Come here often? OR Bloglessness of the Long Distance Runner

Well, hello, there. Long time no see, eh?

When last we met in April, I was crowing about having run 6 miles. That was pretty cool. Then I finished a sprint triathlon in May. Very cool.

If you've been following along here for a while you know that when I do things I tend to, well, DO them. So, I got a little caught up in running and swimming and whatnot. Last month I finished my first half marathon, and now I'm training for a full marathon in the Spring. For reals. And though I've been crafting and cooking and writing (you can read about my swim-bike-run exploits here; other stuff isn't quite ready for prime time), just like always, there were inevitable trade-offs. Work greedily gobbles up most of my free time, leaving little time to sit back and appreciate time to draw, daydream, write, think, and laugh. Over the last few months I realized that under these conditions I could either live my life or I could photograph it. I chose living it. That didn't leave much in the way of pretty pictures for the blog.*

But now that another semester is behind me and my evenings are my own again, my sweet blog has been calling out to me, begging to be revived. In particular, some of you have been asking if/when another calendar would be available.

I have good news and bad news. So the good news is that there is a new calendar. The bad news is that it is based on the same drawings as last year—if, like me, you loved those drawings, there is no downside; if, on the other hand, you are sick of them, I guess you're out of luck (that's the bad part).

© 2011 Cameron Blazer // Cottage Industrialist

The printable calendars are available here 

Alrighty, then. You've got 21 days to plan your collard feasting for 2012. Get cracking!

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*Does that sound defensive? I don't mean for it to. I've written three different long, drawn out posts explaining why I took an unplanned break from blogging; how I want Cottage Industrialist to change and grow; and the responsibility I feel to portray my crazy, happy, frustrating life honestly. But every time I have written those posts, they sound like defenses against an argument no one is making. If I want this space to grow and change and be a little different, I only need to make it so. Right?

Happy Beeping Valentine's Day

BEEP!

In spite of a decades-long disinterest in the hoopla surrounding February 14, I started making Valentine's Day cards as soon as my little boy was old enough to hand them out to his friends at school. I can still picture my mother, hunched over our kitchen table, hand calligraphing the cards I had helped her make (butterflies fashioned from pairs of red foil heart stickers) for my class in the first grade. And so, I guess, it just feels right for me to continue the tradition with my son.

This year I planned to do as I have before and make a single, unisex design, but when I got to fiddling with the colors for these robots, I just couldn't resist the traditional pink on red color scheme. But my son was insistent that we had to have a version with the turquoise robot. I think two robots are better than one, don't you? And because I love envelopes, and I love patterns, I thought these would look swell coming out of tiny circuit board envelopes.

There are three pages in all: the first page has both envelopes and one of each card—the envelopes will be easiest to fold if you print them on plain paper. There are also separate sheets with 9 of each card design, so that if you want sturdier cards, you can print these on stock and cut them to size. These are old-fashioned teeny tiny cards, so don't try to put them in the mail, as they are too small for USPS, but just right for school chums.

And if robots aren't your thing, don't forget to check out the dinosaur, cowboy, rocket ship, skunk, and alligator valentines I've shared here in the past. 

As always, you are welcome to download and print as many of these as you like for personal use. Please do not alter or redistribute them.

Aargh Humbug!

Little did I know when I planned my little boy's 4th pirate birthday party that I was ushering in what has become a full-blown pirate obsession. In the last six months, he has devoured every single pirate book our library has to offer. He has become distressingly well-versed in the weaponry of 17th century swashbucklers. After he broke his leg this fall, his only consolation was that he would be more convincing as Long John Silver.

Truly, at this point I feel like I live in a pirate ship. So it's no surprise that as I was doodling last week, I started drawing a holiday pirate snowman. You know, Christmas and pirates, a match made in heaven. And to set my little doodle off, I put it on a stocking shape. Big mistake. Because at exactly that moment, my son looked over my shoulder and said, "Mommy! You're making me a new pirate snowman stocking! I love it!" Uhhhh. Hm.

How could I say no? So, after enlisting the help of my personal Craft Fairy Godfriend (buy her awesome, recycled holiday ornaments here!), I think I am going to tackle this guy in wool felt. My husband is afraid. Very (justifiably) afraid.

In the meantime, while exhibiting my peerless fabric-cutting-avoidance-skills, I thought I'd spread the wealth— er, booty—in a little holiday printable: giftcards!

You can download the file here. There are two versions of the cards, which print 8-up to a page and have cut lines clearly marked. Print on heavy card stock, or use Avery pre-cut card sheets (look for products 5881, 8373, 8869) to avoid cutting altogether (my fave!).

As always, you can use this template as much as you like for personal, non-commercial use.

Oh, and if you like these printables, how about keep my poor husband in your thoughts as I undertake this and other absurd last-minute sewing projects in the coming weeks. It could get ugly in here.

Aaargh! Pirate Birthday Party & Free Printables

Pirate Ship Cupcakes © 2010 Cameron Blazer // Cottage Industrialist 

Pirates are kind of a big thing with my son, and he's lucky—he lives in a town by the water where real pirates once docked.

A few weeks ago, when my son had spring break, I took the day off from work, and he and I spent the morning at Charles Towne Landing, which has a working replica of a 17th century cargo vessel docked in the marshy edges of the Ashley River. At first, fearful that real pirates might be aboard, my son was hesitant to climb aboard, but after assurances that there were no Blackbeards or Captain Hooks in sight, he had a blast, steering the ship, pumping the bilge, and ordering me to "up anchor!" I had a great time, too, and I took a boatload of pictures. The beautiful ship against the brilliant blue spring sky planted the seed for a pirate birthday party.

Continue reading if you dare, matey...loads of free pirate printable booty await!

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Really Good Stuff I Already Have

I began the year reflecting on my desire to eat more seasonally and more sustainably. And I'm happy to say that we have definitely improved the sourcing and quality of our diet in the last three months. But with the bumper crops of spring approaching, there is a looming challenge I cannot ignore if I am going to keep this up: I am a compulsive, impulsive produce shopper. And thinking seasonally about food has only made that worse, so afraid am I to miss out on a brief growing season or a particularly good harvest. And I'm no good with a grocery list, either. They only work if you look at them, you see.

Continue reading . . .

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