Stay.See.Make.Do.

Like I Have the Room

If you follow me on Twitter, this picture may look familiar to you:

Look closely and you'll see written "Slide Frames" on the front there.

Slide frames look like this:

Sometimes they are also called slide mounts. Nowadays they are made acid free and mostly used for scrapbooking, not to mention costing a pretty penny, but mine are old school. Literally, they came from a school warehouse auction. They were on a pallet with dozens of slide carousels that a man bought to house his coin collection (?) and I offered him a dollar for this box and he gave it to me for nothing. How could I say no? Actually, I think it was headed for the dumpster, and that would've just been a shame.

But now... What in heck do I do with them? I'm trying to channel my inner Jeffrey Rudell, but so far I got nuthin'. Not giving up hope, though. And meanwhile, since there are thousands in that box, I am going to give some to my kids and see what they come up with. Stay tuned.

Spring Cozies

It is spring in Wyoming. The robins have returned, and under the occasional dusting of snow the grass is turning green again.

We've been busy around here celebrating birthdays and observing Lent and getting ready to clean the house in preparation of Easter.

One thing about spring - it is still cold in the mornings.  And partly because the outdoor wall in our kitchen is made of cinderblock, the cupboards and countertops are cold much of the time. Having a cozy for our french press is almost a necessity, but the bound rectangle of pre-quilted fabric I had safety-pinned around the glass carafe was getting old and I was tired of looking at it. Besides, it was ugly and didn't match my new kitchen. So in a fit of inspiration, I cut part of a sleeve from a felted wool sweater, and opened the center of the seam for the handle. It isn't beautiful, but it was super quick and does the job admirably.  The cozy on the mug is simply a rectangle of treble crochet rows in cotton, and it stretches just enough to fit.  I didn't bother with trying to make it match anything because it was just a prototype.

I really couldn't believe it when I saw Coffee Cozies in the new books at our public library. (I see there's also one for tea pots.) Then I saw Pretty Little Cozies at a quilt shop. Check them out if you want to get serious, but for me the quick sweater fix was the way to go.

Crazy woman attempts crafts for bazaar in two weeks. Film at 11.

Scrap quilt by Jane Made This.

If I thought any of you might ask, "Where have you been?" I would try to come up with a cogent answer.  But really all I can say is, "Darned if I know."  The entire summer is gone in a blur of those lovely hazy days of staying home and caring for small people.  We camped in our new-to-us camper a few times, visited with family a few times, but mostly we played in the sprinkler, messed about in the garden, sat inside and read books, and generally absorbed our summer vacation like sponges.  Now summer is gone and most of the fall and, in a moment of insanity, I've signed up to have a table at a bazaar in two weeks.  So I ask myself, "What was I thinking???"

I was thinking crocheted cupcake pincusions. And aprons. And bibs. And divinity candy. And crayon rolls.  And little knitted hats that look like pumpkins.  And I was thinking I could make these things in time to sell them. 

So, why?  Why would I try to do this crazy thing that I do not have time for?  I'm not really sure.  Maybe to justify my crafting habit?  Maybe to earn a little extra money for that new camera I want?  Maybe because I work better under pressure and I hope to get my life better organized?  Sorry but no, not any of those reasons.  I thought about it a little and I know why.  Those things come into it a teeny bit, but I am not fooling myself.  Here it is: I am having a table at a craft show because I want to be the table that I would like to shop at.

I will explain that.  I have been to a few independent seller events in this town in the two years we have lived here.  I've been to the Farmer's Market, rummage sales, bazaars, the Home Show, the jazz festival, etc.  I have been looking for kindred crafty spirits, and I haven't found any.  I am saddened at the dirth of ol' fashioned crafty goodness.  I know they're out there.  I know I'm not the only one with a feed reader full of crafty posts. But I haven't found them yet.

This is definitely not meant to belittle the people who have been out there marketing their stuff.  Some of the booths at these events have been full of beautiful and impressive goods.  I've seen pottery, framed photographs, framed paintings, and jewelry galore - all perfectly lovely.  Most of these sellers are true artisans.  But I have to say it.  Not once have I seen a table with a large variety of small, lower-priced but quality, handmade items.  I have never seen anything that I thought was taking a little risk.  Or anything craft-trendy.  I've never seen ANY amigurumi, aprons, sharks, robots, gnomes or freezer-paper-stenciled anything.  I've never seen any of the items that are common on the crafty blogs I visit.  What I mean to say is, I have never seen tables like some I have seen (and purchased from!) at craft shows in the past two larger cities we've lived in.  And I've not even seen any like those tables at the church bazaars I remember from when I was a kid.  (Back then I could take the $3 Dad gave me and go buy a magnet for my mom, an ornament for my teacher, a bracelet for my best friend, and still have enough left to spin the lollipop wheel for myself.)  What I also have to admit is, I don't buy those lovely things those people are selling.  I really am truly sorry about it, but I don't have a place in my life for hand-thrown pottery right now no matter how beautifully hand-painted it is.  I don't wear necklaces because my toddler still pulls on them.  Ditto earrings.  I haven't even hung up the pictures I already own, and can't justify buying more just yet.  And, I'm sorry dear earnest, grandmothery-type lady, but I do not need an acrylic crocheted baby blanket for $35 - my own mother crochets and quilts.

So what I hope for my little table with its meager offerings is that it will encourage a few more people to say, "Huh.  That stuff is pretty cute.  I could make stuff like that.  I could make stuff better than that.  I bet I could have a table like that next year."  I want people to see the dorky lady that is me and want to show me up.  And I want to buy their cool stuff!  And if a few people buy something from me so I can make back my table fee, well, that will be over and above.

 

Gingerbread chain

I made these two years ago, but thought I'd share them here.  It's a paper doll chain from kraft paper.  I used dimensional fabric paint to "frost" them.  If I get time I'll take a photo of the whole string, which is now finished and resides on a bookshelf.

Thanksgiving

Today I am pointing you to The Toymaker.  She gives you patterns to print and make toys from paper, and you can sign up for her free newsletter.  Lots of fun stuff on her site, and her holiday pages are so helpful for little last-minute projects - just print and cut and glue.

Check out her Thanksgiving Page.

Weaving a giant potholder

I thought I'd share this mat I made a few years ago.  Well, the mat isn't much to look at, but some of you might be interested in the method of the making.

Remember weaving pot holders from cotton loops on a small peg loom when you were a kid?  Frankly, I don't.  But I had at least seen them before, so when I read about this idea in one of the Tightwad Gazette books I had to try it out.   What you do is this:  Make yourself a big loom from some scrap lumber or a big picture frame or some stretcher bars.  Use finishing nails to make the "pegs" about an inch apart along all sides.  Now for the genius - the loops.  Take some old t-shirts and cut them into one or two inch strips horizontally from the bottom up to the armpits. Loops! Actually, you may want to cut your loops before you build your loom so you know how big your loom needs to be.  Then you  just weave it the same way you would a potholder, only bigger.  Make more than one and hook them together in a row or a square!  This is definitely a craft I'm going to try again some day.  Unfortunately I'll have to make a new loom since the one I used for this got left behind after our last move.

Playsilks dyed with Kool-Aid

These were a gift for baby's first birthday, but frankly, everybody likes them.  They are pretty, soft, and light.  They are great for peek-a-boo and superhero capes.  They are incredibly easy to make, and compared to the real thing, about half price.  And it only took about an hour.

I mostly followed the directions in this post at Artful Parent, except I only used two packages of Kool-Aid per scarf instead of three.  As far as I'm concerned they're still plenty bright.  I think I should've gone for a blue one but I knew I had to have a pink one and I'd only ordered six scarves, so there ya go.

Sassy Apron Saturday

I read somewhere (?) that my partner (Hi, Aimee!)

actually did receive this package, so I feel safe in posting pictures of the contents that I sent for the Spring Sassy Apron Swap (see button on sidebar for Swap link).  That's a magnetic notepad, some vintage rick rack, an origami folded box (link to directions again on sidebar) with two naturally green and two quail eggs (blown), heart pins, and the folded apron.

Can you imagine paying 13 CENTS for a package of rick rack?  From Penney's?  Awesome.

This apron was made from a pattern that had a much wider waistband like an inverted V, but when I made it up that way, with a matching pocket no less, it looked terrible! And when I tried it on I just said "blech".  So I took it apart and changed the pocket and narrowed the waist.  Ahhh, much better. Thanks to my partner for her patience in having to wait for her package.

(That tree really leans, doesn't it?  Or else it's our house.)

A Blessed Holy Saturday and Happy Easter to you all.  See you in a few days.

Don't O.D. on the chocolate!

Embroidery

I may be the last person in the craft world to actually sit down and do some embroidery, but that doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention.  There are dozens of books and patterns out there that are incredibly cute and clever.  New and vintage, and even free. 

I have gone so far as to put some floss and needles into my carry-it-around bag.  Haven't added the fabric and hoop yet, so it's just inspiration-en-tote right now.  (aside:  I shop like that, too.  Pick things up, hold them, continue shopping, wander back and replace them if they don't "feel" right.  But not at the grocery store.  And I hate when people leave orphans in the aisles, especially at the grocery store.  I do make an effort to replace items from whence they came if I decide not to purchase.)

One handy item I haven't seen anyone talk about is the iron-on transfer pencil.  Like these here.  I actually own one of these, but haven't used it yet to be honest.  But I think it would be the bee's knees.  Have you used one?  Does it work? 

Stay tuned for some photos of vintage items I've picked up thrifting.

Could I use the word item more?

Putting it together

Once you have your triangle pattern (see previous post) the rest is relatively clear sailing. 
To punch your circles, you may want to turn your punch over so you can see what you're punching:

This can help you line up the design on your paper, or just save paper by getting your punches closer together:

I don't bother with the tracing and scoring of lines, I just use my template to fold around.  You can do this for two sides:

For the third side, you need to remove the template and just use the existing folds as your guides.  This is something like having a seam allowance, but not.  If you know what I mean.  Whatever.  You need to get the template out of the way.

Now you just have to do this nineteen more times.  That's twenty in all, four of each of your five papers.

Now it is a matter of gluing.  For scrapbook paper, a gluestick works just fine.

Now is the time to tie a knot and add a loop for hanging.  One on top and bottom each, if you like.  But I opted not to for this particular ball.  Ok, ok, I FORGOT.  *sigh*  You really need to do that before you glue it completely together.  Or you can punch a hole in one of the ribs later, but I think it looks nicer hanging from the center.

I did get it finished, and it looks nice and I'm happy with it.  So is my daughter - she thinks it's for her!  Well, maybe it is.  After all, she worked so hard to find a coordinating outfit... gee, I'm lucky!