July 25, 2015July 25, 2015 tillievuksich

Volunteer. It’s Good For You!

Being a stay-at-home-mama has been a great occupation with many rewards, however, the hours are long and contact with the outside world is slim. Some Moms plan a Lady’s Night or Girl’s Getaway, but I’m so ~~nerdy~~ cool that I have my “me time” while I volunteer at places that feed my inner child;Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) and the school district my kids attend.

It’s actually quite selfish on my part. I only give my time to places I think are worthy of my support and I truly get more out of it than they do.

Volunteering gives me the opportunity to get out of my bubble of domestic-bliss and gain work experience while making friends and being a part of something I’m passionate about.

I help with school tours at TAM. It’s really special to me. I get to play host (“Welcome to my museum!”) and I have the honor of being the one to show kids that art isn’t boring. I don’t know much about art concepts or technique(I’m still learning), but what I do know is how to be with kids and share my love of art. So far, it’s worked pretty great.

TAM selfie. I really enjoy my time there and the people, and of course being surrounded by art!

Tacoma Art Museum treats their volunteers to a special volunteer appreciation dinner every year. It's amazing! I took my Mom last year and my friend, Michelle, this year. — Tacoma Art Museum treats their volunteers to a special Volunteer Appreciation Dinner every year. It’s amazing! I took my Mom last year and my friend, Michelle, this year.

I have had Kindergarten groups all the way up to this awesome high school group. Every school group is fun and brings their youthful energy to the museum.

I can’t stress it enough: get out there and volunteer your time in a field you are passionate about! Whatever it is that tickles your fancy, I can guarantee you they are looking for people to volunteer.

Being a volunteer doesn’t mean you have to commit to a 40-hour week. You get to choose the hours and time that works best for your schedule, but I can tell you that even though there is no money exchanged for your service, you will feel richer for the time you spend supporting a cause or business you believe in.

Don’t worry if you find that the people suck or the work you volunteer doing isn’t something you look forward to doing, you can quit and look for another place to donate your time and efforts to. There is no shame in trying it out and changing your mind. I have volunteered in several places only to find that I can’t handle the personalities or that the work I do doesn’t line up with who I am as a person. I felt like a shit for quitting, but you know what, if I had stayed with it I would have been one of those bitter old ladies who thinks herself a martyr, who hates every minute of it, and then I would have never stumbled upon true “volunteer heaven”, where I absolutely adore everyone I work with and where every time I volunteer it’s fun and rewarding.

July 23, 2015 tillievuksich

Far From Perfect: except my curls-they are on fleek

Let me stop you right there. You may get the wrong impression about me, I’m not perfect or live a perfect life. Seems I have a habit of only sharing the good in my life and that paints a really off-balance picture of what it’s like to be me. And what I want to do with my writing is show people how much we are alike and how no one is alone in this human experience of ours.

So for every wonderfully perfect thing I post about, I promise to keep it real and give you the bigger picture. You may not like it when it gets too real…that moment you want to judge but know you can’t because you are just as guilty. That can make you squirm and think, “I can do better.” That’s a GOOD thing! If by showing my amazing failures and social awkwardness, along with a dose of the perfect moments, inspires you in some way or fashion then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do here.

So “Cheers!” to being average, but striving for more! We can do this!

In my first attempt at keeping it real and helping my fellow woman(and man), let me tell you about living with curly hair. Now mind you, It’s sort of new to me since I was born with straight blond hair, but over the course of my teen years I permed and colored my hair in the worst ways imaginable. (I wish someone would have either advised me to “keep it natural” or just taken me to a good stylist…I’ll be dedicating a blog post to my epic hair fails over the years. That is one you won’t want to miss!)

After shaving my head a few years ago it grew back curly and now I’m a smoking-hot brunette with silver highlights! (That’s an opinion, not a fact, so you must make up your own mind.)

With curly hair, I’ve learned it’s not good to go to bed with wet hair because you wake up looking like Kramer from ‘Seinfeld’. Funny thing, you actually act like Kramer when you look in the mirror, you instinctively jump back from your own refection.

Case in point: This morning.

Yes, I commited the ultimate curly hair sin...went to bed with wet hair. I paid a price for it and it serves to humble me when I'm feeling all kinds of powerful when my curls are at perfection. Balance, that's what life gives us. — Yes, I committed the ultimate curly hair sin…went to bed with wet hair. I paid a price for it and it serves to humble me when I’m feeling all kinds of powerful when my curls are at perfection. Balance, that’s what life gives us.

I used to be called “cute” in the morning, but now I hear, “Oh wow, look at your hair!”, followed by a hearty round of laughter. With straight hair, I woke up looking like I just had sex-messy, yet cute-and now I wake up with hair that is trying to get as far away from my head as possible. Hilarious.

I’ve tried many products to tame my curls into something to be admired and bring about curl-envy. Today I will change your life by sharing the two best products I’ve found thus far. You’re welcome.

First off, these are fairly inexpensive products and last a long time. Can I get a “Hallelujah!”

REDKEN: Curvaceous Ringlets is no joke! This stuff keeps your curls on fleek. You can thank me later... — REDKEN: Curvaceous Ringlets is no joke! This stuff keeps your curls on fleek. You can thank me later…

REGIS: Designline Curl Lock Cream will keep the frizz away while keeping your curls soft and bouncy.

These two products are the bomb! I bought them at HairMasters on 176th and Meridian by Fred Meyer. Get you some!

After brushing and towel-drying my hair, I apply a dime-size amount of REDKEN: Curvaceous Ringlets ($18.79) and follow that with a pea-size amount of REGIS: Designline Curl Lock Curl Cream ($12.99). I am a wash-and-go/airdry kind of girl, but sometimes for added volume I will follow this beauty regime with a little diffusing action with the hairdryer. I love my curly hair! (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for passing on that gene.) When my curls are on fleek, I feel badass and powerful-like my curls are somehow a superpower. It’s good. Real good.

In 2011 I shaved my head-total G.I. Jane move-and it grew back dark and curly.

See! I was a born a blondie with pin-straight hair. After five kids and shaving my head, I'm now living a life of bodacious curls and a sexy brunette. Who knew I would become my Mom when I grew up?! — See! I was a born a blondie with pin-straight hair. After five kids and shaving my head, I’m now living a life of bodacious curls and a sexy brunette. Who knew I would become my Mom when I grew up?!

Shu-wing! Look at them curls. I can't help it, it's all natural. It's a blessing and a curse to look this good. — Shu-wing! Look at them curls. I can’t help it, it’s all natural. It’s a blessing and a curse to look this good.

There you have it. My life with curly hair, It’s time I go shower and use my products so I don’t scare the neighbor kids.

Enjoy those curls. They are beautiful! And share any products you love. I’m still trying to get my hands on Carol’s Daughter: Hair Milk after seeing a write up in a magazine about products for curly hair.

July 15, 2015 tillievuksich

Canning Up Summer

Our raspberry plants were sad this year-I know it was probably my fault for pruning a little too much this spring when all the canes looked alike-but my sweet neighbor invited me over to pick raspberries from her garden, so today I’m canning up raspberry jelly!

It’s one of the summer rituals I look forward to, making jars of delicious jelly to eat all winter-long. There’s a collective “NO!” when our family gets to the last jar sometime in April.

Unless you’ve had homemade jelly, you don’t know what you’re missing in the store-bought mass-produced kind. Just looking at a jar of home-canned jelly is a feast for the eyes. The colors are jewel-like and sparkle with all that harnessed summer sun. The taste is fresh and delectable. Each berry is picked at the perfect time, quality control is practiced by each picker, as well as the occasional taste-test for freshness.

Only three simple ingredients go into my jellies: berry juice, pectin, and sugar. Each bite takes you back to the time you were picking the berries and how they tasted warm off the vine. It’s a taste of summer in each sweet bite!

I learned my canning skills from my folks, who have been canning from their garden since I can remember. It is a lot of work-growing, harvesting, and canning food-but the flavor is unreal and you appreciate each mouthful when you are aware of all that went into providing the food on your plate. I would much rather tend a garden (which takes 2-6 months) and spend time canning (which takes at least an hour but you might as well plan your day around it) than to shop for an hour at the grocery store. It sounds crazy, I know, but there is so much joy derived from the simple pleasures of being outdoors surrounded by plants and watching them grow strong under your care. Your reward is food that not only is the healthiest for you, but tastes so amazing that you literally fall in love with food. I find myself moaning over the unbelievable flavor of sweet peas and carrots from my garden. Fresh veggies taste so amazing that you instinctively slow down and savor each bite. No salt or pepper needed, no prep work or dishes, just pick the ripest and eat!

I feel sad for people who don’t know the pleasure of real food. If I could, I would teach everyone how to grow a small kitchen garden and how to can it up for winter. It’s really quite simple, and like most things in life, it’s the simple things that bring us the most joy.

To anyone reading this who wants to grow something yummy, but easy, I recommend getting yourself some strawberry plants. They are perennial, meaning they come back every year, and with basic watering you will have fresh berries to enjoy in your cereal or in a strawberry shortcake dessert during the summer. You can plant them in pots, window boxes or in the ground. Grow some carrots too, because they are easy and the flavor of fresh picked is out of this world! I always tell people to start small, but just start! It’s fun, and good for you in more ways than one. But I’ll let you find out for yourself!

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 tillievuksich

Creative By Nature

I’ve been a creative person for as long as I can remember. There’s never a dull moment in my mind or life. It has its downfall though, when everything seems possible and my ideas out-number the hours in a day.

Forget Pinterest. I am constantly inspired by experiences and people I meet that I will be busy until my last breath. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Pinterest, but it’s a major time-suck for me when I have oodles of things I can accomplish in the same amount of time)

Let me just share a few of my most creative moments as of late:

1. I got a writing gig with Ruralite Magazine as the ‘feature writer’ for Ohop Mutual. I get to interview interesting local people to write about and use my photography skills to capture their uniqueness. I love writing! It’s always been a favorite hobby of mine. Pen pals in my youth, essays in college, and now getting published. Yes!

http://www.ruralite.org/magazine

2. It’s that time of year when my garden is pumping out goodies to be eaten fresh; some canned for later. Homemade jelly is my specialty. Today I’m going to be picking some raspberries and blackberries. My PB&J’s are the bomb with this yummo jelly!

3. The Eatonville Library has hired me to run some fun arts & crafts programs for kids this summer. So far we’ve made comics and fridge magnets. I LOVE working with kids! They are my favorite people to be around. Not only are they boundlessly creative, but they are upbeat and happy-like me.

Marble Painting was a fun program I did last summer for kids at several Pierce County Libraries.

Easy and super fun project for ages 1-100! Just need a shoe box, paper to fit (we folded ours to make it a card), marbles, paint, and Dixie cups.

The kids loved creating the marble painted cards! No two were ever alike.

July 11, 2015 tillievuksich

Doggie Style

Now that I have your attention…

I want to introduce my line of knitting and crochet patterns for miniature dogs; quick and easy but big on style.

Bringing sexy back or at least the awesome Granny Square! Behold, my furry baby, Rebel, modeling my crochet dog sweater design. Handsome, right?!

It's actually a knit & crochet design. I like to use both methods in my creations. — Crochet granny square dog sweater with a knit collar and tummy panel. Warm and cute!

You can buy this Granny Square Dog Sweater pattern in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/petzcouture or through Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/retro-style-dog-sweater

Houndstooth is one of my favorite patterns and what better way to use it than in a stylish dog sweater. This little jumper knits up fast and looks quite fetching.

Houndstooth small dog sweater knit in fresh modern colors. You know your pet wants one in every color, right?!

If you have a small dog and like to knit, then this pattern is a must-have. It's quick and takes a small amount of yarn. Your pup will be stylish and warm come winter. — If you have a small dog and like to knit, then this pattern is a must-have. It’s quick and takes a small amount of yarn. Your pup will be stylish and warm come winter.

Get the Houndstooth pattern here on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/houndstooth-dog-sweater-3 or over in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/petzcouture

If you buy my patterns and make your dog a sweater, please share a picture! I love to see cute pets in my designs. I have a Facebook page you can post them to: http://www.facebook.com/petzcouture

I take great pleasure in creating fun designs for pet lovers. It makes me happy to know my ideas are out there wrapping puppies in love and warmth. Added bonus, they look super stylish too!

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015 tillievuksich

What I’m Working On Now…aka, YARNBOMB 2015

Last summer I helped organize and install a yarnbomb (a large public display of fiber art made of hand knit and crocheted fabric) in my hometown. It was awesome! And I’m doing it again this year.

It started as a fun idea for a community art project then turned into something bigger and better. We ended up using our art to help raise money for local public school students’ negative lunch accounts. It was successful in putting an end to the practice of trashing lunches over insufficient funds and prompted the school district to enable “robo-calls” (automated calls home telling parents about lunch balances that are low).

My own children experienced the lunch lady yanking their lunch and trashing it over their lunch account balance being in the negative. However, I had no idea the what the balance was at the time since I paid up for a couple months and figured they would send home a notice when the accounts needed refilling. They didn’t and what happened left my kids hungry and upset, with good reason. My mama-bear instincts came out and I had words with the principal, lunch staff, and even wrote a letter to the school board. Yet, I was hearing that nothing had changed in the cafeteria.

That’s why we put our art to good use by starting https://www.facebook.com/Eatonvilleyarnbombers?ref=bookmarks to help make a difference for students who find themselves low in lunch funds. Kids have to eat to learn. Period.

Here’s a few snaps of last year’s yarnbomb and the amazing people who helped pull off such a beautiful and heartwarming endeavor:

Crafty men in my life lending a hand with the yarnbomb install. Rubin and dad, Evan.

Yarnbombing for Lunches crew (most of of anyway). — Yarnbombing for Lunches crew (most of us anyway).

Group effort with this tree. Lisa, Rubin, and I tackle it in no time.

Donna, Karen's mama, putting the finishing touches on this tree. — Donna, Karen’s mama, putting the finishing touches on this tree.

My mother-in-law, Tracey, and my son, Rubin, putting up a funky granny square piece.

My daughter, Emma, helping with installing a yarnbomb at the park.

Jade with her pom-pom string ready to decorate a tree for the instillation.

My daughter, Faith, and hubby, Evan, attaching a yarnbomb to a tree in the park. — My daughter, Faith, and my hubby, Evan, attaching a yarnbomb to a tree in the park.

Gwen and her hubby working on installing another piece on a lamp post.

Sherry helping Lisa install her yarnbomb piece on a lamp post.

This was a year-long project in the making, but worth every minute! It was a lot of fun to create, especially knowing how meaningful the outcome would be. We received yarn donations form many different states after I put a request in the Ruralite magazine (our utility company’s publication). The response was amazing! The generosity of complete strangers touched my heart and helped make the yarnbomb better than I could have imagined! Even Lion Brand Yarn Company was kind enough to send us a box of cool yarns. Thanks to everyone who had a part in the Eatonville Yarnbomb of 2014!

*We raised $400 to donate to the school district for negative lunch accounts*

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 tillievuksich

My First Creations

Let me start from the beginning.

My first creations that I am the most proud of (and love to pieces) are my kids! From the moment I met my husband, Evan, I knew he was to be the father of my children. He had no idea, but I knew and that’s all that mattered.

We were blessed with five amazing children that have made our lives better than we ever dreamed possible. All of them are so unique and talented in their own way. I can’t imagine what life would be like without them.

That saying, “I’m so crafty I make people” is one of my favorites. I wear it like a badge of honor and I’m proud of the stretch marks I have to prove it.

My little loves are not so little anymore. They have grown into people I look up to, figuratively and literally.

Emma is now starting her senior year of high school. She’s a force to be reckoned with in running. Her long legs and endurance have earned her recognition in athletics, along with many awards and medals. Emma has always been my outgoing and tenacious child. She has a big heart and has decided she wants to be a Pediatrician. I think she will be amazing!

I always said that our children just got sweeter and sweeter the more kids we had. It may be true or the fact that we actually knew what we were doing and what to expect by the following child…either way, they were sweet and fun!

Faith was born a week before Christmas and I swear Emma thought she was an early present, and she was, for all of us.

Faith has always had a soft spot for animals. She is the child who could-and would-talk me into adopting new pets. We’ve had dogs, cats, birds, chickens, ducks, sheep, and horses. That’s just the list of pets I said “yes” to. Then there was the monkey, ferret, chinchilla, hedgehog, and fish I said “no” to. Her career goal has never changed, she still wants to be a Veterinarian. She is a kind and big-hearted person who comes off quiet, but is really loud and silly with those she’s comfortable with.

Hershal is the middle child, and yes, he exhibits all the great “middle child” qualities textbooks warn you about. This boy has been the entertainer in the family since he could walk. All the kids would put on plays or music performances for the family, but it would be Hershal who would steal the show everytime. He commits to the character and is funny beyond words! In fifth grade he was in a school play put on by Tacoma Musical Playhouse. He did so well that they asked him to be in one of their mainstage musicals, Ragtime. He’s now into basketball, and quite good at that too, but I would love to see him continue his acting since he’s a natural performer.

Our fourth child, Rubin, was the sweetest and cutest baby of all! No kidding, this baby was smiley and cuddly and had cute fat-rolls that made you want to squeeze him all day long. And I did! He’s still as sweet as ever, but he’s grown into all that skin and is such a natural at sports. Rubin has always been the child to give me a hug or kiss when I need it most. His kindness and humor makes him liked by all who know him.

My last human creation is Birdie, the sweet and tough girl we call the baby of the family. Birdie is the culmination of sweetness and silliness she learned from all her siblings. Maybe that’s it, the reason they all just got sweeter and sweeter, they learned it from the older kids…aha! That’s it! Thank goodness Emma was so sweet and passed it down to her brothers and sisters!

We found out Birdie has Type 1 Diabetes right before her 8th birthday. She really is a strong little girl! She does her finger pokes and her insulin shots all by herself. She never complains or feels sorry for herself. A true inspiration to me. Birdie has decided, at the age of 10, that she wants to be a doctor of Diabetes and help others to care for themselves.

To say I’m proud of my children would be a huge understatement! They are my reason for breathing. It’s been fun watching each grow and become their own person. I’ve been blessed with the task of raising these kids and I know in my heart that through them, I’ve done my part to bring the world beauty and love. My children have been and always be my best work. Everything else from here on out is icing on the cake!

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015 tillievuksich

Hello world!

Today marks the beginning of my journey into blogging. Yippy-skippy! I’m super excited to share my creative endeavors with readers. I hope it will inspire others and bring about collaborative work with new people world-wide.

My passions are: knitting, crochet, sewing, gardening, natural medicine, art, family & friends, and writing. Not in that exact order, but there you have it…I communicate through love, fiber, and the written word.

You can expect this blog to be word and image heavy with all the things I create and love. Welcome to createdbytillie!

My hubby & I, still going strong after 17 years of marriage.

createdbytillie

always creating through fiber and the written word

Author: tillievuksich