Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Salvaging Porch Furniture



My sister wanted to toss her porch furniture because the cushions had fallen apart and the metal frames were pitted and rusted. Connie wanted new furniture despite my explaining it was salvageable.


My husband and I couldn’t bear to see it trashed. We hauled the couch, coffee table, and two rocking chairs home from her house. I got to work on it right away—you can do this, too, if your metal furniture is showing wear and tear.


The cushions were indeed beyond redemption. My husband replaced them with some found at Home Depot. I eventually plan to make new cushions myself, but these will work for a couple of years.


After scrubbing everything clean, the corroded metal was dealt with by sanding every single inch using a metal sanding tool made by Black & Decker which attaches to a drill.


Once all metal pieces were smooth and rust-free, I primed everything and then painted each framework piece a soft fern green twice. I protected the glass section of the coffee table with newspaper and masking tape.



It’s all done now and ready for summer. Connie is not getting this furniture back.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Sashiko Coasters

Sashiko (which means little stabs) is an old Japanese hand-sewing technique originating in rural areas of Japan. It involves a decorative running stitch creating interlocking designs, generally white thread on indigo-dyed homespun fabric. Sashiko is often used in the layering of cloth, like quilting, which adds durability as well as much-needed warmth.

To get a feel for the technique on a small scale before starting my larger project, I tried a sashiko coaster kit found at Bella Quiltworks here in Tucson.



Here are the five coasters I made—I love the white against the indigo fabric. It was problematic getting that rich indigo color to show up well and it looks black in the photos.



The instructions called for simply folding over the edges and stitching them to finish the coasters, but I added a layer of flannel as interfacing and backed the coasters with leftover Japanese-print fabric from my stash.



I bought
The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook to learn more about sashiko. It provides lots of great information, a pattern library, and a number of projects with instructions.



Kake-Jiku: Images of Japan in Applique, Fabric Origami, and Sashiko is already in my little craft library. It has an appliqué project incorporating sashiko I’d like to try, too.

Resources

Lots of information is available about sashiko, but here are a few links to get you started.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Baseball T-shirt

Here is the second of the t-shirts I embroidered and mailed off to Kelli on Friday—a simple baseball. Last Thursday night I attended a Sidewinders baseball game and thought a simple baseball design would be a good boy thing to do.



I merely drew around a soup bowl and did the embroidery. By the way, I do all my embroidery projects by hand as I do not have a machine that will do it for me. It’s all good—I’m happy stitching away with my very own little fingers.



Kelli suggested including a 3x5-inch card with a note translated into Spanish if going to Nicaragua or Portuguese if going to Mozambique. I sent a t-shirt for each country and simply translated “Peace and Love” into the applicable language.

Today I’m finishing a fun new project I’ll share tomorrow.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Blessings Friday: Kelli’s Peace T-shirt Project

Kelli at Africankelli put out a request for assistance in gathering t-shirts (gently used or new) which she’ll take to Nicaragua in May and Mozambique in June. I signed up right away—there’s still time for you to participate if you’d like.



She mentioned embellishing the t-shirts should we so desire. Heck yeah, I want to do that! We recently donated a bunch of clothes which left us without any t-shirts to offer, so I bought two Carter’s t-shirts for little boys. There is no size restriction on the t-shirts as she’ll be offering them to folks of all ages.



The other day I was chatting with Joni of Yummers! about embroidery and mentioned children’s coloring books as a good source for simple embroidery designs.



And that’s what I’m doing; I used the sneakers coloring page as the embellishment for the back of the white t-shirt. Today I’ll decide what to do on the navy t-shirt and get that done. Then I’ll put them in the mail for Kelli.



What a great end to a week so full of adventures!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Searching For My Love

WARNING! This post is graphic intensive.

I’ve finished my project for The Scent of Water photo
swap and mailed it to Christine of Mumblings of the Incoherent blog. “Reflections” is this month’s theme.



This is my submission, Mallards in the pond at Tucson’s Agua Caliente Park.



I printed the photo on a card so I could write a note to Christine.



After playing around with my camera, I decided to include an additional picture and framed both in magnetic frames so she can replace the pictures at will. She may not like rubber ducks.

I started thinking about other ways to play with the reflections concept and came out with this wacky activity to occupy myself. It’s a little pictorial story set to music about the two rubber ducks (Mr. Lonely and Baby) floating about in my pool. I couldn’t resist having fun with yet another example of reflections.



Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces’ 1966 song Searching for My Love popped in my head—also a type of reflection. It’s about a guy (Mr. Lonely) searching for his lost love (Baby) and reflecting on his actions in causing this loss.

Activate the music and then pretend the following lyrics and pictures are a little video correlating to it.




Source: stationery from Crafters Paper and Supply



































True love found!

P.S. No rubber duckies were harmed in the making of this example of my incipient insanity.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Natural Cleaning Recipes Booklet

Yesterday was Earth Day and I completely forgot to post about it—how shameful of me.

However, Meggiecat and I have been collaborating and now offer something that continues the Earth Day commemoration.


Source: Meggiecat; text added by me

We’ve created a small booklet with some basic recipes to make your own green cleaning products at home. There are hundreds of such to be found online, in books and magazines, and passed around via word of mouth. These particular recipes are those I use myself.



Where to find the bentonite clay used in some of the recipes? You can find it at herbal stores like New Life Health Center, Sunflower Market, places that offer organic foods and herbal concoctions. Make sure to ask for a jar of Indian Healing Clay, a very fine powder used in facials and things.



We are providing the recipes in two PDF versions via Lauren Stephens' Free PDF Hosting and PDF Sharing (you may want to check this out for your own blog use). My other resource was being recalcitrant this morning, so I found a new host.

One is a regular PDF version that you can print and put into a notebook. The other is a booklet paginated such that you print and assemble it just like a regular book. The latter would be good if you want to include it in a gift set such as a basket of cleaning products you’ve made with the recipes, or maybe a little gift of essential oils and things.

We used a free publishing tool
resource discovered by Meggiecat which worked great with this little project. Check this out for your own booklet needs.

Both versions include printable labels for the recipes as well as two blank labels.

  • Booklet version
  • Tuesday, April 22, 2008

    Junie Moon’s New Bag

    Thank you for your fun comments yesterday. I am giving great consideration to what each of you has said and opening an Etsy store sounds feasible. Not today though as I have a project to finish for Meggiecat first.

    When finishing a big project such as that in preparing for the Special Olympics, I always get this weird discombobulated feeling and am not quite sure what to do with myself next. It’s a bit like being lost and not sure which direction to go.



    To combat this, I made a new bag last night using two Japanese-print fabrics I fell in love with at Hancock Fabrics. The picture above shows the bag inside out. Aren’t the little parasols on the lining fabric ever so glorious?



    And here is the exterior of the bag. I love the colors of the lining complementing so perfectly the same colors in the exterior. The pattern I used is New Look 6574.

    It’s always a happy day when you have a new bag!

    Monday, April 21, 2008

    Aprons vs. Booty Shorts



    What sells at a fundraiser when it’s hosted at a biker’s bar? Sex and alcohol—not clutches, aprons, purses, beauty products, floral arrangements, or glass art pieces.


    Connie and I didn’t realize the Special Olympics fundraiser site was a bar until we arrived at the event’s address; nor did we understand that 99.5% of the attendees would be bikers although we knew there would be some, just not that many. We didn’t sell a single thing.


    My cowgirl bags didn’t sell.


    These didn’t sell either, although Connie absconded with one.



    My clutches didn’t sell—nor did the aprons or anything else I prepared.

    The organizers invited only five vendors and later told us that they had not had good luck with selling things in the past. I’m not surprised. Out of the five, only one woman had booming sales.



    This is Jamie, a biker from South Dakota who designs products that fit right in with the target market group. She kindly posed with her husband, Chi Chi.

    Jamie’s helmet spikes sold along with her thongs and booty shorts (new term for me). You can visit her web site to see her products. Her table was popular because she is part of this eclectic biker community and knows what they want. Here is her business card--it took me a while to figure out what her business name means.



    Lesson learned for the rest of us. Know your market, a mandate of which we were ignorant. Connie and I envisioned families, Special Olympics athletes, and community supporters.



    What to do when you’re the equivalent of an apron surrounded by leather and chains? You adapt. We adapted by simply contributing cash and I overcame my fear of the chains, tattoos, and tough exteriors by talking to people who turned out to be quite nice. It was an alien world for me, but I made friends and Chi Chi let me sit on his Harley—a first for me.



    At the end of the day, this is what it is really all about.



    It’s about people like this sweet child (his adoptive parents gave me permission to take his photo), one of only three children we saw the entire day—and for good reason. Being a volunteer for a good cause like the Special Olympics is an opportunity that transcends boundaries of all sorts, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves.



    I don’t regret a single thing.

    Friday, April 18, 2008

    Being Part of Something Bigger Than Me

    I am looking forward to participating in the Special Olympics fundraiser tomorrow. It feels like a blessing to me to be able to do something positive and helpful.



    After reading various helpful tips about craft fairs, I decided I needed an apron to match the décor for my table tomorrow. I just can’t stand it if I don’t have a theme, even though the items themselves won’t match. I”ll try to remember to get a picture of my table tomorrow as well as some of the other things I made (it’s not only clutches in my little offerings).



    The apron is made from home décor fabric which was on sale. It has three huge pockets which will be quite handy during the craft fair. I love the fresh look the stripes give, kind of nautical. The pattern I used is Simplicity 3752.

    Please forgive me for not reading your blogs the last couple of days, but once I start exploring your worlds, hours fly by and I don’t get anything done. Today I’m packaging and preparing the last minute details for tomorrow along with making a run to the bank to get “change” money. I shall play catch-up as soon as the Special Olympics event is over. I'm trying ever so hard to do a good job.

    Have a very blessed weekend!

    Thursday, April 17, 2008

    Resources for Selling at Craft Fairs

    Although the Special Olympics fund raiser this Saturday is not a major craft fair, I’m trying to do a good job with it. I’ve been researching craft fairs in order to learn more about how to sell, what to sell, and all the permutations of selling.



    Source: North Fulton Times

    There are a lot of resources for participating in craft fairs. Here are a few articles I found written by bloggers that may be helpful to you:

    • Craft Fair Tips: The Small Object
    • Craft Show Checklist: Microwave Girl
    • Craft Show Display: Inspiri Art and Craft
    • Craft Show Failure: I figure I need to know how it feels if people don’t buy your things, so I’m including this article
    • Essentials to Bring: Craft:Boom
    • Good Booths Gone Bad: Luann Udell
    • Production/Pricing of Items: Homemade Bath Products
    • Tips for Selling at Craft Fairs: Los Angeles Craft Mafia
    • Tips for Selling Jewelry: The Anapurna Girls

    Wednesday, April 16, 2008

    Making Things in a Clutch

    The Special Olympics fundraiser my sister and I volunteered to help is coming up this Saturday. Connie is working on stained-glass pieces. My own efforts involve my sewing machine.

    Clutches from the Bend the Rules book seemed like a good idea—something that doesn’t involve high costs in materials. Keeping costs low means being able to price an item so it sells faster. That equates to more money raised for the Special Olympics in my mind.



    Some of the clutches use a bandana-type print along with a checked lining fabric. I have the same fabrics in other colors, too.

    My sister told me not to make too many things and that there will be a lot of motorcycle people there. I’m not sure why this is important or even whether it makes a difference, but I’ve tried to take that into consideration. And what exactly does one make for Harley people? I just don’t know. Connie suggested things with skulls.



    So, I’ve made some using the skull theme. The whole skull thing kind of feels creepy to me when it’s not Halloween—that’s the time when I can happily embrace such images.

    Time is running out for me getting these projects done. I’ve reserved Friday for making labels and packaging each item.

    Do you make things for charitable functions? I have two sewing days left. If you think the clutches aren’t a good idea, please quick let me know.

    Tuesday, April 15, 2008

    Family Secrets

    Pat’s post on Mille Fiori Favoriti about cookbooks and the passing down of family recipes (and the extent to which some people go to keep their recipes secret) reminded me of my family cookbook projects a few years ago.



    My parents constantly received calls from me, my siblings, all our relatives, and many friends about various and sundry recipes, so I helped them create a family cookbook for them to give as Christmas gifts in 2001.



    I won’t go into all the details involved in producing the recipe collection. The point is this was a project we did together. I cherish that memory.



    My mother-in-law loved the project. In 2004, we gathered her family recipes to make books for her to give as gifts, too.



    One day while visiting my husband’s family, my mother-in-law made potato chip dip that was the exact recipe as used by my dad. I asked her how she got my father’s recipe and she said, “I really think it’s mine.” I suspect this was one of those recipes shared around the military community since both our families were military.



    The only thing I would change about either book is to use family photos instead of generic pictures.



    Now that my parents are gone, it is a blessing to have these documented family recipes. I can’t call them anymore to ask, “How much was I supposed to put into this?” I wish I could.

    Monday, April 14, 2008

    A Colorful Address

    I fell in love with the beautiful address card sets at Lovely Designs (see Resources below) in 2006, but she was no longer making them. Not to be thwarted, I made my own set last April using scrapbook paper found at Jo-Ann's and a wood Rolodex box I already owned.



    Each address card was made by tracing one of the originals on scrapbook paper and cutting them out. The Roledex card hole-punch tool at the office supply store didn’t fit the track rods in the box, so I cut out the little slots myself. This was a tad time-consuming but, when you want something, you find a way.



    I used my computer to print out all the important name/address/phone numbers that feature in our lives on blank address labels and stuck those on the cards.



    Although I loved my project, the old divider tabs weren’t making me happy. Yesterday I made new ones and added alphabet stickers.



    Total project cost $4.99 (I already had everything except the paper and stickers).

    Resources

    There are all kinds of fancy Rolodex file versions; I just wanted something relatively simple. However, here are some resources for either purchasing or making your own (most are sold out right now, but you can see the variations being created):

    Friday, April 11, 2008

    Blessings Friday: Who Are We?

    Since I don’t blog on weekends, my Friday posts are for sharing blessings I’ve received throughout the week, anything that touches me in some way—large or small.



    My friend Heidi sent me an email Wednesday about a video that is so fraught with meaning. It gave me enormous insight into who and what I am, and my role in conjunction with you and the rest of humanity. Life’s dynamics are awesome.


    Published by
    TED, their description of the video is as follows:

    Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened—as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding—she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another."


    This isn’t just a story about having a stroke; it’s so much more than that. It’s about the magnificence within us and our connectivity to that same splendor in others.The video is rather lengthy in respect to today’s demand for instant gratification, but I was willing to spend 18:44 minutes of my life watching it. I hope you will, too. I couldn’t get the video to post properly so here’s the link.

    Just existing is a blessing for which I am grateful. Life is indeed extraordinary!

    Thursday, April 10, 2008

    Rose Petal Projects

    Instead of sewing yesterday, I spent the day celebrating my roses. Early in the morning, I collected blooms that had reached the petal drop-off point for use as sachets, potpourri, edible sugared flowers, and rose petal ice cream.



    I sorted out the petals for the drying process on a sweater-drying rack. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains the best way to dry rose petals.



    This is a large jar I found on eBay a few years ago in which I save dried petals from my own roses as well as those my husband gifts me throughout the year. The screw-on lid was decorated “shabby chic” style.



    Some of the fresh rose petals were sugared; they’re drying on parchment paper overnight before I store them. Since I don’t use any type of chemicals on my roses, they are safe for consumption. It’s lovely to add a sugared petal or two and a sprig of fresh mint leaves to desserts. The sugared flower recipe I used is from Martha Stewart.



    I also made ice cream with some of the freshly-picked rose petals.


    Recipe card from The Vintage Workshop, text added by me

    Here’s the recipe; I’d share the source if I could remember it. Click on the picture to enlarge and print.

    One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon—instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” ~ Dale Carnegie ~

    Wednesday, April 9, 2008

    The Apronista Project

    Thank you for your sweet comments about my apron as well as my new haircut yesterday. I’ve given up being blonde and was letting the color grow out. I got impatient and had it cut off the other day. I’m going to just be myself in my ripe old years.

    Moving on to sewing fun, this is apron month for me. Yesterday was Finny and Donk’s Sewing Adventure apron project. Today it’s The Apronista Vintage Apron mission for April.



    There aren’t any vintage fabrics in my stash. So a trip to Jo-Ann’s yet again netted me materials I felt had a bit of an old-fashioned look to them.



    The McCall’s pattern I used is a replica of a vintage pattern.



    And here is the result of my endeavors. I really think it’s a cute apron and all the binding was good practice for me as I’m trying to improve in that area. The apron has been added to my Special Olympics donation stockpile for their fund-raising event.



    Speaking of sewing aprons, Lyn on The Apronista forum mentioned Jay Gilbertson’s book
    Moon Over Madeline Island last week so I ordered it. It is the story of two best friends who begin a new life as entrepreneurs sewing aprons on an island in northern Wisconsin (Lake Superior). Naturally there’s more to the tale, but I’ve not read it yet. Here’s the author’s web site.

    Tuesday, April 8, 2008

    Finny and Donk's Sewing Adventure Apron

    April’s project for the Finny and Donk Sewing Adventure is the diagonal-striped apron from Simple Gifts to Stitch.



    The project calls for 58-inch-wide striped seersucker. All I could find was 43-inch at Jo-Ann’s and it had metallic threads running through it which I didn’t want.



    Instead, I chose striped cotton fabric for this sewing adventure.


    Photo by Dub Scroggin

    I was tempted to embroider something across the bodice but opted to add a fabric flower pin.

    Monday, April 7, 2008

    An Exchange of Favors

    Last Wednesday my next-door neighbor called and asked me to make a baby quilt for her. She loves Winnie the Pooh, so that’s the quilt theme I used. I finished it on Sunday.



    We bartered our skills. She will return the favor this coming Friday morning by re-tiling a small section of my back porch where some of my Italian slate tiles have popped up. I must not have installed them correctly in the first place.


    Source: Pooh's
    Page

    A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference,” Pooh's Little Instruction Book (Action Packs).

    Friday, April 4, 2008

    Travel the World

    When the middle of the night is a soft, protective blanket and the stars shine the way, I tour the world via the Internet when I can’t travel it in person. There’s so much to learn and so little time. I’m grateful for the blessings of this amazing technology. It’s almost (but not quite) as magical as traveling via Peter Pan’s pixie dust.

    Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella)

    February’s Smithsonian Magazine has a delightful article about Florentine monks who make perfumes and medieval elixirs from ancient herbal recipes. A 600-year-old pharmacy, they use herbs and flowers grown in the hills of Florence.



    Have a yearning for a bottle of "Acqua della Regina" (Water of the Queen) made for Catherine de Medici so long ago? The monks have gone international with their herbal creams, soap, and fragrances. You can find these products in their official New York and Los Angeles stores if you can’t make it to Italy.

    Ancient Textiles



    Scholars define myths as sacred narratives developed to explain the world and its origins. Whether those stories are true or not, I love the creative ways mythology is depicted in paintings, music, textiles, and so on. For example, The British
    Museum has an ancient Greek tapestry on exhibit depicting Artemis and Actaeon.

    You can read the story of Artemis and Actaeon at Mythography.

    Peter Pan Statue



    There’s a statue in Kensington Gardens in the U.K. commissioned by Sir James (JM) Barrie, author of the Peter Pan books. The story about its installment goes thus: “After it was finished, Barrie arranged for it to be put in Kensington Gardens in the middle of the night because he wanted people to believe it was magic. And on the morning of 1 May, 1912, there it was - and still is.” Isn’t that lovely?

    May you be touched by pixie dust and fly to the “Second star to the right, then straight on till morning" for an adventurous weekend!

    Thursday, April 3, 2008

    Fabric Vase

    This morning I decided to try making a fabric vase. I used a McCall’s pattern for this project and home decorator fabric as suggested in the instructions.



    Because it’s made from fabric, I won’t use it for real flowers. Instead, I decided to use it for my knitting needles.



    Last night I tried a new recipe from the February/March 2008 issue of Cook’s Country magazine. It took me what seemed like forever, but I made General Tso’s Chicken and it actually came out as well as that made in Chinese restaurants. My assessment is that the recipe is great, but it would be cheaper and less time-consuming to just go to a restaurant.



    The same magazine had a recipe for Chinese-style Rice so I made that as well. Some pea pods on the side and our menu was complete. Yummy!

    Wednesday, April 2, 2008

    Ready for Guests

    Sewing is still in progress for the Special Olympics, so I thought I’d share how I’ve organized our guest bathroom. Who knows when you might want to visit me?



    There’s not a window in the guest bathroom upstairs, but I still think it has lots of lovely soft light. There’s nothing extraordinarily fancy about this bath; however, it feels quiet and calm to me.



    I stenciled very simple fern leaves on each cabinet door.



    On one end of the countertop by the tub and shower are bottles of bubble bath, hand soap, and lotion that I’ve made using herbal recipes.



    Underneath one of the sinks, the cabinet holds everything imaginable a guest might need in the form of toiletries and other amenities—from new toothbrushes and toothpaste to cotton balls and even a rolling massager.



    On one side of the cabinet under the other sink are towels and washcloths, including some I’ve knitted.



    I printed one of my husband’s photographs on canvas of golden Aspen leaves and framed it for the wall over the towel rack.

    Want to come visit me? Your bathroom is ready for you.

    Tuesday, April 1, 2008

    Organizing Tax Papers



    Can you believe it’s already April? And for Americans, this is the month of the dreaded income tax return. Each year when I make our calendar, I add a skull-and-crossbones to April 15. My dad always got a kick out of this.


    Calendar graphic purchased from The Vintage Workshop; text added by me.

    Many years ago, the HP Activity Center offered free checklists, file and envelope labels for you to organize your taxes. I downloaded the materials and used them to help us with our own tax papers. Now they don’t offer the labels, but you can make them yourself with plain or pretty labels. HP does still offer a tax preparation checklist.



    These are our tax working files. When tax preparation time rolls around, like now, I pull the papers I’ve filed. The file folders are used again for the next year’s information.



    When the taxes are done, I place a copy of the forms we’ve mailed in white catalog-sized envelopes and place that year’s label on the envelope. I mailed our state and federal filings off last week.



    The envelopes are then filed in chronological order in our tax file drawer. Should there be an audit or some reason to return to a particular year’s tax filling, I have everything in the envelope (including all substantiating documents).