Stay.See.Make.Do.

Blue Jean Bag

I sewed a tote bag awhile back as a gift for my goddaughter. Not sure if I shared it here, so at the risk of repeating myself...

But firstly, I'd like to note that this is not a tutorial. This is just a show and tell. If you want to have some good step-by-steps, take a gander at this lovely lesson, or click to this one with french seams.

For mine I took a pair of old blue jeans from my scraps pile. These jeans had seen better days. They were patched already by the time they were handed down to one of my kids from an older, cooler cousin. (Thank goodness mending is still cool in some circles. Yes, it is. Really. There's even a book* coming out about it.) Then my son wore the heck out of them. It may have been too bad for my son's wardrobe, but I was not willing to mend them any more. Upcycling was more appealing to me at that point.

Because this bag was going to be the wrapping for a few books I was gifting, I used the books to determine the size. As you can see, the flap came from a back pocket.

To get the length of the strap, I measured a kid I had handy. The red webbing came from the "crafty stuff" table at a rummage sale.

The lining used to be a set of cafe-style curtains. I bought them at my neighbor's yard sale for something like 25 cents. Seriously. It's a rather busy print, but as a lining I thought it would be fun.

The outside needed a little something to pretty it up, so I found a flowery button in my stash to do the trick. The loop is made from a hair elastic sewn between the layers.

This was a really fun project. Because the materials for the bag were nearly free, I could spend more on the books that went inside**. And in a way those jeans are still being worn.

*Guess what? I have a project in it!

**One of which was The 13 Clocks. You should read it.

Craft Fail: Glycerine Soap

Oh, the best laid plans of mice and moms...

So many of my plans for holiday crafting and posting have flown out the window. How, how, HOW did it get to be December 20th already??!

I do have a few knitting successes to report, but as for "quick and easy gifts" this first go 'round was a bust.

Perhaps you have haven't guessed this about me, but once upon a time I was a young housewife (long, long ago) and a Martha Stewart devotee. I remember her demonstration of easy melt-and-pour soap making. Being broke at the time, I did not purchase the big blocks of glycerin soap and the expensive tiny bottles of colors and scents. I purchased glycerin bar soaps, melted them in the microwave and poured them into a flat layer to be cut into festive shapes with cookie cutters.

They looked like Finger Jello. Or Gummi candy. They were lovely and fun to make. And easy. And quick. And they smelled nice.

So recently when I saw "glycerin soap" for sale in a package of eight bars for relatively little money, I purchased both red and green. Today I rounded up a couple of interested kids and proceeded to.... make a disaster. 

Unfortunately, these soaps (the brand starts with D and rhymes with denial*) are not the same as the ones I used in the past. I don't remember the brand of those. I should have known just by looking at this new batch, since they are more opaque than transparent, but I optimistically put two bars into an old peanut butter (glass) jar and nuked away.

Not remotely pleasant.

Ugh.

I suppose if I cared enough, I could still melt these in a crock pot or a double boiler, but that is not how I roll, meaning - I refuse to take the time for that right now. I may make an experimental purchase of another brand of clearer soaps, but presently the overpowering smell in my kitchen of microwaved, artificial cranberries is making me too woozy to think clearly.

I hope someone gets some schadenfreude from this.

 

*I know denial already starts with D. I don't want to talk about it any more.

Meeting New (Tech) Friends

Well, I've been playing with the new camera.*

For a few days I thought, "This might have to be sent back. It's not that great."

A few days later I thought, "Well, it does do some pretty cool stuff."

Now I'm thinking, "I could learn to love you. But first I have to figure you out."

I'm glad I didn't hurt its feelings.

*All photos taken by me with my new Canon SX40 HS.

Super Simple Snowman Snack

Take two chocolate chips, a piece of candy corn, and a mini powdered doughnut...

You see where this is going already, don't you?

And put them together like so...

Yum!

The eyes stay on better if you put them in upside down. If you want to get fancier, try adding more features with sprinkles or frosting. But my kids liked them just like this.

Don't dawdle, Amaryllis, and you might still find candy corn at the grocery.

Goodbye, November

The weather turned stormy again this afternoon, but as long as my husband makes it home safely (he's driving through it) and the power stays on (knock on wood) I'm set. I know what I'm making for supper, I have a new knitting project lined up, and the kids are actually motivated to help me tidy up the house so that we can start putting up our Christmas decorations. We had a fun, super-easy snack that I'll share with you tomorrow, and now the kids are playing nicely together as the day winds down, so I have just this little minute to reflect on November.

Whew.

I made it through NaBloPoMo. Not a perfect record, but I gave it a good run. I don't feel like I actually got a whole lot done around the house, but nothing fell apart too badly so I figure I came out ahead. I made some new friends. I did some important thinking. I got some shopping taken care of.

And now, with Advent here and Christmas coming into view, I have some fun projects planned. With a new camera due to arrive next week you're sure to see me back here soon. 

Thanks for following along.

Like I Needed the Reminder

Apparently I'm going crazy. Wait. Make that crazier.

I was sure I wrote a post yesterday.

Obviously, I didn't.

I took care of two other appointments and remembered that I have to go to the dentist today. So... three things and my brain is full now? What is up with that?

Ow! My head hurts!

Someday I'll get a new iPod or smartphone and set alarms for myself on it. (Will it make things better or worse?) But honestly, right now that just sounds like ONE MORE THING to add to the stupid To Do list. Which is what I do not want.

Also, since I remembered today's dentist appointment yesterday, does it count toward today's three? Or do I get to carry it over, like a remainder? No wonder my brain is full if it insists on toting cluttering questions like this around. I can hear my germanic genes warring with my impracticality already. But my courage will not fail. Not This Day.

So now I'm off to check my calendar. And to put a pencil and notebook in my pocket, 'cause I'm sure to need to remember something later when my brain is already to capacity. And in this war, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Uncle Buck?

Every year I think someone is going to get this guy, and yet he keeps coming back. He did have a bigger brother or cousin that used to sit by our back door that I haven't seen for a year (or two?) but this one was definitely eating out of the bird feeder last year. This morning he was browsing the millet that the birds disdain.

Pardon the blur, but this was taken through the window. He was about 10 feet away.

Lucky for him the only thing I was shooting with was my camera.

One Purple Candle

It's the first Sunday of Advent.

Hear that whooshing sound? It's Christmas rushing to meet us. Hang on! Here we go!

Kids Taking Pictures

I'm buying a new camera and will be passing down my old ones for my kids to use. I hope to teach them a few basics and then let them have fun. So far, with very little coaching ("Just don't drop it!" and "Here's the ON and how to zoom.") the eldest has given me shots like these:

Um...???

Hello there, dear.

I will lift up mine eyes?

I have hope for the future of this project. This kid's gonna love macro.

Stuck

The weather has us stuck at home, my supplies I need for making some of my Christmas gifts are stuck at the Post Office so I am stuck looking for another project, I tried to shop online today and got stuck trying to make a decision so I didn't buy anything, the power and the internet service have us stuck guessing if they will be on or off, and I am stuck for a topic for today's post. I'm going to bed and try again tomorrow.