My Pinterest boards

I'm pinning like crazy. I have two boards relevant to this blog.

Here's where I pin photos of stuff I've made (when I remember to take pictures.)
http://www.pinterest.com/ohjoyofjoys/i-made-this/

Here's where I pin great crafting ideas, tutorials etc.:

http://www.pinterest.com/ohjoyofjoys/crafts/

I haven't separated the crafts board into separate subjects; I'm not sure if that would be better.

Beads, Beads, Beads

I'm spending a little time designing my next few pieces. So I've been staring at all my beads. I decided to take a few pictures:

Stay tuned for what I come up with. 

Bossa Nova Skirt, pt.1

So, I have embarked on my next sewing project, this skirt:
http://www.pages01.net/fabriccom/hpbossanova

A good friend came over to help me get started.  I've cut out all my panels, & pressed them.  I've started pinning them.  I had some trouble loading the bobbin, so I didn't get to any stitching.

The skirt is essentially 8 seams, a hem, and casing for an elastic waistband.  However, as this is just a means for me to practice skills, I have little aspirations of actually being able to wear it when I'm done. Therefore, I used whatever fabric I had on hand, which is probably not the best choice for this skirt.

Also, I'm anticipating a common problem for me with elastic waistband skirts, which is that the "correct" size at my waist will not stretch enough to fit over my hips.  Eventually, I will figure out the right measurement to use so that there is enough give to make it over my hips, while still being small enough to gather at my waist.

In the meantime, I'm excited to practice!

Book recommendation

I got this book:


I like it, though I haven't finished any of the projects yet. I would consider these projects easy, but not beginner-level.

There is also this book:


It's on my to-buy list, but based on the difficulty level of the crochet book it's probably not something I'm ready for.

Odds and Ends

• I have temporarily cut myself off from Michael's - except that I can't find my yarn needle & have to go get another one (or two).
• When I get said yarn needles, I can finish off 2 scarves.
• YouTube tutorials have been helpful, and maybe too inspirational. I think I just added another 3 projects to the queue.
• I'm contemplating opening an etsy shop after the holidays.
• I have some jewelry for sale: http://jewelrybyjoy.wordpress.com/
• I've been making coffee cozies to practice working in the round, and I'm about to make my second attempt at a hat.
• I'm curious about experimenting with felting - maybe I'll start with coasters.
• I really want to re-acquaint myself with sewing and get familiar/comfortable with sewing machines. I have a couple really basic patterns that I think I can handle.