It’s Back, The Pledge

I mentioned there will be a special surprise.  Well, for this summer I decided to bring back a little something I did last summer.  It’s…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

For those who missed it, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice.  Feel free to grab a button (<--it’s over there) and join me.  Pick a goal and pledge to do it 5 times each week than share your results.

 

I am again pledging to make five small crafts each week, and I will post the results each Sunday.  This will go on until the end of July.

 

Now time to get started.  Meet you back here next Sunday!

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Real Men Craft

I think this is something everyone should check out, especially those who thinks crafts are too girly.  Nathan Vincent has create several lace doilies with a somewhat more masculine theme to them.  They feature such icons as John Deer, James Bond, Superman, and other shall we say “manly” images and trademarks.  Who says real men can’t crochet?

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Read the Instructions

Sometimes I decide I want to make something and I haven’t the foggiest idea how or where to start.  Okay, most of the time that’s the case.  One of the best resources I know for this situation is eHow.  On this site, tons of people submit articles and videos on how-to's for almost anything, all divided into neat little categories and sub-categories for you to browse at your leisure.  I find the craft section most impressive.  Some of the things I’ve found there recently include:

•  Teddy Bear hairclips 
• Different Ways to Make a Tutu
• A Dish Towel Purse
• Beaded Safety Pin Nightlight
• A Gift Bag from a Lunch Bag

It might be fun to write some how-to’s myself.  Maybe I should try that someday.  Is there an eHow article about that?

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Sweet Links

Need a new project to work on, something super pretty.  Check out the ~Ruffles And Stuff~ tutorial page.  Plenty of lovely projects to do for your closet, your kids, or your home.  I think the children’s stuff are especially adorable.  There are a few things I know my nieces would absolutely love.

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It’s a Small, Small World

I was doing a little research for a few of the projects on my list (still working on it, just a little behind), and came across this blog that I totally love.  It’s called Fluffy Bricks,  it showcases doll house stuff and miniatures.  The most recent post shows off some tiny little I-pods and what appears to be a flat screen TV and a Wii.  Never thought about making things like that in miniature, now I so what to try it.  Of course I have to finish the projects I already started first,  otherwise I’d be stuck with like several dozen half-finished projects and nothing to really show for my effort.  Better get cracking at it.

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Cones and Cat food

While running a few errands yesterday, I found some pinecones on the ground and inspiration sparked.  I decided to gather some and use them for one of the projects on my new list that I posted yesterday.  Bet you can’t guess which one?  I also discovered that 15 lbs. isn’t very heavy at all.  I had to buy more cat food since I was desperately low.  It is cheaper to buy in bulk, so I walked home lugging 15lbs. of a certain Purina brand that Midnight went wild over.  All I can say is I wish large bags of pet food had handles on them or something.  It’d make them so much easier to lug around.  Today I just want cuddle with my now well-fed kitty and just read all day.   Oh, and maybe boil fabric in tea.  Another hint of one of my projects.  Good weekend to all.

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A Little Halloween Help

While spending my time “studying” for class, I stumbled upon this site, Favecrafts.com.  They have a new eBook on Halloween and I just had to let everyone know about it.  Halloween is only a week away, there’s still time for crafting for it.  If not, maybe plan ahead for next year.  Yeah right.  They also have some stuff on Christmas, and it’s definitely not too late for that.

Also before I forget, my birthday is this week, so happy birthday to me.  But I haven’t started on my gift to my sister.  She asked me what I wanted the other day, I didn’t know.  I’ll have to give it a little more thought.  Ah well, happy Halloween.

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Ancient Discoveries

I went to the natural history museum yesterday since it was free that day.  I go often actually so I know it pretty well.  I was looking at a map to find a specific gallery, apparently they moved Elvis the alligator to a better spot and he loves it.  I’ve never seen him look so alive.  Anyway I noticed something on the map I hadn’t before, the rooftop terrace.  I checked it out.

It isn’t the most impressive terrace I’ve ever seen, but the view is fantastic.  It’s nice sometimes, when you go to a familiar spot and discover something new and fantastic. 

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Project List

The following is a list of project ideas I’d like to try next:

• Ribbon headbands
• Jean waistband cuffs
• Jewelry with crescent moons and stars
• Tote bag with umbrella appliqués
• Something square
• Watermelon shaped oven mitts, maybe with matching accessories
• Cell phone sleeping bag
• Change purse key chains
• Monster plush key chains
• Strawberry pins and magnets
• Painted binder clips
• bottle cap pins
• zipper charms
• butterflies

Well, better start cracking at it, but which should I do first?

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A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words

I’ve noticed when I read other blogs that I can’t stand the posts that have no photos.  A picture somehow makes it easier to start reading.  But on the other hand, I also can’t stand blogs that are nothing but pictures.  It needs some words to read even if it’s just a caption for the photo.  Is this strange?  Maybe it stems from my earlier years when all picture-less books were considered “boring”.  Even today, if a novel doesn’t have a cute looking cover I’m likely to past it by.  That probably seems superficial, but not always.  Sometimes one’s definition of cute or appealing varies greatly from another person’s.  The cover of a book and a photo on a blog are both like a store’s banner or sign, drawing in the target audience and getting them to sit down and take notice.  Of course its then up to the author of the book or writer of the blog to keep the audience’s attention, hence the need for at least some writing with that snazzy photo.  Otherwise, everyone will feel like they wasted their time.  Sort of like a movie that was hyped up by advertising, yet bombed at the box office.  So the questions to think about are who is your target audience, do they think your photos are “cute”, and can you back it up with your writing?  On that note, how well did I do with my photo choice?

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Works for Me

Ever had an old pair of overalls you didn’t know what to do with.  I had a pair that were actually cute.  They had cute zippered pockets that were useful and all, and they had red Velcro instead of the usual metal button things on the side.  The Velcro was the problem though, because it kept coming undone.  Here’s what I did to make them more useful.

This is my work apron.  Neat, huh.  Before I tried this, I had converted the overalls into the a jumper, but I got tired of it.  I just cut off the front and stitched on a band made from scraps of fabric for ties around the waist.  The one for the neck is just knotted around the button things on the bib.  Love the Tweety Bird fabric.  I used some more scraps to make a matching scarf to tie my hair up.

 

 

 

Now here’s what I did with the back half.  I  just folded it in half and stitched down the side and the bottom.  Then I attached both overall straps to the top.  Now I have a tall bag that can fit my umbrella easily.  And as you can see, the cool zippered back pocket doesn’t go to waste.

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Another Sign

 

I’ve seen this sign several times while walking, but I only really noticed it recently.  I really like the font used, but I can’t quite say why.  It’s not exactly the fanciest lettering I’ve ever seen, but maybe the simplicity is part of the charm.  I’d like to use it for something someday, I just need to figure out what’s it called.

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Strange Tastes

I have to admit my tastes in some things can be odd, but let’s leave fashion for another day and talk about food.  The following are a few of my favorite combinations that some people might find strange, but I say don’t knock ‘em until you’ve tried them:

• Mayonnaise and ketchup:  technically this isn’t that odd since I hear it might be the base of a certain secret sauce, but I’m not certain of this.
• cheese and peanut butter: this is great on sandwiches obviously and it is especially good with cheddar or coby jack cheese.
• tortilla chips on sandwiches: tortillas chips gave my sandwiches a delightful crunch and texture that’s hard to resist.
• ranch dressing in oatmeal: it’s also good in rice, likewise soy sauce tastes good in both.
• cheerios in yoghurt:  well people put granola in yogurt, why not an oat based cereal?
• cold spaghetti sandwich: leftover spaghetti is great in a sandwich, especially if you use garlic bread.  If you’d prefer it warm, I’d suggest heating it up in a skillet with some olive oil.
• pickles and avocado:  again on a sandwich or in wraps.  I guess you could say I have a thing for sandwiches.  They’re quick and portable.

Now if this list made you cringe, get some guts and go for it.  In this world it’s okay to try new things, it makes you a more confident and creative person.  And those of you who either think some of them actually look tasty to you or you’ve already tried them before, rock on.  Or should I say eat on.

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Inspiration Super Highway

 

I guess you’re wondering what this is suppose to be.  It’s a rough sketch of an idea for a doll I had.  Rough is right.  I got the idea from watching an episode of SlayersNext on YouTube.  On it there was this monster with big hair and an odd dress I found it quite appealing.  It’s surprising when inspiration will strike.

 

These are dolls I have in the shop.  Strangely they were based on a doll I made for a dance class.  My class was putting on a small performance based on the musical Wicked, and we needed a small green baby for one of the dances.  There was talk about using a Shrek doll, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to do it with a straight face if that happened.  So I grabbed some green leaf print fabric and a pattern I made before and after a few hours a star was born.  Later I made a matching one with pink florals, just for fun.  It just went on from there.

This one is also in my shop, and I’m quite proud of her.  I actually saw her in a dream just before I woke up as weird as that is sounds.  It’s not the first time I’ve been inspired by dreams.  When I was still in high school, I had entered this one poetry contest.  It wasn’t the first, but still I was on edge since I had to read out loud in front of practically everyone.  Anyway, I didn’t actually write the poem until the morning of the contest after I had woken up from a strange yet inspiring dream.  The results… second place.  Not too shabby, right.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you never know when inspiration will hit you whether it’s when you’re hitting the snooze button in the morning, turning your mind to mush watching TV, or just going about the norm.  The trick is to be prepared for it, even if it’s with a rough sketch on a piece of scrap paper.

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