Stitches

As we begin to turn inward for the winter months, with all that early darkness and wanting to be in bed by 7pm, I am reminded of the tricks of the season that help get me through. Knitting, handwork, reading, cooking….more time for the slower paced things in life.

Ty has a book report due next week. In efforts to help him catch the flame for reading, we often trade off chapters and work through a book together. This has required me to settle in for hours throughout the week with him…something I mostly am glad to do, but the challenge is for me to sit still that long. I find if I put a project in my hands though, it’s no problem at all.

Here is a cute embroidery pattern from www.sarahjanestudios.com, which I can no longer find on her blog, but if you make the trip over there, you are bound to find something adorable to inspire you.  Embroidering is something I am learning as I go.  This little help from Sew Mama Sew has been exactly that.  I’m a fan of the backstitch.

I’m excited to have finished this one for my niece whose middle name is Autumn.  I’m either going to frame it or make a pillow of it.  Her face was redone three times, but other than that these stitches represent a relaxed evening or two in.

Quick sewing projects

There is a personal payoff to making things.  Foremostly I make to give from my heart.  But a close second is the payoff I receive personally.   It is a stress-buster and very gratifying to have done something tangible at the end of the day. I feel  recharged when I have time to create things.  Yet it’s literally been months since I’ve sat down at my machine, and it’s hard to imagine a time in the near future when I will get that chance.  These little projects were quickies I made months ago but I thought I would still share them.

The wine bag was a thank you for some dear friends who watched our crew so Kevin and I could grab a date night.  It’s just a simple, lined bag with boxed corners on the bottom and a tie at the top.  I love it because of the Anna Maria fabrics, of course.

These little fabric eggs were a Sunday afternoon project Amelia and I did together. They were quick to sew and she had alot of fun picking out fabrics to put together.  I used shredded news print to stuff the basket on my front door. They were a cheerful welcome to spring.

Ahh, milk crates.  They help us keep shoes, baseball mitts, drawing paper, and now, the van organized.  I used this smart pattern to pretty up the milk crate in the van and hope to make a few more.  If you click the link, the pattern is on the sidebar.

PS: for families on the run, a simple solution to thirsty kids is to keep a jug of water and plastic cups on hand. We don’t usually travel without one. It saves money at the drive-thru and also saves tears in a thirsty pinch. A word of caution though, you may want to put a potty chair in the back with it.

Happy Valentine’s Day

I don’t care if people say Valentine’s day is designed just so Hallmark can meet its profit margins. It’s a great reason to add color and love to the doldrums of winter. Paper love notes and sweet sentiments bring smiles to our faces…and so do beautiful flowers. Poo-poo to the critics, I say.

Another Cool Use for Cereal Boxes

This truffle box was our thank you token to the kids’ Sunday School Teachers this year. The day I planned on making the truffles, we were snowed in and unable to get to the store for containers.   A Google search produced this nifty template from Mirkwood Designs, and we thought cereal boxes would be cute.  I reuse the bounty of cereal boxes our family plows through in place of newspaper for art projects, as magazine organizers, and now, as gift boxes.

One deconstructed cereal box holds 4 templates. We used scissors to cut along the outside shape and an exacto knife to score as needed.

Ty was my truffle maker.   I helped minimally.  He did a great job!

Each box held 4 truffles.  We tied on a painted Christmas bulb along with a note from the kids.

These would also make nice Valentines;  filled with small soaps, chocolates, or toys.  Enjoy!

for a bird

I tucked this idea away for a minimalist bird house from 2 straight lines last year in September 0f 2007.  Didn’t I mention how my life is on a time warp continuum?!

Anyway, these gourds sell for a song in the fall.  I bought several and hung onto them for some such occasion as Christmas gifts.  There was no cost other than the gourds, as I used what I had on hand for all of the rest.

The paint was simply interior latex I’m using for our bedroom.  I applied 3-4 coats to ensure a good cover.  I would have coated it with polyurethane, but the shabby chic look will be nice over time too.  Next I marked off a 2 1/2 ” diameter circle.

Sorry for the bad lighting in this pict.

I then drilled 3 holes: one on either side at the top–to loop the twine through, and one below the cutout for a perch.  I cut twigs from my honeysuckle bush to size, and Gorilla Glued them in place.  Finally I used a utility knife (though a jigsaw would have worked better) to cut out the opening.  Once that was completed, I fed a garden twine from one side to the other (I used a straw and a knitting needle if you’re curious), joined and wrapped it at the top base then tied off a large loop for hanging.

I also painted one I had hanging in my front flower bed. It still needed a perch, so in my mind it wasn’t yet a true birdhouse. Apparently perches aren’t necessary when you’re a bird. Because when I walked up close to get this icy blue macro shot, the bird who was living inside suddenly flew out and whizzed right by my ear. My scream and little dance must have made my neighbors laugh if they happened to catch view of me. It made my heart race anyways.

In case you were wondering, they are inhabitable. Proof positive!

Calgon, take me away!

I’m working on thinning my schedule. Sometimes I get in the warped frame of mind that I can say yes to everything. The stress and complexity that, in turn, brings to our home quickly shows me that I CAN’T! Duh!

Here is a “recipe” for some lovely Candy Cane Bath Salts.

12 tall jelly (12-ounce) canning jars with lid and rings

2 4-pound cartons Epsom Salts (approximately 16 cups)
4 pounds sea salt or Kosher salt (approximately 6 cups)
1/2 teaspoon glycerin, divided
12 to 15 drops peppermint essential oil
12 to 15 drops red food color

Wash, rinse and dry canning jars.

Empty one carton Epsom Salts into large mixing bowl or batter bowl. Add 3 cups sea salt, stir well. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon glycerin and 6 to 8 drops essential oil. Mix well.

In second large mixing bowl, empty one carton Epsom Salts, and add 3 cups sea salt. Stir well. Add 1/4 teaspoon glycerin, 6 to 8 drops essential oil, and food color. Stir until completely blended. Color should be even.

CEO’s tip: use a heavy-duty stand mixer (such as Kitchenaid-brand) to mix bath salts easily. Set mixer to lowest setting and mix until color is even–but don’t try this with hand mixers or smaller stand mixers!

Holding canning jars at an angle, layer salts in jars, alternating white and colored mixtures.

Melts away stress…or causes it…if you agree to coordinate making some for the PTO Christmas store when you have no wiggle room in your schedule as it is. And then you get to the meeting…for which your dear mother in law agreed to watch your children-one of which has come down with a strange virus at her house…only to find they don’t really even need the help after all. And you realize that rather than go to the next PTO meeting, you will be far better off to give your MIL her peace and quiet, put the kids to bed early and use a big dose of the lovely Candy Cane Bath Salts yourself.

I’m not bitter…just thinning the schedule.

Kitchen Poetry: 5

kitchen crafts
1. kool aid watercolors
one packet of Kool Aid to 2 tbsp of water for a scratch and sniff watercolor experience

2. cinderella’s pumpkin carriage

Milestone

When my children look back on their childhoods, I want them to remember that they had a few birthday parties. Nothing elaborate or even yearly, but a few milestones to keep in their minds. I try to make it manageable for both our schedule and our pocketbooks by marking select years with a party and I try to make as much as I can by hand. We celebrate each birthday every year with family and/or some special remembrance. But certain years get a party with friends. This year Mia turned 5- so she was up.

We had a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and teacups all around. When I was a girl, my dear grandmother would buy me a new teacup for my birthday and Christmas. It was an honor to have Amelia use them for this very purpose and probably what I’d had in the back of my mind when I saved them all these years. I thought of my grandma an awful lot during their use last weekend.

We did a pinata-which many a little girl in beautiful party dress had no problem smacking the bajeebies out of, by the way.

They ate finger foods and cupcakes with raspberry-lemonade tea.

Fabric flower hair bows and clothespin dolls (unfinished here) for the goodie bags.

And though she is no longer 4 as she held up here earlier in the summer, she will forever be my little sweetheart. We love you! Happy 5th year Mia!

Color of the Day: Red

One of the kids’ group Christmas gifts was a sewing machine. They’ve enjoyed experimenting and creating in the past with an old Tiny Taylor machine I had. So I knew that when it went the way of the trash can, I wanted to replace it. I can honestly say all of them were moderately to extremely excited to give it a try.

They have a scrap bag that’s all theirs for creating as well as a stack of acrylic felt. I love to see what they come up with. Alot of scarves in the works, a bookmark, and tonight…a pillow from Ty and Jack.

I didn’t help at all–except to re-thread the needle numerous times. He was happy to give it and also that Jack would only fall asleep on this very pillow tonight. A gift well-given and received.

Oh, and I did finish my niece’s smocket tonight. Just one more to go. I added a little peasant headband too. This fabric was used on a certain red riding hood cape for Amelia this past Halloween. That’s all I can think of when I see it now. Red corduroy+ pink floral print=cookies and raspberries for grandmother.

One Man’s Trash

…really is another man’s treasure. Outfitting a house with free furniture is an art that my friend Rose taught me years ago now. She was the master at finding potential in curbside castoffs. I took copious notes as she transformed old beaten dressers and sates into something that might have leaped off the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog. Since those days I’ve transformed my own share of thrifted and gifted furniture into recharged decor. I would still love to be able to win a sweepstakes to Broyhill someday, but for now I’m content with my transformed works.

This bookshelf was a Sauder-type freebie that was worn and creaky. I did some repair and paint work, backed it with excess curtain fabric, and made a garland of scraps. It sits in my daughter’s room and because I used what I had on hand, it cost me almost nothing.

I topped it off with my favorite print from The Black Apple and a Lambkin I made last winter. Whenever I walk past it, it makes me smile.