Junie Moon

Friday, January 28, 2011

Oops!

Sometimes you are just not supposed to get out of bed.

At 5 a.m. today, I was jerked awake by super bad leg cramps and tried to leap out of bed to stretch my muscles. I got a little more than you would expect with this maneuver. I became tangled in my sheets and fell—a leg going in one direction, a leg in the opposite direction, and my right foot stubbornly tried yet another point of view.

My mother-in-law managed to get me to the hospital and we’ve just returned home. My impromptu fall caused broken bones, damaged tissues, and the opportunity to forge a relationship with a new orthopedic surgeon.

Next time, I’ll just stay in bed.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Gifts for Sewing: Part 1

In March I am attending a small event with some crafty friends who love sewing. Part of my gift to each person will be a pincushion. Due to a rather wacky work/life schedule right now, I am trying to think, plan, and work ahead to ensure everything is done in time.

Heather Bailey’s free Square Deal pattern and tutorial is a wonderful resource for making cute pincushions.

The pincushions can be made quickly. Mine are sewn and stuffed with one totally finished. Now I just need to finish embellishing the other five pincushions.

A large doll-maker’s needle threaded with embroidery floss helps to attach the ribbon and buttons (there is a flower button on each side of the pincushion). The floss is actually a hot-pink color and not as red as it looks in the picture.

Part 2 of my gift offering is just about done; I will share that element soon.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Homemade Root Beer

Over the weekend, I tried Williams-Sonoma’s version of homemade root beer after shopping in their Destin Commons store.

Source: iSi Twist 'n Sparkle ($49.95) from Williams-Sonoma

My first purchase was the iSi Twist 'n Sparkle which carbonates almost any beverage using CO₂ chargers (the kit comes with three, but you need to buy extra as you can only use each charger once). I also bought an extra set of two bottles since the kit only comes with one.

Source: Root Beer Soda Syrup ($16) from Williams-Sonoma

Next was buying the Root Beer Soda Syrup.

Once home again, I gave the bottles a good wash before making the root beer concoction. The latter requires thorough chilling before performing the carbonation magic. A few glass mugs were popped into the freezer for drinking the root beer later.

When everything was ready, I inserted one of the CO₂ chargers in the wand handle and screwed that piece onto the bottle top. It began working immediately as evidenced by a hissing noise indicating carbonation was in process. Lots of bubbles…uh…bubbled (see photo). If you try this, make sure to wait at least one minute after the hissing stops before removing the wand and disposing of the charger.

And here we are—homemade root beer, yummy!

Purchasing the tools and syrup was an expensive venture—a case of canned root beer would be much cheaper and simpler, but not as much fun.

My friend Janel has a recipe I am going to try soon which calls for much cheaper ingredients. In the meantime, homemade vanilla ice cream is in the works because root beer floats are calling me.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Blessings Friday: Cupcake Surprise

Surprises are lovely things. Yesterday I baked cupcakes and took them to the students in one of my classes.

^©June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved.

The cupcakes were easily transported in my Cupcake Courier (holds 36). I sat the carrier on a table by the door and said absolutely nothing about it.

Part of the class agenda was taking a quiz near the end of our meeting time. As each student turned in his or her finished quiz, I offered a cupcake. Despite the worry over their quiz scores, every student left my classroom with a smile. It’s nice to surprise people now and then, I think.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Clockwork Knitting

I am told that this winter has been unusually cold here in Florida. Unusual or not, it is certainly chillier than the warmer winters I experienced in Tucson. Cold weather inspired me to knit Stephen West’s Clockwork shawl/scarf.

The radiating columns in the scarf’s design make for a neat visual effect.

I am envisioning the same scarf using solid color yarns and have purchased skeins of cashmere to give it a try in the future.

No doubt, Florida’s cold winter will soon be a thing of the past and my new scarf will have to be packed away. In the meantime, I am certainly appreciating a bit of loveliness keeping my neck warm.

Resources

Stephen West’s Clockwork shawl/scarf pattern ($6)
Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn, colorway #08, purchased at Unwind the Yarn Shop (850-314-9898)
Malabrigo Superwash Merino Wool, colorway Aguas #855, purchased at Unwind the Yarn Shop (850-314-9898)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

One Yard Wonders Sew Along

Are you looking for a project to do in 2011?

Source: Pink Chalk Studio

Pink Chalk Studio is hosting a sew along to do every single project in One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!from beginning to end.

My contribution to the book were four simple projects to add a little zing to your bathroom.

Resources

Book: One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!
One Yard Wonders Sew Along
One Yard Wonders Sew Along Flickr group
Pink Chalk Studio blog
Pink Chalk Fabrics Facebook

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A Dog’s Advice

Right before Christmas, my mother-in-law told me about an expression she heard that she said makes her laugh every time she thinks about it. She couldn’t remember the exact phrase but said it was some piece of advice about dogs and how they handle stress.

I searched online and finally found the quote, although the original source of this interesting tidbit remains a mystery.

She likes basset hounds, so I found a cute black-and-white cartoon of one on the web. The little sketch and quote were printed on watercolor paper I sized for my printer. After adding a modicum of color with watercolors, I placed the little 3x5-inch picture in a magnetic frame for the fridge.

It made for a cute stocking stuffer and has become my mother-in-law’s favorite saying when things are a bit too much.