Impossible puzzle from the annals of winter

I think we are far enough out of mega winter for me to share this project without jinxing the weather. Rachel and I spent two months, cooped up inside this winter, working on this 500 piece impossible puzzle. Calling it “impossible” was only slightly an overstatement. When I brought it home, Rachel rolled her eyes and wished me luck. I opened it up, started putting the border together, and about a week later we were both elbow deep in puzzle mania. We would work on it for hours in the evening, and again when we woke up in the morning. The going was slow- sometimes we would stare at the puzzle for almost ten minutes without being able to put two pieces together. We devised all sorts of strategies to tease out subtle differences in color to make construction easier. We were obsessed, and it was fun! Toward the very end we had the idea to take pictures so we could make a GIF. We almost pulled an all-nighter to finish it. At some point we got too tired and had to leave the rest for the morning.

When we finished it, we decided that we couldn’t take it apart after all that hard work. I used spray glue to affix the puzzle to an art board. When the glue dried, I painted the top with a clear sealant like Mod Podge.

I trimmed the art board and I framed it, and there it stands! It may not be a great work of art, but it kept us entertained in the darkest days of winter. That’s a memory I’d like to keep around.

Hope you enjoyed the mini tour of our little rowhome during this post.

 

Quilts and skirts

 

My roommate made this quilt when she was in high school, so it is at least 20 years old. That the quilt is made of solid colors, rather than patterns, makes it one of the most unique quilts I’ve ever seen. She once told me her inspiration for the solid colors came from quilts made by the Amish in Lancaster. It hangs on our living room wall and its vibrancy is a focal point for the whole first floor of the house.

up close and personal

Also, this skirt!  The pattern on the lace is so pretty! It is one of a select few midi skirts that doesn’t make my legs look stubby. Another plus is that it is decently easy to bike in for a body con skirt. It is a couple years old but has held up well.

wearing two sets of dangly earrings, as usual.

I have finally upgraded to a point and shoot from my ipad, but I am itching to get my hands on a DSLR. I borrowed my sister’s tripod, which has drastically expanded my picture taking capabilities. Blogging has really peaked my interest in photography.

I’ll leave you with a detail of this fantastic quilt.

top // thrifted :: skirt // TJMaxx :: earrings // old

 (I’m standing on a bench in front of the quilt in case you thought the floor looked weird).

Henna letters

I wanted to share this card with you- I made it for my little sister. A few years ago, she came home from summer camp covered in henna tattoos, and generally enthralled by the designs used to decorate bodies with henna. Around this same time, I was in college and had a friend who was a master henna artist. She would create elaborate designs that ran up my arm and down my side, which looked super cool when I went rock climbing in a tank top or sports bra.
Feeling inspired, I decorated block letters with henna designs, using pen on card stock. I looked at pictures of henna designs on the web to get some ideas. “Ro” is her nickname. She loved it and has saved it to this day, pinned to her memory board along side pictures of friends. Im pleased with how it turned out as well, and I think it’s wholly unique.
Happy crafting!

Latest works

honeycomb tapestry// escher cat print in several different colors

Here are my newest art pieces. I never seem to have enough time to spend on my art, and I am always glad when I find new inspiration that I am able to bring to fruition. These are both from the past year, my 23rd year. I have another idea in the works, but its completion will depend on how much time I have now that I’m back in school. It will probably have to wait for year 24…