Reducio Swap Round 6, SPOILER ALERT!

I participate in a swap on Ravelry called the Reducio Sock Swap. Basically, we swap crocheted or knitted mini socks and other items with a Harry Potter theme. What? You didn't know I'm a Harry Potter nerd? Well, I am! :) Check out Reducio, if you want more info.

Anywho, I wanted to share what i'm sending my partner for Round 6. So....



Here's the whole shebang, minus the card, which I simply forgot to include in the pic:





I made a package up as if some of Harry's friends got together and sent him a package of gifts that would mean some special to them.

From the Twins, Fred and George: "poppers" from their new line of Muggle party products, confetti and a noisemaker on the advice of Arthur, their father, as they are traditional Muggle birthday favors. (My spoilee also has two little boys, so I thought they might get a kick out of these.)



From Seamus Finnegan: monkey bookmarks to remind Harry of a night eating animal crackers in the boy's dorm. Seamus ate a monkey that night and promptly started apeing around. (My spoilee also likes sock monkeys and I thought these little guys looked like they would make her smile.)



From Hagrid: an owl. Since Hagrid got Harry his very first owl, the much-missed Headwig, he wanted to get Harry another owl. Not to replace Headwig, mind you, but just because Hagrid can't imagine anyone without a beloved animal friend in their life.



From Ron and Hermione: Once, on another birthday, Ron and Hermione got Harry a box of chocolates from Honeydukes. Harry then threw them away. Chocolate abuse!!!! So, they wanted to get him another box, in the hopes he'll actually get to eat these!



From Neville Longbottom: Neville found these rare Tibeten Turnip blossoms and wanted to send them to Harry. He says they can make things disappear and thought Harry might find them useful. (I picked this project because my spoilee has the pattern in her faves on Rav, she loves cotton yarn, and because of their several purposes. They can be used as makeup removers, dish scrubbers or coasters, all of which make things disappear! There are seven; one for each HP book.)



From Dobby: Of course, the package includes a mini sock and who better to contribute that than Dobby, whom Harry freed from servitude with the gift of a sock. In Ravenclaw colors because my spoilee is a Ravenclaw. :)



From Ginny: a kiss as potent as firewhiskey. I made the lip balm holder (see pic above) and included my favorite lip balm, Burt's Bees. I liked this because the lip balm is obvious for kissing, and you never know when you'll need it, so having a holder for your keychain means your always ready and kissable. Plus, XXX stands for strong alcohol and X stands for kisses. It was a natural match. :)

Finally, a card. Luna picked out the card, so instead of having "Happy Birthday!!" on it, it has penguins on a yellow background and says "Congratulations" on the inside. I just thought that was hilarious for some reason! :D I love Luna!!!

So, that was my package for Reducio 6. I'm sending it out tomorrow and I REALLY hope she likes it! :D:D:D:D

BB!
~Jeannie

I don't know where I was when Michael Jackson died, but I know when the new Harry Potter movie comes out!

That is so true. Sad? You may think so, but to me it makes perfect sense. :D

And, FINALLY, Xay is getting into Harry Potter, too, so we have plans to go see the movie with Mari after it comes out. Now, we won't be going to the midnight premiers, mostly because I love the idea of crowds and all their crazy outfits, but the actuality sorta sucks, so we will be going soon.

So, being a cheapskate and craftaholic, I wanted us to have stuff to wear, but I can't justify $26 shirts at the mall that I just kinda like. Well, along comes a little blog entry by Pren at Wilcox Wizard Wears on a tee she did from a fabulous tut by Jennifer Ofenstein over at sewhooked blog. Jennifer made this fantastic video tutorial on freezer paper stencils for fandom (and other) tees, check it out:



What does all this add up to? You got it! It adds up to me making t-shirts for me and Xay. He's a Ravenclaw and everyone knows I'm a Slytherin gal, so we got shirts that proclaim our Houses. I've also crocheted a headband, wristcuff, belt, and bag to complete my Slytherin mania. Xay has proclaimed that he also wants a wrist cuff and belt, so I'll be whipping up those in Ravenclaw colors for him before we head out.

Ok, I made a photo diary of my tee making adventure, to show y'all how I did it. Let the pics begin!!

First, find a tee in the color you want. Iron it lightly.


Now, using the video tut from above, make your stencil(s). I made one for the front (crest) and the back (House name).


"What's next?", you ask? Ah, if you were following along with the video tut, you are ready to iron the freezer paper mask onto the shirt! So, let's do so:




Here is where I start going crazy and doing my own thing. First, I tape off the stencil with tissue paper to avoid as much splashback as I can on the stencil I don't need any cool cloudy effects.


With a piece of cardboard inside to prevent bleed-through, you are ready to take it outside! Because, yes, we are going to SPRAY PAINT!! W00t!!


Ok, enough talking about it, paint, baby!!! I used metallic silver spray paint. You'll notice on the crest, I didn't mask. I wanted some overspray, and you'll see why.




Allow it to dry for about ten minutes, and remove all masks.




Be slightly sad about shoddy masking and overspray on the House Name, but ecstatic about how it turned out overall. Place on kid. Marvel at his cuteness.


Grin like a fool and forget to get a pic of the back on the kid. Be so happy he likes it. Make one for the baby, who has yet to go to Hogwart's so belongs to the House of Love still. Marvel at his cuteness.


Promptly make one for yourself.






I made mine a little differently to accomodate for the shape of the neckline and the "shelf." I hate when design is lost because of the shape of my body. So, I designed around my body. :) These look so much better in real life than these pics, and I could not be happier! I can't wait to wear them to the movie!

I got the Slytherin snake stencil from Makani at The Leaky Cauldron. Thank you, Makani! The crest and the raven I found through an online search. I even posted these on Leaky as part of the July Craftalong, the first I've participated in. Can you tell that I LOVE how these turned out! Seriously, y'all should try it!

Yay for fandom!

BB!
~Jeannie

Blast from the Past

That's Mari and I dancing to a song called "Gabe's Cat." That was... geez, a while ago. Look how happy we were while we were dancing! We need to get back to that. :)

Hello, Stress! It must be vacation time!

Yeah, so we leave tomorrow for vacation with my parents. While vacation will be fun and relaxing, the build-up and preparation are crap. I hate stressing to get ready. Packing for four people sucks, as does all the house-type prep I feel needs to be done. We'll be visiting St Simon's Island for the first time, so that should be fun. I just wish I could get someone else to do the packing. :)

So, all that being said, I've got to find a way to get exercise in while I'm there as there is no Gold's Gym anywhere around. While I won't be completely strict with my eating (I know the day we go to Savannah will be a "free day"), I am going to restrain myself. Luckily, my stomach is starting to shrink so I'm fuller faster with less. Also, I will be keeping up with the water. It's one of my greatest fears to be anywhere but home when a kidney stone hits.

I'll have my netbook with me, and if there is internet access, I will be posting as I like the fact that I've really gotten back into my blog again.

BB!
~Jeannie

Are you bored with gym reports yet?

I hope not! I'm still pretty excited about the fact that I haven't skipped a day yet, even though Tuesday morning and this morning, all I really wanted to do was take Xay to school then come home and crawl back into bed.

The scale isn't really moving yet, so I have to take encouragement and pride in other things. First off, I covered a mile on the elliptical this morning for the first time. I do the elliptical for 15 minutes, so I'm pretty proud that, in only my 5th workout, I've increased my stamina and intensity that much. The first day, I barely made it ten minutes and I only covered about .60 miles. I also increased my reps to 15 per set, 3 sets on my weight circuit. I was really feeling the burn this morning! Finally, on the treadmill, I was able to increase my max incline and speed by .5. Sweat, burn, sweat, burn! And, I feel good, so yay. :)

I also wanted to share some great foods I've recently discovered in my "Search for What I Can Eat!" First, GV Brand BeneFIT Yogurt (get it at WalMart). It's a probiotic yogurt, so it's good for your immune and digestive systems. Add to that the sensibly sized portion (70 calories per cup), dose of calcium and it really tastes good. Really. This from a person who doesn't really like yogurt. Next up, Special K's Blueberry cereal. 100 calories per 3/4 cup serving, plus loads of vitamins and a good bit of fiber, just like all of Special K's cereal. And, can I just say YUM?! Because, seriously, it's good. Special K really knows how to make a good, tasty cereal in flavors that make it easier not to eat the bad stuff. I can't recommend the Chocolaty Delight enough and I'm glad to add Blueberry to my list of favorites. PS I love cereal and eat it any time of the day or night, so it's good to have smart choices on hand.

Another thing I've realized about myself is that I am more motivated when I read fitness magazines targeting women. I especially like Shape, so I treated myself to a two-year subscription. They've always got great workouts and advice for routines that get you into shape whether you have a gym membership or not. So, if at the end of my six-month membership I decide not to renew for some reason, I can still keep working hard to get to my goals. Plus, reading about fitness keeps my eyes on the prize and helps me do something everyday that's good for my body.

Finally, the biggest, and most surprising for me, is how much everyone's encouragement here, on Twitter and on Facebook has meant to me. I'm normally not very public about my struggles with my weight and fitness because I don't want to be embarrassed if I fail. But, hearing all the wonderful comments has really given me a boost of initiative I might not have if I weren't able to share this with my friends and hear back how much they are rooting for me. So, thank you to all my wonderful friends! You have really touched my heart and you make me feel like I can do anything!

BB!
~Jeannie

Today is a good day.

It's a good day when old injuries don't hurt
when my body feels strong and capable,
like a faithful dog pulling at the leash,
straining for new sights, sounds, smells.

It's a good day when old hurts no longer injure
when my heart is open and free from pain,
like a child's heart that loves and laughs,
without exacting a price.

It's a good day when I don't even think of old hurts and injuries
When my mind is alive and eager
waiting, like a quivering arrow,
to spring upon the next grand scheme.

It's a good day when:
I feel like I could dance forever.
I feel like I will love always.
I feel like I'm on the verge of genius for its own sake.

Today is a good day.

Oh, I'm tired.

But, I'm not sore! Yay! Either the water is working or the treadmill after weights is really helping work the lactic acid out of my system. I have to admit, I'm really surprised that I'm even mobile today after two workouts and class last night. But, I ain't knockin' it! I'm... well, I'm impressed, really. I expected to be a wracked with pain this morning! lol

However, as the title mentions, I'm damned tired. Like alarm-clock-going-off-for-ten-minutes tired. I still made it to the gym after dropping Xay off at school and did a full workout, which lasts about 2 hours. I was hard-pressed to get on the elliptical, but I just kept telling myself, "I can quit whenever I need to... but can I make it another 30 seconds? Yes, I can." I got through my elliptical workout 30 seconds at a time, today. Same with weights, "Can I do one more set? Yes, though it burns!" LOL By the time I hit the treadmill, I was feeling good and breezed through it.

After I lose my first 15 pounds, I'm going to reward myself with a haircut, I think. Or maybe a massage. I'll see which I'm feeling more like having when that time comes, and I'll keep ya posted.

BB!
~Jeannie