Every once in a while I come up with something so smart, so cute, so useful, so great I can't even believe how amazing I am.
Then the fella walks by and says, I don't like it.
And just like that I'm locking myself in the nearest closet to pout and second guess myself.
Although I don't tell him that because ... to do so would be admitting defeat. And ... it would be stupid. But I did second guess myself. And the truth is, to make anyone second guess themselves, there has to a teeny, tiny bit of self doubt niggling away at the back of their brain (behind the part that stores the first number from your locker combination in highschool) already.
The fella, who thinks he knows me better than I do, said it wasn't "me". It was too kitchy. Too ... stupid.
You aren't posting about that are you?
Well. Yes, that was the plan.
You shouldn't.
Oh.
So here I am posting about something the fella doesn't like, but I do, although I agree with him that it could be better.
The thing is ... it's as handy as a pocket on a shirt.
It is kitchy. A little bit like something you'd find in a 1970's crafting book with two hippies wearing brown and gold crocheted vests on the cover.
But since putting it up and can't stand the thought of taking it down. It eliminated the pencil / pen holder I had on my desk all last year. Which I loved, but always looked a tiny bit messy and took up desk space.
PLUS, after I took these pictures I realized the small notebook I use every day to jot things down fit inside the pocket perfectly.
So while I'll agree I could, and probably will, improve on this (I'd prefer white Levi's for instance with a painted white embroidery hoop) I still love it and the fella can suck it. The last crafting adventure he embarked on was Crazy Gluing my finger together. What does he know.
So the pocket stays. Because ... it's as handy as a pocket on a wall.
Shannon
Great Idea, my 12 year old carries her cell phone and I-Pod touch in her back pocket, I love this as a holder for those items in her room, she could propbably charge them right in the pocket.
Shelley
Karen / Shannon - this is a brilliant idea! I love the idea of a pocket wall charger
Lush
OMG!! I LOVE THIS!! Yes it might be perceived as twee ish but who cares??
Practical, reuse, functional & cute. All good in my books.
Put it on Pinterest & watch the copies happen LOL
Jay
Possibly the fella doesn't like it because his Paleo diet is making him so sad he fails to recognise the awesomeness if it.
I bet if he ate some pasta and cheese he'd love it.
Karen
LOL! ~ k
Lisa Thomas
Love it! Going to make some myself. I need more desk space anyway. It's functional and that's what counts.
Susan
Next thing you know, the Fella will be proclaiming there are only four TRUE wall-hangings. You're right, he's wrong, it's a great idea and looks good. Print out and frame all of these comments and hang it next to the pocket. Next time he tries to tell you what to post, lead him by the hand to it and point.
Lyse
What I am amazed at is that you found a way to get rid of those wooden rings. Good idea. I had some given to me a few years ago and been wondering what to do with it since I don't like embroidery and i'm past the smell sachets that was the "fad" for a while. And i agree to make it more modern I would go with the white jeans with nice embroidery that someone else did.
Jenna
Your fella is an idiot. Love the pocket and think it was a brilliant idea.
beth
Awesome... hows that for eighties... have you seen the rag rugs made from denim... can't wait to see what you do with the legs... neck pillows any one?
Elen Grey
I love the idea. I might give it a contemporary feel by spray painting that hoop in a pewter grey or charcoal or matte black and possibly using one of those eye-popping colors from HUE's leggings/jeggings/skinny jeans/whatever. I'd have to experiment. :-D
Katie
Karen, you are a Godsend. Just discovered you this minute (while Googling a question I had about WD-40 for a project I'm in the middle of that is making me NUTS). And I went from pulling my hair out to laughing out loud in, oh, say 10 seconds.
Thanks for all of this. YOU are a (or as some would insist on saying these days, "an") hilarious, clever girl. :-)
Karen
Thanks Katie! I'm glad you found me. And my site. More my site I guess. I normally post every day except Sundays. Not all that often about WD-40. ~ karen!
sarah
Hey Karen! The 'wall pocket' is a great idea and has got me thinking. . .eye glass holder, monogrammed, a series of wall pockets, a valentine in a wall pocket, different sizes. . Definitely cool! Oh, and a quote I really like:
It's in the doing that the idea comes. Edmund Bacon.
Fitting!
Sarah
Nancy Blue Moon
First of all..I am for anything that gets things off of my desk (I am still using the flower frog as a pencil holder)..also hoop art is really coming back in style..Having been the Hippie Type in the crocheted vest on the cover..and the 70's crafty person who did awesome embroidery on jeans..I say this is "way cool"..As for the Fella's opinion..How dare he criticize your brilliance..leave it hanging..it will irritate him every time he walks past it..Revenge is sweet..
Linda
Love it...everyone is entitled to their own opinion...but I see nothing wrong with kitchy. I'm a girl of the 70's and my jeans were a work of art, more leather patches than jean material and embroidery on the parts that were jean! Let's see if the fella can come up with something better!
allyson
Taking 2 people's ideas together: i see a line up of these on the laundry room wall, one for each member of the family (using each person's cast off pants) to hold the stuff they've left in their pockets. You could even use smaller emobroidery hoops for the kids.
Barbie
Brilliant my dear simply BRILLIANT! Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut......or your butt! ha ha ha!
Karen
LOL. Both in this case I guess. Thanks Barbie. ~ karen!
Feral Turtle
Too cute!
Nicole2
Love it! May I suggest a lovely crocheted loop trim glued around to take it to the next kitsch level? I don't think it's kitschy by the way, it's just to bug the fella. Hehe.
lori
I Love it!!!!
shauna
It's totally genius, and totally 1970's crafty kitsch that I would normally see my Mom create & I'd shake my head and go off on a diatribe of how she can single handedly ruin the word crafty. But, I keep looking at it & I agree, I like it. Maybe it's the modern minimalism surrounding, I don't know but I do like it. I agree white or another colored jeans would be even more craftastic. I have some purple ones that no longer fit, maybe I should try it out & see what my fella says. He really hates crafty shtuff. :)
Auntiepatch
Great idea! And that gives you a lot of fabric left over for mending other jeans! Genius! (I would think that white jeans would show pencil or pen marks too easily.) Tell the Fella to go out to the chicken coop and SUCK EGGS!
P.S. What's the story about him supergluing your fingers together???
Karen
Here you go ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-chicken-coop-live/ ~ karen