Good-bye 2012

Wow, can't believe this year is over in less tan 24 hours. It was certainly one for the record books. All my life I always felt like I was working towards something, I would tell myself "just get through this and then your life can start" well I felt like this year my life finally started.

This was the year I set foot on another continent! This was the year I chopped off all of my hair! This was the year I ended student status! This was the year I felt that I am truly home! This was the year of growth, change and opportunity. This was the year that was different then any of the other previous years because this year I took life and savored every single moment of it!

Aside from this year being pretty epic personally, it was also I year I got more serious about sewing and blogging. I made some new friends, like Michele! I have also been pushing my self by trying some new techniques and crafts, thanks to Craftsy and Whimsey Box. I plan on furthering both my craft skills and networking skills in 2013.

2012 is certainly one for the record books and I am sad to see it go. 2013 are you up to the challenge of being as epic? 

11 Things

Hello blog-o-sphere,
Thesis madness is still ensuring a lack of updates. But my friend Michelle over at Short Girl, Long Island tagged me in this post. So I have created my own... enjoy!

There are five rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.

Random Factiods

1. I had my dog Gypsy tested and its official, she is the cutest dog in the world. 
2. I want to go out of my security zone and move some place completely unknown to me....but my family and friends are here and my husband is not the on the same page so that is on the back burner.
3. I have been given a tremendous amount of opportunities at my job that I am grateful for, but I am afraid that because of how the job market is, I will be stuck in part-time limbo forever. 
4. I have no idea how to style my hair. I have tried looking on blow-out instructions, got a flat iron and alligator clips and try and nothing works! I even try lots of stupid products but my hair is always frizz tastical. Also because of my widow's peak I get these baby hairs that drive me insane! 
5. If I won the lottery I would want to invest in either a  food truck or nerdy themed cafe that would be run by me, Tim and I would want to get some friends in on the action like Joe Lentini! 
6. After making eggs I love crushing the empty eggshells into little bits. Something so gratifying about it! 
7. I am excited/petrified of buying a house. Excited because its my own house that I get to do whatever the heck I want with it! I am petrified because I am worried about being house poor and being stressed out.
8. Possible future child names: Boy- Noah, Girl- Ellie,
9. I know how to make balloon animals and face paint. Skills learned in order to be a children's party clown which I was close to being, never really panned out though.
10. I used to play drums in a band during my high school years. We called ourselves the Helicopters and we were legends in our own minds. It was a lot of fun, until we tried to go on a 'tour' and we had some issues. Funny side note the two guys from the band reformed and played in a new band with my ex-boyfriend. 
11. Obsessed with HGTV and D.I.Y. culture... I am not afraid to use a little elbow grease to get things done!

01. What was the first album you owned? Don't forget to include the format (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc.)!

I was a strange child and for some reason liked Paul Simon and Gensis. One year for Christmas I got a boombox and some cassette tapes this being one of them.

02. As a child, what was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

This show was hilarious and I could not get enough of it as a kid.

03. Do you collect anything?

I am always on the hunt for a good podcast.. does that count?

04. Which person has been most influential in your life?

This hairy beast right here is my Dad, William J. La Torre. He is the biggest pain in the butt but also the greatest influence.

05. What is your greatest fear?

Wasting my life.

06. If you could vacation anywhere in the universe, where would you go?

Diagon Alley or jolly old London town.

07. What is the first part of your body that you wash in the shower?

My hair

08. If you could spend the day with any one person, alive or dead, who would it be?

The Doctor of course!

09. Are you a Mac or PC person?

Mac! 

10. Do you have any tattoos?

No because I am a wussy. But I wouldn't mind a tiny one some wheres. 

11. What was your childhood nickname?

Sini. My older brother, Charlie was 5 when I was born. I guess he couldn't pronounce Sarina so out came Sini and I have been stuck with it every since.

Questions for my fellow bloggers 

1. What is your greatest accomplishment to date?
2. Do you have any obsessions, if so name them! 
3. Top five bucket on your bucket list, GO! 
4. What was the last movie you saw that your really loved?
5. Take your ipod, or go to itunes hit shuffle, what comes up?
6. Name one of your guilty pleasures? 
7. Biggest pet peeve?
8. Who is more bad ass, Captain Picard or Captain Kirck?
9. First thing you do in the morning? 
10. What is your pets name? (if you don't have one what would you name it)
11. Which do you prefer.. apples or oranges?

OK now tagging people time... I got Laura, Matthew, Caitie, Kim (I know your in Africa so don't feel obligated), Colleen, Michelle R. (those are my friendos with blogs following me) So If you want to do this as well feel free then comment letting me know!

Thesis Madness

Hello friendos,

All crafting has been suspended until further notice! Why, you ask? Well I am in the middle of Thesis madness, that's why. It is my last semester and all I have to do is write my thesis. So every free minute I get I am usually doing research. This has been a strain on my life for several reasons, 1) crafty exploits have been put on hold 2) From sitting for so long I am getting serious back and hip pain! 

So since the thesis is serious business at Queens College so I had to prioritize a bit. I put the sewing machine away :( (but its only temporary!) and spend lots of hours doing research. I am having some trouble with it though. I feel like I am over-researching as opposed to actual writing. I think I am getting really tripped up by all the horror stories I have heard about thesis all through out library school. Also the fact that it has to be around 60 pages scares the crap out of me. My undergrad thesis was about Blade Runner and it was only 10 pages long! Luckily I have the option to write it in a group and I am so grateful to be writing it with two lovely ladies. I met them during the intro classes and we have been on the same track together. It'll be nice to graduate with them.

Another thing that helps is that I am doing an interesting topic, Interactive Literature.What like e-books? Yeah e-books are interactive but we are going beyond the digital and talking about pop-up books, textured board books and books with musical components. So I feel good that I am not doing boring nonsensical research.

As for my back pain, I try to get up once an hour. This also freaks me out.....

In the mean time I have doing stuff for myself, otherwise I would go crazy. I did things like get some new clothes and what not. Last Friday Tim took me to see the taping of Chris Hadwick's stand up special. (You know how much I <3 him) It was a lot of fun and Jonah Ray, his nerdist companion and opening act, was soooo hilarious! He read the rules of the taping as jokes. So good! And Hardwick of course was awesome. He took a picture of the audience after the show and if you look real close you can see mwha! (Tim is next to me but he was clapping in front of his face so he looks like a blurry mess) Also the camera was totally pointed at us a few times. I tried so hard not to look and was successful, Tim said he noticed some lady near us always looking at it, so I think we will just make the cutting room floor :( Oh well but it was super fun and can't wait to watch it on Comedy Central.

I am a few people up from his devil horns on the left side.

-Sarina

Doodle Day: A Children's program

I recently held a program form some young-ins at the library and it was very successful! So I decided to share it with the world!

 A while back I ordered this book, Doodle Day by Ross Collins. It was a silly little story and I loved the concept. It's about a little boy, Harvey who loves to draw. His Mom discourages from drawing on this particular day because it is Doodle Day! And everyone knows you should not draw on doodle day. Harvey thinks she's a little nutters, and draws anyway. To his surprise his little doodle comes to life. He tries to draw more doodles to get rid of the others but it ends in the near destruction of his town.

I liked the story so much when I read it I decided to create a program out of it! The idea was real simple, read the book, give the kids paper and colored pencils and let their imaginations run wild.

It was fun to read the story aloud. I got the kids to interact for example I asked "if they were in Harvey's shoes what would they draw?" They gave me all sorts of silly answers and they enjoyed it. After we read the story it was doodling time. But before they sat I joked, " Just be careful what you draw on Doodle Day." F.Y.I. I get a lot of flack for my bad jokes but to those 8 year-olds I am like George Carlin.

Getting back to the program, the kids loved it. And it was the most simple thing and little to no prep time. A lot of programs are usually very involved and we have to going over a big step-by-step process and kids get so caught up in making their craft look EXACTLY like the sample. Which is not what kids crafts are about... its about them doing their own thing and exercising their minds and imagination (which is hard to do in the digital age) It was nice seeing them do what ever they felt like. They created all kinds of master pieces. A lot of kids wanted to make monsters and robots (kids after my own heart). I also put out some How-To drawing books and they grabbed those to use.

I was also able to tie the program into a contest that google is having. A Children's librarian at work, Sandy, brought the contest to our attention. The contest calls for kids in grades K - 12 to redesign the google logo (also known as a google doodle) and this years theme is if "If I could travel in time I would go..."

Here is a sample I made! We are handing out forms at the reference desk and encouraging kids to make some great doodles! The contest goes until March 20th. For more info check out there website.

-Sarina

Good-bye in a bag

This is a picture of me and two of my best friends, Caitie and Kim. I was sad to hear that Caitie was going to move and finish her masters degree in New Paltz. Shortly after Kim announced she was leaving... for Africa. (like the Lion King, safari Africa). As much as I am missing these ladies I am really proud of them both.

I wanted to send them off with something that was practical. So I came up with the idea of making them a laundry bag. It is pretty much a giant drawstring bag so if you want to make one follow my tutorial and increase the size. I made mine with a yard of fabric. It makes a great gift for anyone that is going away to college or in their first apartment. I stuck a few little trinkets in the bags and they loved it.

I was originally just going to do a color fabric, but I came across these trees at the store and they reminded me of Caitie because her engagement ring resembles a tree branch (and its really pretty, but I digress.) The other fabric is a print and matched the tree fabric nicely. For the drawstring I was able to buy a nice rope chord at Joann's fabrics. I doubled the side of the bag and it worked out nicely.

It's been a few weeks with out the ladies but so far they are doing well. Caitie is teaching a class as well as finishing her Masters Degree and watching massive amounts of Doctor Who with her roomie, Lindsey.

Meanwhile is Kim on the other side of the world fighting off baboons and obscenely large insects. Not really sure if she'll will be able to use it for actually laundry there but I am sure it can come in handy trapping some ferocious scorpions. You can read about her adventures here.

Right now I have a few projects which will be blogged about shortly. I am still trying to find the right balance as far as managing my time. I love doing this stuff but it is A LOT of work. Anywhos... so long for now!

Sarina

Drawstring Bag - tutorial

This is one style of bag that I have wanted to learn how to make for a while. Drawstring bags can be versatile. Small pouches are great scrap busters, especially if you have long pieces that can be used for the drawstring! You can also make them to fit a wine bottle (which adds a nice touch to a gift). You can even apply this technique to make a big bag for something like laundry.

Tools:

• Sewing machine
• Ruler
• Rotary cutter/Scissors
• Safety pin

Step 1:

• Measure and cut the bag
• (this bag can fit any size big or small, just make sure it is a rectangular shape with the skinny side being the opening)
•  For this example the bag is : 8 inches length x 10 inches width
• Add a 1/2 inch seam allowance, and a 2 inch seam allowance for the top.

• Measure and cut the Drawstring
• The strap must be at least twice as long as the width of your bag 
• The width is determined by how you want the finished drawstring to be, the multiply it by 4. 
• Example bag drawstring is: 12 length x 2 inches width

Step 2:

• Make the Drawstring 

• Fold the drawstring in half then press
• Open up, then fold each edge toward the fold, then press
• Fold up again, then press 
• Pin and sew
• (But Sarina what about the raw edges! I know let me get to it!) 
• Fold over the ends and do a zig-zag stitch on the ends 
• You may want to use a think needle for this step because you are sewing through a lot of layers. 

Step 3: Drawstring hole

• Take one piece for the body of the bag. 
• Measure where the hole will be. This should be at least 1 inch from the top

• This should be at least 1 inch from the top raw edge
• Make sure the hole will be big enough to fit your drawstring.
• Use the button hole attachment on your machine (or you can triangle stitch along your measurements)

• Use a seam ripper to create your hole

Step 4: Assemble the bag

•  Law two body pieces on top of each other, right sides facing. 
• Pin along the edge then sew
• Leave the top edge (with the button hole) open. Do not sew this together. 

• Use the triangle stitch to sew up the raw edges

• Fold the top edge inward, sew along the raw edge
•  this will create the tube in which your drawstring will go through

• Fold bag inside out

Step 5: Insert drawstring

• Use attach a safety pin to your drawstring

• Work it through the hole and along the top edge

DONE!

Crafting my space!

So I have been looking for some interesting craft spaces for some ideas. Just check out this pinterest board. Its enough to make anyone yearn for a crafty space. I am limited with being in an apartment and all :( but the peg board is my first step to a nice craft space.

After going threw crafting spaces I liked the examples with peg boards. It satisfies both my need to have everything at my finger tips as well as it be nice and organized! Also my woot monkey likes chillin' out.

Awesome peg boards aside, I have been catching up on some old projects. I have finished a few more zipper pouches and some bags. Also there is a New Years Sale going on in my Etsy shop. Go check it out!

Sarina

New Years Resolutions

Now that 2012 is here, what is going to make this year different?

• Increase productivity
• Limit procrastination
• Don't loose my head while writing my thesis

What will help me achieve these goals this year? Why i am glad you asked!

For Christmas I received The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Live) by Chris Hardwick. A NERDIST is defined as "an artful nerd...[that] creates and innovates." The Nerdist Way is a guide book for the nerd herd and explains how they can put their nerdy obsessive ways to good use.




 
I am looking forward to applying nerdisty methods to my crafting obsession as well as other geeky pursuits. Be sure to look for a review of the book coming soon!


What about the rest of yas ? Resolutions, anyone ? Leave a comment!

Sarina

2012 - The year of the Nerd Craft Librarian

So long 2011. I am getting ready for the new year by reinventing the blog!

I have decided to re-name my blog and I chose a name that pretty much sums up me and what the focus of my blog is so thus I have been reborn as the Nerd Craft Librarian. I will still be posting my crafty things but as you can guess I am also going to write about nerdy things and I will also featuring more info about my life as a librarian. This will include craft programs and storytime tips. And of course there will be some instances of the three areas overlap. 

I hope you stick around and make 2012 a great year for the Nerd Craft Librarian!