no vacancy

Adam's 14-year-old nephew, Daniel, has moved in with us. His parents are going through a difficult divorce and we've all decided that this is the best place for him to be right now. So with the three of us plus Adam's mom, Daniel, a dog and two rats, this place is getting pretty full.

I'm glad we can help both Michele and Daniel out, but I have to say I really miss when it was just the three of us. We all have a lot less privacy and personal space than we were used to, and it's been stressful to say the least. I had to sort of step back and take a break from everything (including blogging, obviously) for a while to take some time to adjust. I wish I could say I wasn't having such a hard time with this, but that's the truth.

Things are getting easier as time goes on, though. I try to just keep myself busy and stay out of the way. I just hope that one day I'll be able to feel comfortable in my own home again.

time out

I kinda fell of the face of the earth for a while there, huh? I haven't blogged in almost three weeks, haven't updated my Etsy shop in about a zillion years, and just forget about my self portraits. I'm all kinds of behind on those. Maybe I'll start taking more than one a day now until I'm caught up. Cheating? Totally. But hey, I really want to have 365 portraits when the year is up. Screw rules. And don't even ask me when I last checked my personal email.

I could say that I've been busy, but I haven't, at least not more than usual.
I could say I needed more time for my family and personal commitments, but I already have plenty of time.

Really, I just wanted to take a break, spend a little time

hooping...reading...
eating...
listening...

making...
and breathing. I feel better now.

20

Yesterday was my 20th birthday! We celebrated at home with good friends and good food. There were party favors...
a sparkly purple cake covered in plastic zombies...
decoupaged paper hats...
and lots of general silliness.
It was so much fun to just hang out with our friends laughing and eating an ungodly amount of cake. I don't think I'll ever be too old for birthday parties, especially the kind involving balloons, crepe paper streamers and fake mustaches.

Feeling inspired by a few other Flickr members, I've decided to take on a little project over the next year of my life and take a self portrait every day until my 21st birthday. I thought it would be a fun challenge for me, because I've realized that I have very few pictures of myself. I'm almost always the one behind the camera. I think it will be interesting to put myself in front of it for a change.

it's my party and i'll play VJ if i want to

Today is my first blogiversary! w00t! I'd love to have a little giveaway but since my craftiness is limited while on vacation I think I'll have to have a belated blogiversary giveaway when we get back home. Until then, I'll celebrate with a little musical self indulgence. These are just a few of my favorite songs by some of my favorite artists, in no particular order. Feel free to dance and wave your lighters in the air.
(edit: i can't seem to get rid of the weird spacing between the text and the videos. sorry about that)
1. Hold On by Tom Waits
I didn't even know who Tom Waits was up until about two months ago, but something about this man just drew me in instantly. His lyrical storytelling coupled with that voice made me a fan for life.


2. Miss Take by Horrorpops
Rockabilly is one of my favorite music genres, and this band just embodies it perfectly. Fun, upbeat, but with a bit of a dark side. Plus Patricia Day gives me major ink envy.


3. It's Raining Again by Moby
I think my undying love for Moby started when I was 13. I listened to Play over and over and over again on my glittery blue portable CD player, memorizing every note, for an entire summer.


4. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Tori Amos
No, that's not a typo. I love cover songs when they're done well, and this is one of my favorites. Yes, I'll even dare to say that I like it better than the original.


5. The Hanging Garden by The Cure
If I had to pick an all-time favorite band, a band I would choose if I could only listen to one for the rest of my life, it would be The Cure. So what if I'm not old enough to remember the 80s? They rock most hardcore. That is, if you can look past the mushroom cloud hair.


6. Hurt by Johnny Cash
Another excellent cover, this time by the late great Man in Black. I'm a fan of both Cash and Nine Inch Nails but even if you're not, you can't watch this video without getting goosebumps.


7. Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins
Something about Billy Corgan's voice is simply intoxicating. And weirdly enough, he looks sort of like my 7th grade language arts teacher.


8. Hard Headed Woman by Elvis Presley
My love for The King started at a very young age when my grandmother would play his records while I helped her clean the house on Saturdays. His music stuck with me and I am still a huge fan. This is my favorite Presley song, and it has become something of an anthem for me.


9. Evil by Interpol
My ex boyfriend got me into this band years ago and I've liked them ever since. They have such a great sound.


10. Hyperballad by Bjork
Ah, Bjork, how I heart you in your genius and insanity. All of her work is amazing, but this one is especially close to my heart.


11. Guns and Dolls by The Bastard Fairies
This song is so catchy and almost as adorable as lead singer Yellow Thunder Woman in her stripey tights! Ya'll know I love me some stripey tights. Their album, Memento Mori, is available as a free download on their site. How cool is that?


12. End of the World by The Cure
Last but not least, another one by The Cure, because they're just so dang awesome. Great song, great video, and the curtains match our dishes. Sweet.


Well, there you have it. A song for every month I've spent in my little corner of the blogosphere. Its been a great year and I'm looking forward to many more. Happy blogiversary to me!

Turn that frown upside down

Life hasn't been too happy for me lately. I'm not sure I want to talk about it here just yet, but suffice it to say that Adam and I have been under a lot of stress recently, and probably will be for the next few weeks. I could use some cheering up, so how 'bout a list (in no particular order) of things that have been making me smile? Here we go.


1. Autumn in her Easter dress. The kid may be a tomboy, but I can't help but squeal when I see her in something so deliciously girly. More Easter pictures here.

2. This very funny and very informative bias tape tutorial over at Angry Chicken.

3. This conversation I had with Autumn today.

Her: Why do kids have parents?
Me: Kids have parents because they need adults to love them and take care of them.
Her: But I didn't always have parents.
Me: What do you mean? I've always been your mom.
Her: No, not when I was a baby and I was at the baby doctor.
Me: You mean the hospital?
Her: Yeah that.
Me: I was your mommy then too!
Her: No I mean when all the babies are in a room next to each other, and you picked me out and you buyed me.

Of course even though her thoughts on the origin of babies were completely adorable, I went on to explain to her that babies start out in their mommies' tummies and then come out when they're big enough. She thought this was hilarious, but didn't feel the need to ask any further questions. This was our first "Where do babies come from?" conversation. As she's gotten older and more inquisitive I'd been wondering when the inevitable questions would start, and now here it is. This was the easy one. The more detailed (and less comfortable) conversations will occur as she gets older, I'm sure.

4. Frank's video of Oliver rolling over. So sweet! I watched it three times in a row. Wait, I have to go watch it again. Okay, four times.

5. The pincushion belt I made for The Beast. I officially lost my old pincushion along with all of my pins, so when I came home with a fresh supply I decided to make myself a cushion I can't lose. I used some scrap felt and my favorite Alexander Henry fabric (Skull-finity). I must say he looks quite stylish in it. And yes, those are devil horns on my sewing machine.

6. The weekend. Today the three of us are driving up to Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother. I think all of us could use a little mini vacation. Hopefully the quiet and the fresh air will do us some good.
7. My newest zombie doll, Sarah. She's the cutest zombie ever (well, second cutest) if I do say so myself. I think I'll make a whole army of these. Spattering her with fake blood was a little too much fun.

Well. Seven things! That was easy. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

Crap I've learned recently

1. I'm not a fan of While You Were Out, but good lord does Mark Montano know how to get his craft on. I thought Dollar Store Decor was a fun book, but then I picked up The Big-Ass Book of Crafts during an impromptu weekend shopping trip. Oh. Holy. Craft. I want to make every single project in this book. Like, now. I decided to start with something I already had the materials for, so I made the Rolled Magazine Basket on page 281. Countless hours and hundreds of little paper circles later I've got an awesome trash can for our first floor bathroom.A garbage can made from garbage. How poetic.Oh, and the unfinished project makes a spiffy hat. Thanks, Autumn.

2. Our kitchen gets the most sunlight in the house and is therefore the best place to take pictures.

3. I will never, ever get tired of this song. Or this one. Or this one (check out the dresses on those dancers. Love.)

4. Making handmade paper is highly addictive.
5. When you're a young mama with laser beam red hair and (frickin' sweet) calf-length combat boots visiting a particularly stuffy craft fair full of older snooty art collectors, people tend to stare. And point. And whisper.
6. Autumn has, to my dismay, learned how to lie. Not well, but still. While she was taking a bath yesterday I told her it was time to wash her hair, and she shooed me from the room because she wanted to do it herself. I stepped out into the hallway until she called me back in.

Her: Mommy I'm DONE!
Me (walking in): Okay, great job--uh, Autumn, your hair is dry.
Her: No I washed it.
Me: No, you didn't even get it wet.
Her: I dried it.
Me: You washed your hair and then completely dried it by yourself even though there's no towel in here?
Her: Rosie helped me.
Me: You're telling me that your teddy bear helped you wash and dry your hair? Rosie's not even in here.
Her: Well she came in here and helped me and then she left.
Me: Autumn, I think you're telling a lie.
Her: No I'm not!

This went on for another minute or so before the child's pants burst into flames.

Twelve Days of Crafting

I have a plan. A challenge for myself that involves some hard work and commitment on my part, but with enough effort I think it will be very gratifying. Adam and I moved in together in January, and this is my first year living away from home (i.e. not under the roof of my mother or grandparents, i.e. being a real live grown up). The thing about having your own place is, you have to start from scratch because the things you always took for granted aren't there from the start. Things like furniture, dishes, appliances, towels, and of course, holiday decorations. I know, shocking, right? You mean my new townhouse doesn't come fully stocked with this crap? Well we pretty much covered the furniture, dishes, appliances and towels in the first couple of weeks, but what we don't have are Christmas things. You know, the things that are supposed to magically appear from a cardboard box in my grandparents' basement? We have no ornaments, garlands, knickknacks, stockings, baubles, tchotkes, or thingamajigs. No doodads! No whatchamacallits! So what's a holiday cheer deprived homemaker to do? Run to K-Mart and fill a cart or two with the entire Martha Stewart holiday collection? I think not my dear friends! It's time to get crafty! So here is my decoration crafting to-do list.

50 ornaments and a tree topper
3 stockings
1 wreath
4 placemats & coasters
2 throw pillows
1 advent calendar + 24 thingamajigs and/or doodads to go in it
an undecided number of soft trees
1 tree skirt

And probably a couple of other odds and ends that I forgot. And I didn't forget about my Handmade Pledge this year, so along with buying a few things from Etsy I am making something for everyone on my list, adding up to about 15-20 individual items, give or take. Doesn't sound too daunting when I have almost a month to get it done, but that's where the challenge comes in. I'm going to do this in 12 days.

Why 12, you ask? Well I don't have any logical explanation other than the fact that I was listening to The Twelve Days of Christmas when I thought of this, and it seemed like a good number that would be challenging but doable. Oh and I'm a masochist.

So starting tomorrow, for the next 12 days I'll be sharing my progress on my blog and probably venting many frustrations and "Why am I doing this to myself?!"s along the way. I'm glad I have this blog because posting about it will help keep me on track. There's a certain accountability that comes with challenging yourself publicly. It's one thing to just set a personal goal for yourself and forget about it, but when you make it public you're more driven to follow through. I think this will be a lot of fun in a frequently stressful, oh-lord-what-was-I-thinking sort of way, so I'll be checking in tomorrow as soon as I finish my first project.

P.S. Before I forget (well, I did forget, and came back to edit this in) I wanted to share this idea I found on Craftster with you all because I think it's so adorable and easy to do if you don't have a lot of time (or crafty skills) this holiday season. It's a photo advent calendar with family pictures behind each numbered window. You can just print out the PDF and add your photos and presto! Instant cuteness.

Picture That

A fun little idea blatantly stolen from robot jumping rope.

1. Type your answers into Google image search.
2. Post a picture from the first results page.

The age you will be on your next birthday
A place you'd like to visit
One of your favorite places
Your favorite object
Your favorite food
Your favorite animal
Your favorite color
Name of a past pet
Where you live
First grade teacher's last name
Your middle name
A bad habit of yours
Your favorite holiday
I know many of you readers have blogs of your own, so let's see your answers!

Back to Normal. And Turtles.

Thank you so much to you lovely readers who sent such kind words--both in comments and email--on the loss of my grandfather. It really is therapeutic to be able to reach out to others in such a difficult time. His funeral was yesterday morning, and I had the opportunity to give a eulogy at the service. I think it gave me the closure I needed, and we've begun to get back into our normal routine. And boy, do I have a lot of normaling to do.

First up on my to-do list is to collect addresses and send out five pairs of clay horns for round 11 of the Craftster Sweat Shoppe Swap. This is my first craft swap, and I'm both excited and nervous. I hope all 5 of my partners like their horns. I'm already sure I'll love all the things I'm receiving. I've been partnered with some really talented crafty ladies and I can't wait until my first package shows up.


Next up, Halloween costume! This year Autumn wants to be a Ninja Turtle. Of course the kid with the crafty mom who insists on making her costume had to pick something difficult. Our trip to the fabric store for costume supplies was pretty entertaining, as Adam and I couldn't agree on what color the Ninja Turtles' shells were. He said they were yellow on the front and green on the back, and I said they were light brown on the front and dark brown on the back. I bought the brown fabric and crossed my fingers until we could get home and do a Google image search. What's that you say? I should have taken a picture with me to the store? Nonsense! That would require things like planning ahead!
So who was right? Well, we both were. In the original cartoon, the turtles' shells were yellow and green. In the live action movies and this year's TMNT movie they were brown. I suppose Autumn and her friends are more familiar with the newer Turtles than the 80's Turtles, so I think the brown will do. Now if only I could actually figure out how to make a turtle shell out of fabric. That would be helpful.

What ever happened to cutting a couple of eye holes in a bed sheet? Ghosts are cool, right? No? Hmph.
There are also decorations to be made, pumpkins to be carved, and a kid-friendly Halloween craft to plan for our first monthly Craft Day tradition we've decided to start with Adam's nieces and nephews.

After the Halloween crafting frenzy I'd like to add a lot more to the shop, including more aprons and art totes as well as some holiday themed goodies.
Wish me luck, because with only two weeks until Halloween and my tendency to procrastinate, I'm going to need it.

19

When Autumn asked me if I was going to have a birthday party and I said no, I just wanted to do something special with her and Adam, she gave me a look of utter disbelief and said "But Mommy, you have to have a party because this is your greatest celebration of the year!" So of course, I needed to don my most festive stripey stockings and celebrate.
I do love birthdays because they give me a reason to celebrate and indulge in very rich desserts. Yesterday the celebration was at the Rainforest Cafe, a favorite of mine because of the over-the-top, borderline tacky Disneyesque decor and atmosphere, and the dessert was this masterpiece:
The brownie volcano. A tower of warm, fudgy brownies, cool vanilla ice cream and rich, whipped cream, topped with caramel sauce. With a sparkler. Oh yes. This is my kind of birthday. The three of us were able to finish most of it, with just a chunk of brownie and some melty ice cream left on the plate. If it weren't for the pre-dessert crab dip and chimichanga I probably could have eaten the whole thing by myself. Mmm...
What was I saying? Oh yeah. Last weekend Adam took Autumn to the mall where she picked out some birthday gifts for me all by herself. Clockwise, from top left: Glow-in-the-dark stars, a Hello Kitty plushie, a Pokemon key chain, a green bear key chain with "ADAM" embroidered on his chest, Tinkerbell pens, a Hello Kitty ice pack, two Hello Kitty "magic towels", and a Hello Kitty velour coloring book.
These things amazed me because they gave me a glimpse at myself through her eyes. What was she thinking as she carefully selected each gift? Mommy likes stars. Mommy likes key chains. Mommy likes Adam. Mommy really likes Hello Kitty. She knows me so well. Isn't it incredible how the smallest children can pick up on these things simply by observing? I'll cherish every one of these gifts because I know how much thought she must have put into them.
Adam's gift to me this year is a new nose piercing. I had to take mine out last year and it closed up very quickly. He knew how much I missed it, so he's taking me to get it re-done.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family. Autumn and Adam's thoughtfulness has made this a wonderful birthday, and certainly my greatest celebration of the year.

Hello

It sounds silly, but one of the reasons I've never blogged before is that I'm really, really bad at introductions. I can never find a way to start a journal without sounding clumsy and awkward. So I think the best way to do this is to keep it quick and painless, like ripping off a band-aid. My name is Xan Rosado. I'm a stay-at-home mother of one and I live with my three-year-old daughter Autumn and boyfriend Adam in Maryland. I'm starting this blog because I'm terrible at scrapbooking but I want some way to document and share my life with my friends and family, and I also hope to connect with other bloggers out there who I may have something in common with. I've been a long-time reader of the blogs of several other crafty mamas who inspire me and make me smile every day. I've seen the friendships and sense of community that bloggers have created and I'd love to be a part of it. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I'm already enjoying writing it.