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october 25th

  • Posted on October 26, 2019 at 9:00 am

another row done
october 25
usually once i start decreasing the project seems to go quickly, but maybe because i’m only adding one a day this one seems to drag on. i love how it is looking, but i’m ready for it to be done!

something different

  • Posted on November 30, 2018 at 4:51 pm

i took a break from cleaning and doll stuff to make a batch of ornaments for a charity fundraiser.
fundraiser ornaments
living channel services is a charity started a couple of years ago by a friend to help children in rural rwanda who have severe mental &/or physical handicaps. these children live in the most appalling conditions and have very little hope for the future. we are raising money to help their parents pay for their medical care, fund microfinance cooperatives to help the families get out of poverty, and long term, build dayprogram facilites where the kids can come to get therapy and care while their parents work.

for a couple of upcoming december fundraisers i made these ornaments that we will give for each donation of at least $20. the idea being donors can keep them and hang them up or give them as gifts to family and friends.

we have a tradition in our family that every year we make donations in honor of each family member and then give them a card/ornament that symbolizes the gift. many family members look forward to seeing what they “got” each year and find they are the most meaningful gift they receive.

here’s a close-up of some of the ornaments
fundraiser ornaments
(the pictures are all snapshots of actual kids/families we are helping.)

and the card that goes with it
fundraiser ornaments

if you are interested, follow the link over to the website and check us out 🙂

i admit i cheated…

  • Posted on September 9, 2018 at 12:08 pm

i had a self imposed rule that once something goes in the giveaway box,there are no second thoughts, and no pulling them out. but this time the rule just had to be broken…
i painted up the top part of my caravan. the “chipped” wood look was poorly done, and just had to go. so i covered it with a shiny coat of silver metallic paint. then i carefully added a bit of “rust” at the edges with plain brown and copper metallic, to match the painted rust that was already on the roof (the only thing from the original that i am actually keeping.) it looked ok, but was too plain for the look i’m going for, so i left it to percolate. just as i was about to go to bed, i remembered the damask stencil i had in my paint supplies, and the mini shiva paint sticks that were already in the giveaway box, and loaded in the car ready to go. i ran out and rescued them. rules are made to be broken right? at least as far as crafts are concerned, and i think the result was worth it. i intentionally painted lighter and darker, because my gypsies will be a little run down at the heels.
top color
of course the other rule that just has to be broken on this one, is not mixing too many patterns together. in this case the more the merrier.
you can get a glimpse of one of the fabrics i’m planning to use for the couch/bed in the background too, if you are interested.
now i just have to remember not to touch it for 24 hours, till the paint dries, so back to cleaning…

today’s mini project

  • Posted on September 8, 2018 at 2:31 pm

as i excavated down through the layers covering my sewing table, i found this cork board partially done and the lettering pre-sewn for a different project long forgotten. the saying already had steam-a seam on the back, so i cut out the words (they were just sewn randomly on fabric) used my handy craft iron to stick them on and hung it on my wall.
todays mini project
i’m getting as much satisfaction in finishing up these little projects as i am from the fact the i can actually tell what color my rug is again! 🙂

insanity

  • Posted on January 13, 2017 at 3:26 pm

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

perhaps not. i’ve been madly crocheting little hats and elf slippers, working my way through my mohair stash. even though the yarn is supposed to be the same size and i use the same hook, my results seem to vary a considerable bit.
i did read somewhere that you should always knit the sleeves of sweaters at the same time because your tension will vary depending on your mood, specifically how relaxed or tense you are. i believe it, because it certainly seems to hold true for me. i’ve had to be careful to finish both slippers at the same sitting and i try each hat on as i go to make sure it works for the size intended.
nevertheless my smallest hats vary from form-fitting beanies to slouchy over-sized tams. not what i’d originally planned, but they all look cute, so i’m not going to worry about it…..
still does that mean i am insane because i get a different result each time, or am i crazy for expecting them all to match? hmm, i wonder 😆

on the other hand, i think i have a bigger concern than my doubtful sanity. i’m beginning to be convinced that i am allergic to mohair. at first it was just being stuffed up and mild asthma symptoms, both common enough that i could mostly ignore them. however now i think the suspicious rash that appears and disappears on my arms may have a direct correlation to my use of mohair yarn. since i have a significant stash left in some truly gorgeous colors, this could be problematic. but will i stop using it? probably not. it is winter right now so i will try to finish it all up this winter while i can yet wear long sleeves. then the trick will be avoiding getting more, unfortunately i’m seldom that sensible about my stash building.

that’s what faith can do

  • Posted on June 8, 2016 at 12:24 pm

“What Faith Can Do”

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes
And make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you’re stronger
Stronger than you know

Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason
For someone not to try

Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright

Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That’s what faith can do

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise
kutless

new years resolutions

  • Posted on January 2, 2013 at 5:46 pm

what is it about new years that leads us to make resolutions? most of which don’t last past the first week, if they even make it past the first day. it does seem to be a time of new beginnings though, so i am going to make a couple myself.

1. i resolve to post at least once a week on this blog. i’d say every day but that is totally unrealistic and i know i wouln’t even make it to the end of the first week. once a week is more than i managed last year, so it is a stretch, but doable.

2. new pictures on flickr at least as often so my blog has pictures not just text 😉

3. add littlefee and realpuki sizes to my etsy store this year.

4. the last is a personal goal. we have 3 family weddings coming up in the next year and a half. occasions that will force me to wear something other than my standard t-shirts and yoga pants. so my resolution is to to lose 20lbs by the first wedding in july and 30lbs by the end of the year.

operation christmas child

  • Posted on October 30, 2012 at 1:59 pm

i’m taking a break from all things bjd today to pack shoe boxes for operation christmas child and just wanted to put in a plug for one of my favorite charities. occ is a great project where you pack a shoebox full of toys and goodies and they get sent to needy children all over the world. kids who otherwise would get nothing for christmas. the canadian link is here but there are collection centers all over the world. my kids have way more stuff than they could possibly use, but i can’t resist a really good bargain, so i shop year round for toys and stuff and then at this time of year we pack boxes to give to kids who don’t have much. for me it’s more meaningful than just writing a check. a win win situation in my book, and maybe something to keep in mind as you are starting your own holiday shopping 🙂

glamor challenge

  • Posted on January 20, 2012 at 8:18 am

i have entered a challenge to design a formal dress for one of my girls. the challenge runs from feb 1-28 on doa. details here i can’t actually start sewing till the first but i have till then to work out the design at least enough to get all the supplies i need. so i’ve been putting together clippings, sketching like mad and now that i have a least a vague idea of where i’m going with this, pulling fabrics.

first i pulled out all my silks/laces spread them out on the floor. then started putting them together in color groupings, putting back in my bins anything that couldn’t be combined with at least 2 other things. once i was happy with the color matches i put them together in ziplock bags according to groups and set them aside for daylight.

step two was checking colors under daylight conditions. so each group got put on the table with the sun streaming in. this is where i eliminated some that no longer matched like this
auditioning fabric 1
and this…
auditioning fabric 3

i also needed to check that the colors worked in a photo since the judging will be done just with pictures
which eliminated groupings like this
auditioning fabric 11 which looked great in person but sickly in the photo

this one ”reads” completely wrong in a photo
auditioning fabric 10
the color gets really washed out, but it looks good anyway so it’s a definite possibility
as is this one
auditioning fabric 8
decisions, decisions, decisions….

winter swap 2

  • Posted on January 6, 2012 at 2:07 am

we also received some very nice stuff in the swap. meg was the lucky recipient and here she is modelling some of the goodies
winter swap
she also got two other scarves that she shared.