jejune.net is a diy site full of goodness. [link via not martha]

i love this quote from the site: "i grew up accompanying my parents on interminable trips to builder's square and joann fabrics, where i learned the unofficial family motto: why pay for someone else to construct it, when you can spend more time, money, and effort making it yourself?"

that's so sadly true! :)

a little early for easter, but cute none-the-less: pom-pom chick

today's friday five is really random, but good. very interesting...

1. if you had the chance to meet someone you've never met, from the past or present, who would it be? conan o'brien, because he's hilarious and it'd be insane fun to hang out with him!

2. if you had to live in a different century, past or future, which would it be? hmm... i've always wished i lived during the 50s -- seem so innocent and fun. other than that, i'd like to live in shakespearean times (what century was that? 15th, 16th?).

3. if you had to move anywhere else on earth, where would it be? europe, of course. either london or paris.

4. if you had to be a fictional character, who would it be? amelie -- she's curious, she's beautiful, she's mysterious, she's french, she can write a menu backwards on that clear divider thing. she's amazing!

5. if you had to live with having someone else's face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be? no one famous. just someone with perfect skin, great eyelashes and natural looking make-up applying skills...

i am in love with the cover of martha's april issue...

those eggs are inspiring! i haven't dyed eggs in a few years -- might just have to try it this time around.

over the weekend, i cleaned off my bookshelf and i'm selling some stuff on amazon's marketplace: check it out!

over the past month, i've done a few craft projects that i just haven't gotten around to posting about... until now. check out the posts following this one, or go to inside q to view all my projects.

more fun with polymer clay! i've still got tons of that stuff left from making knitting needle toppers... so i ventured into covering an altoid tin.

the "yarn girls' guide" poncho. the first knitted item that i've completed by following a specific pattern. also my first wearable and neck shaping attempt. wahoo!

the pattern is from the book "the yarn girls' guide to simple knits." the pattern is called "easy, breezy, beautiful." be sure to check the yarn company's (the authors') website for book corrections, as this poncho pattern did have some.

based on the aol tin, some altoid tins i painted and decoupaged. i used these to hold some marble magnets, and turned out pretty decent. (thanks to all the lovely girls who sent me altoid tins and more aol tins!)

1. do you like talking on the phone? why or why not? it's not my favorite activity... i'd prefer face to face. i feel like talking on the phone is usually a distraction from something i should be doing (but, hell i've got all the time in the world right now). don't get me wrong... if i am on the phone, i will partake -- i'm not one to do something else while i'm talking. tv's off/muted, etc. since the only people i want to talk to live 2000+ miles away, i don't get to do the face to face too often.

2. who is the last person you talked to on the phone? my youngest brother, the other morning.

3. about how many telephones do you have at home? my personal phone is my cell phone. jon's got three phones lying around for the main house line, but i don't really use it (unless someone calls me on it).

4. have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? what happened? i absolutely hate, really hate, when i'm talking to someone on the phone and they're a) doing something distracting -- like watching tv, b) eating and crunching into my ear or c) having a conversation with someone else in the room with them. if any of this stuff is going on, i ask the person if they'd like me to call them back when they aren't busy.

5. would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? why or why not? i'm bad about picking up the phone... i always say to myself "i need to call so-and-so," but i get distracted and don't do it. plus there's that whole time difference thing and i think about it when it's too late to call back to the east. so, i do a lot of emailing because i can do it on my own time.

introducing "curiouso!" make your own wrestler! this was too much fun to do... apparently from some kids' show called "mucha lucha" -- too cute. i love my little cartoon girl. link via crystallyn.

reusablog is a new place for recycling, courtesy of jennie. make something new out of something old!

thebettiepage is the place for all things bettie page -- a directory full of information about the original pin-up legend. includes a new & unique photo every day of the week! brought to you by the boyfriend, jon.

photolondon showcases public collections of london photography. i haven't absorbed this site, but what i've seen is pretty interesting. good resource of my adored city. link via my oldest bro.

hobbycraft has a lot of fun projects to make. jealous that this store is only in the uk... but i guess i have michael's... :/ search through the ideas library to spark crafty inspiration.

conversion calculator for transferring measurements (dry and liquid) into whatever unit you understand!