their turn around time will be. We really need another camera, but are waiting to see if the price of the D200 drops when the D300 becomes available later this month.
So, earlier this week I thought I’d help out with the post processing and did 127 pictures in Photoshop. It took forever. Yesterday I decided to play around with Lightroom. WHY was I ever using Photoshop!? Lightroom rocks!! Instead of opening each individual file and making my edits (like in Photoshop) you can import your entire folder to the Library and then make your changes. And since it’s for photo editing all the tools I need (exposure, color correction, vibrancy, etc…) are in a conveniently located section of the workspace. I also like the idea of the development presets. With one click you can change the tone or other creative aspects of the picture. Make your own presets, or download someone else’s presets and import them into Lightroom. Here’s an example:
The original image:
The altered image, using a color enhancement preset, and a darken edge preset to achieve a kind of cross processed look. Took about 2 seconds to make the changes.
I find this really cool, mainly because I’ve looked at several Photoshop tricks to achieve a similar effect and this is so much easier!!!! Anyway, if you are into digital photography and enjoy working with Photoshop, definitely get Lightroom. You’ll love it!!
Filed under Photography | Comment (0)Fall TV
I realize this blog has become “all Daphne, all the time” but honestly there’s not much else going on right now!! I’ve pretty much been consumed with baby care, feeding & napping for the last 10 weeks. Something that has really helped me during those late night feedings is our DVR. At 3:00 AM I need something to keep me awake so I don’t fall asleep and have Daphne roll off her Boppy pillow & drop onto the floor. Surprisingly, after a few years of not watching prime time network TV I’ve found there are some good new shows this season!! Here are my favorites:
- Pushing Daisies, ABC, Wednesdays 7PM. This is Amelie meets Tim Burton. Pie maker Ned has the ability to touch a dead object & bring it back to life. This is really a charming show. I know it doesn’t sound like it with the whole “death” theme, but it is.
- Chuck, NBC, Mondays 7PM. Silly, spy fun with lots of 80’s pop culture references. While we were watching an episode Chris turns to me and says, “you know, as silly as this show is, the spy stuff is a whole lot more believable than Alias ever was.” Shut up Chris and don’t knock Alias.
- Life, NBC, Wednesdays 9PM. I’m not normally into cop shows, but I like this series. Detective Charlie Crews, framed for a murder he didn’t commit, is released from jail after serving 12 years of his sentence. I enjoyed Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers and he’s equally great in Life.
- Dirty Sexy Money, ABC, Wednesdays 9PM. This is another show that I wasn’t expecting to like. Nick George loses his estranged father in a plane crash and is hired by his dad’s employer, the super rich Darling family.
Let’s just hope the writer’s strike doesn’t continue so we can see full seasons of our favorite shows. According to eonline.com, next weeks Office could be the last episode until the strike is resolved. NOOO!
Filed under TV | Comment (0)Just when you got “frak” out of your vocabulary…
Battlestar Galactica comes back (well, kinda) on November 24th with a 2 hour special episode, Razor. Unfortunately we will be driving home from our Thanksgiving trip and will miss it. Thank goodness for DVR technology. If you live in a few select cities you can see a special screening on Nov. 12th.
On a side note- I hate having such long gaps between new episodes. I can handle a long summer break, but a year between seasons really sucks. Weeds & Big Love are the same way. I’m tempted to just forget watching them when they air and just Netflix the DVDs when they come out.
Goody two shoes? Actually 24 shoes…
Have I mentioned how much fun it is to dress a little girl?? Well, I’m having a blast, especially now that the weather is cooler and she can wear more than just a onesie and not stroke out from the heat. Today Daphne got a shipment of shoes I ordered for her online. Now I know babies don’t really need shoes, but during the winter and with some of her dressy outfits it just seems right to put shoes on to help keep her socks on, feet warm and outfit looking finished when we aren’t at home. Before today Daphne had 5 pairs of shoes- two pairs of chocolate mary janes, two pairs of Robeez that I got for 1/2 off at Shoebuy.com and a pair of plum colored boots. Now she has 7 more pairs. Yep, she has more shoes than I do at this point (if you don’t count my hundred pairs of Old Navy flip flops), but not as many as her father. Babycheapskate had listed a code for 85% off regular priced shoes from darlingshoes.com. The shoes were a bit more traditional looking than I like, but for basic dress shoes they will work well. I ordered 2 pairs she can wear now and the rest she’ll grow into. Before shipping I spent a whopping $15.71. Not bad since I was just considering buying a pair of Carter’s black mary janes for $10 (on sale!!) at Kohl’s. Here’s my order:
If you are in the market for baby items definitely add Babycheapskate to your blog feeds. They post great deals daily!!
Filed under Daphne, Shopping | Comment (0)