TomTom ThingThing the second

Well, hey there, blog. Didn't see you there! Ok, I've been pretty awful about posting. Let's just pretend I went through the whole apologizing spiel. I was laid off last November, and you would think that with all this extra time, I would be crafting my buns off. While I have been making a lot of things, I haven't really been finishing much. Plus, it feels like I have even less time now than I did before. I also feel like I now spend half my life cleaning, but that means that my apartment (and especially the craft room!!) is no longer a pit of chaos due to depression and general laziness. I still haven't finished organizing my craft workspace, but it's a big improvement.

Anyway, I wanted to share the first thing I did when I found out I was laid off:

Blue!!

The prototype TomTomThingThing most likely would have remained the only TomTom thing thing except for the fact that it was annoying to close and was made of really thin craft felt. Eventually I felt compelled to buy some luxuriously soft and thick felt from FitzFelt in 3mm turquoise.

Then I got laid off, and to distract myself immediately got to work! It was actually a great deal of fun to make, and I'm glad I practiced first with the crappy felt so that I figured out an approximate pattern without wasting expensive felt. I still have a bit left, and I'm not sure what I am going to do with it. Probably nothing. :P

I'm especially fond of the embroidery:

Flowers? Leaves? Not sure what they're supposed to be besides pretty.

Usually I draw patterns and then embroider them... this was all spur-of-the-moment freehand. Actually, I didn't really finish this until today... I'd been tucking the outer flap inside the case, and hoping it stays. Today I added the band and the sweet little antique button:

From the giant pile of buttons from my grandma. <3

Anyway, since it's almost Valentine's day, my annual chocolates should be coming up. (Did I ever post last year's??) So I will probably be posting that. Also, I will be hopefully posting all of those other things I have been working on.

Terrariums!

Terrariums! Aren't they fantastic? Little ecosystems that I never have to water! It's like the whole thing was invented so that I could not kill some plants for once.

Since I have an intense love for apothecary jars, I was really excited to have an excuse to finally get some. I always pine over them in home decorating sections, despite knowing that I am not the sort to fill them with fake lemons as part of my decor. Of course, the jars I got sat empty in my living room for a couple months before I got around to making my terrariums (don't judge me!).

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.

Photographing glass was more difficult than I anticipated.

I am especially fond of the little one with moss. Moss is probably one of my favorite plants—it's soft, comfy, and super easy to transplant. I found some more moss at my parents' house that looks like little trees, and once I find another container, I am going to make another terrarium with it. Since the moss one is my favorite, it got to have my super awesome holey rock that I found on a beach in Costa Rica.

It's like a little bed for my pet rock.

I am eventually going to take pictures of the other stuff I am working on, but it's been rainy and my camera sucks butt, so I haven't gotten around to it. But I will! Promise!