tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69845651178900163212024-02-22T04:14:51.172-06:00casserole blogAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.comBlogger257125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-8383795912881399912010-09-17T10:13:00.017-05:002010-09-22T15:41:53.161-05:00Little paper houses - a long intro and then a tutorialSometimes my big fat mouth gets me into trouble. Like when Liv's teacher had a sign-up sheet for parents to come in and do crafts or other fun activities with the kids as a reward for good behavior. "Oooh, this sounds FUN!" That wasn't the bad part. The bad part was when I said "Just let me know what weeks aren't covered by other parents and I'll take care of those."<br /><br />And then I find out that only ONE PARENT signed up to do ONE WEEK. That means the rest of the weeks are mine, all mine...<br /><br />Ruh-roh.<br /><br />And did I tell you that I got this news on a Wednesday, and the first reward activity time was scheduled for that Friday? As in, two days to come up with an activity and prep it.<br /><br />After the "What heck am I going to do" panic left, I realized that this could be a good opportunity for me. Nothing stretches the creatives muscles better than a little bit of repetitive exercise.<br /><br />The school that my daughter goes to is one that focuses on the arts, so I wanted the activity to be fairly open ended for the children to express their individuality. And not having met most of these children, I wasn't entirely sure what they'd be capable of doing.<br /><br />So the first project had to be cheap, easy to prep, open-ended, and fairly simple. No biggy. Heh. Heh. Heh.<br /><br />I was two steps away from running out to the craft store to buy some cardboards shapes for the kids to glues feathers on to when inspiration struck.<br /><br />When I was a kid I had an origami book. Most of the projects were too complex for me, but I did remember one that was easy to do. A few simple folds could turn a rectangle into a little house. A square of paper folded in half could make a roof. The cool thing about this little house is that it shows the inside of the house more than the outside. What if I folded up a bunch of little houses and let the kids decorate them? Would that work?<br /><br />In a word, YES. They LOVED it!! Waaay more than I expected they would. They really got into it, with pictures of beds and tables and couches and TVs. I had kids running up to me and showing me what they drew inside their houses. They were all so proud of their creations! The teacher got out a bucket full of plastic bears that they use for counting, and let the kids put a trio of little bears in each house. Even MORE fun!!<br /><br />Needless to say, I felt a little bit like a rockstar when I left.<br /><br />Look at the one that Liv made:<br /><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDUbd9R12mdEMN_t6ZopPnnItUoPeRqHvV_Ku1KN5_Y-zQDHkt_wcfz8_ltneDR3GFd6YQ3YxsdUTXk2Fheiev5aN8QJbYFj3RSeOVTrCdhxbp_ec02HU2XV-noKkvzrwi-4RhOUrVXI/s1600/LivsHouse_01.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014772777246738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDUbd9R12mdEMN_t6ZopPnnItUoPeRqHvV_Ku1KN5_Y-zQDHkt_wcfz8_ltneDR3GFd6YQ3YxsdUTXk2Fheiev5aN8QJbYFj3RSeOVTrCdhxbp_ec02HU2XV-noKkvzrwi-4RhOUrVXI/s320/LivsHouse_01.JPG" /></a><br /><br />It's a kitty house, of course. With kitty bunk beds...</div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIIDXhKOPAksY2AJvThyphenhyphensnblCjVCM1lUO8DWqIKxEwD1gMpTZv72gdGXX0uE1KEbOaSij6MXdC2KWU8bqd9DzfCJTilPCoErVOUaBsqD8iV1QbqmBNPrCIxJAJNtd5BkDAnPxeSqeXlI/s1600/LivsHouse_04.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014804962318834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIIDXhKOPAksY2AJvThyphenhyphensnblCjVCM1lUO8DWqIKxEwD1gMpTZv72gdGXX0uE1KEbOaSij6MXdC2KWU8bqd9DzfCJTilPCoErVOUaBsqD8iV1QbqmBNPrCIxJAJNtd5BkDAnPxeSqeXlI/s320/LivsHouse_04.jpg" /></a></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">...a parent's room upstairs, and a playroom downstairs...</div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM4oo-eDtPjVlUYIGLIUYBcEa5TQ0f_R6KW3x-zuB5tGYHruIey3xkwKY7rJeLrciwrtgQDmA0Y4DcWZcqVYrpiaR3qwjR3vLpSJjai1WMYDEoW2kEQPlyb-lyxBH_5HqKEPZAdhd6-k/s1600/LivsHouse_03.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014793444816242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM4oo-eDtPjVlUYIGLIUYBcEa5TQ0f_R6KW3x-zuB5tGYHruIey3xkwKY7rJeLrciwrtgQDmA0Y4DcWZcqVYrpiaR3qwjR3vLpSJjai1WMYDEoW2kEQPlyb-lyxBH_5HqKEPZAdhd6-k/s320/LivsHouse_03.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4yieck6Wq_3G4VUFn3x1Ks5oWhFscpbL98bvrtGjSkQpKH2t4VVjAYVGOJay1QpxuZCmiitN2jMNSb7NUeRnBgyph4S8YLS2NghDSxGNniwPh3VHgEPcwPT3JTsEcyEib3SOghElPh8/s1600/LivsHouse_02.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014787267504386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4yieck6Wq_3G4VUFn3x1Ks5oWhFscpbL98bvrtGjSkQpKH2t4VVjAYVGOJay1QpxuZCmiitN2jMNSb7NUeRnBgyph4S8YLS2NghDSxGNniwPh3VHgEPcwPT3JTsEcyEib3SOghElPh8/s320/LivsHouse_02.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-76pYvDUkPjU676xOgPwFMxw7Pr6Ugh-KhKJYqgjUr39WevKSenw12Bz2Ds97Xsoe2AZDn72CpM-Ia_UYZLq-hRI2-dUFgPG7AO6p1gs8KpYqLsUzFfUyGxa2rLoZvTxYqSoS-ehCZw/s1600/LivsHouse_05.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014981866327010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-76pYvDUkPjU676xOgPwFMxw7Pr6Ugh-KhKJYqgjUr39WevKSenw12Bz2Ds97Xsoe2AZDn72CpM-Ia_UYZLq-hRI2-dUFgPG7AO6p1gs8KpYqLsUzFfUyGxa2rLoZvTxYqSoS-ehCZw/s320/LivsHouse_05.jpg" /></a>...and of course a kitty bathroom.</div><br />Liv's teacher had me show her how to make one so she could show the other 1st grade teachers. Which got me to thinking - maybe other people would like to know how to make some little paper houses. Perhaps a tutorial is in order?<br /><br />I think it is. And so....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYuXC2GUzwAt9Fd8zyHdtEldc1TEFV7bioznwNwjfWNUknM25qWB4M0E7DEk5clJ0W9AV3ASPYeIQv_0O5AjX-X2VJxogiXN09nKnv-IEiP2CJDUFQ4SPOSYN5mha5ON6Q69MAQrx22s/s1600/house_title.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518012420655992162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYuXC2GUzwAt9Fd8zyHdtEldc1TEFV7bioznwNwjfWNUknM25qWB4M0E7DEk5clJ0W9AV3ASPYeIQv_0O5AjX-X2VJxogiXN09nKnv-IEiP2CJDUFQ4SPOSYN5mha5ON6Q69MAQrx22s/s320/house_title.jpg" /></a><br /><br />This really is a simple folding project. The house itself is made from an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. The roof is just a 6" x 6" piece of paper folded in half. I used cheap-o cardstock from Michael's - the stuff that comes 50 sheets for $2.99 and is so thin that it can hardly be considered cardstock. Not good for making cards, but perfect for this project. Copy paper is too thin, but really thick cardstock would be too hard to fold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBcM_ijG-KlQ8cvDH0rwYKefScdf-lwBv5tr8RiOF1rYj9imFmFF7gZRcm1QXySMEz_5-bODr4z_l2WUnpnOljCSM4C3x2YP2vLmHm5Gy81A_FlF7OTkOGcE6hWQu-mJFiOIcDf4bmYo/s1600/house_01.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518011906824203026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBcM_ijG-KlQ8cvDH0rwYKefScdf-lwBv5tr8RiOF1rYj9imFmFF7gZRcm1QXySMEz_5-bODr4z_l2WUnpnOljCSM4C3x2YP2vLmHm5Gy81A_FlF7OTkOGcE6hWQu-mJFiOIcDf4bmYo/s320/house_01.jpg" /></a><br />1. Fold your cardstock in half (the short way).<br /><div><div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCPF-gbN7J0Zrotk7sv-0ir9jSww-8XqCxLT-PkZyfWKK8ISzCHCZrjXGKEwXznQMBwEBZvzjd2I_gg8VDntfr1KQu-29AKl5Zzf8yzAiAObJ_CPQi8ATLI-6NoeaxGdO5mTpjq-8AM8/s1600/house_02.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518011914856885026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCPF-gbN7J0Zrotk7sv-0ir9jSww-8XqCxLT-PkZyfWKK8ISzCHCZrjXGKEwXznQMBwEBZvzjd2I_gg8VDntfr1KQu-29AKl5Zzf8yzAiAObJ_CPQi8ATLI-6NoeaxGdO5mTpjq-8AM8/s320/house_02.jpg" /></a><br />2. Fold both edges to the center and crease. I usually measure to find the center and make a small pencil mark there as a guide.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-8FmmMnzNp7bkfFeleLDz7p19foe9LFzHxp3e5VZfSf39VVgDSxJaXRQQedBz3TWt1vsi6En_aeB0Cmpy6OOT2LTd2hQ0guAXXmrxlV3K2nzdVrG9u7KP_lTXTBJSEew4eoviFBNIMA/s1600/house_03.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518011915786254098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-8FmmMnzNp7bkfFeleLDz7p19foe9LFzHxp3e5VZfSf39VVgDSxJaXRQQedBz3TWt1vsi6En_aeB0Cmpy6OOT2LTd2hQ0guAXXmrxlV3K2nzdVrG9u7KP_lTXTBJSEew4eoviFBNIMA/s320/house_03.jpg" /></a><br />3. Open up one of the folded sides.</div><br /><div><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518011928028572930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPxPDgK4tcjLnfLJzpeRD0FA_rC_AVf-pVUcwJHCdHq2U6v5pXwFMG1u1-KlWbdtYfrVMXTxIf6DXVhHHbmThCA2LN3d4Wy4N2VGxrPVRfgLTZwZZq9YbT9p84WVd4I-h0aMrg85OYWI/s320/house_04.jpg" /><br />4. And the top down, making a triangle.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyDXNToBrXy77uEKIueC0mDc_6gzl0cSs_E3rqSZVUt7-9jPuTfQfhabwG4iyRluJqb6YZulLlxpnwPOuL5uRZSyWE0WS6jwKgQR1bJRT7lebfOVT4bftMwjxZ14NHFwdxYTOoWBI7xo/s1600/house_05.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518011931907237410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyDXNToBrXy77uEKIueC0mDc_6gzl0cSs_E3rqSZVUt7-9jPuTfQfhabwG4iyRluJqb6YZulLlxpnwPOuL5uRZSyWE0WS6jwKgQR1bJRT7lebfOVT4bftMwjxZ14NHFwdxYTOoWBI7xo/s320/house_05.jpg" /></a><br />Here's another view of the same step. See how the top crease of the folded rectangle is lined up perfectly with the fold at the side of the rectangle?</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPL9C1PRmQ2dq0mx6psRbdD4ctI0lsg8QBDf27Aw6rF2jksksUTpfs1sSfO0nFayT2ckUbWEILWTXHJ-RyUZwrAeku5Qt-rBSkke4L4TJWukHr1t8hcF0ipOO98AsJILrriPGWUNURas/s1600/house_06.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518012393868997538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPL9C1PRmQ2dq0mx6psRbdD4ctI0lsg8QBDf27Aw6rF2jksksUTpfs1sSfO0nFayT2ckUbWEILWTXHJ-RyUZwrAeku5Qt-rBSkke4L4TJWukHr1t8hcF0ipOO98AsJILrriPGWUNURas/s320/house_06.jpg" /></a><br />5. Do the same with the other side.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB1pbkJKig_dEYYAlTGagN_3_2Sqo4hxcYxxoNhj2GBGXoixsfnn1mmle-_X0lmZBX3vna8mJPhIc1GQ9_9BoltIYfXmDftaF2M6h2nhuOursKGxFZSchlLTbTvzFNFqALUpBElc9TVo/s1600/house_07.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518012404399359666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB1pbkJKig_dEYYAlTGagN_3_2Sqo4hxcYxxoNhj2GBGXoixsfnn1mmle-_X0lmZBX3vna8mJPhIc1GQ9_9BoltIYfXmDftaF2M6h2nhuOursKGxFZSchlLTbTvzFNFqALUpBElc9TVo/s320/house_07.jpg" /></a><br />6. Fold the side flaps back to the other side to create a crease, and then stand up your house.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpGSsGtpgq0nOzgDMkagP_EEbqvfGqUpzk67qkwSeSks3A_xAx9ED2jhTF_flV_LISne_O2_7OMHBrrDlR-qw21fT62tCAl2umpKMbM440jnPVaC3EyBdi46NTrOyFswzVMDcn4W-tD4/s1600/house_08.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518012411988585570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpGSsGtpgq0nOzgDMkagP_EEbqvfGqUpzk67qkwSeSks3A_xAx9ED2jhTF_flV_LISne_O2_7OMHBrrDlR-qw21fT62tCAl2umpKMbM440jnPVaC3EyBdi46NTrOyFswzVMDcn4W-tD4/s320/house_08.jpg" /></a><br />7. Fold a 6" x 6" piece of cardstock in half and lay it across the top. Easiest roofing job ever!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ2eY70ucV6OWIrEnAXWem94WBapv34K9Gh8aO1adbp8b-Px5Bzz0UQ0GfrUi6vkS2zCh-3NgxHaAXlXqM1CjL3_qxOOlxjy0pZWg9uH7fjfl7sFePiXRHHiMPX41-2qihjdaHUs3bVo/s1600/houses_all.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014765425574834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ2eY70ucV6OWIrEnAXWem94WBapv34K9Gh8aO1adbp8b-Px5Bzz0UQ0GfrUi6vkS2zCh-3NgxHaAXlXqM1CjL3_qxOOlxjy0pZWg9uH7fjfl7sFePiXRHHiMPX41-2qihjdaHUs3bVo/s320/houses_all.jpg" /></a><br />Here's my stack of 20 that I made for the class. It took about 30 minutes to fold all 20, plus cut and fold the roof pieces.</div><div></div><div>This was the example I put together to show the kids. Nothin' but a Sharpie and some quick line drawings. I still contend that I don't draw well, but I can say that a Sharpie really is the best way to disguise it. Something about those thick, crisp, black lines...</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPNt60ewUVGuIW8-a4RIClWnttXh9wxxxZLXP-aTWpIQj42L8mhAoh62kImgylJ-ahBb_rFFRqO70KRd6jw2bTuDOd0KmDKwO6tE232mqkOHUCRaSeckxIac1A6cm0xlWeqi21AT45Jg/s1600/myhouse_01.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014989621800514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPNt60ewUVGuIW8-a4RIClWnttXh9wxxxZLXP-aTWpIQj42L8mhAoh62kImgylJ-ahBb_rFFRqO70KRd6jw2bTuDOd0KmDKwO6tE232mqkOHUCRaSeckxIac1A6cm0xlWeqi21AT45Jg/s320/myhouse_01.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZC77b1GL-5oyLZhvneq5iSkOF0LcVJzBaZYM0lI5mIDNKLT_vQ9DGBVuI9KuRC_dCH-rbW0-l3td6sTJ2kpKGTB_qfbvt4t0g6m0KxrG52koj2Llr-a2kTIjMKcBWeC4Qi45_gT9XMI/s1600/myhouse_04.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518015007361283986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZC77b1GL-5oyLZhvneq5iSkOF0LcVJzBaZYM0lI5mIDNKLT_vQ9DGBVuI9KuRC_dCH-rbW0-l3td6sTJ2kpKGTB_qfbvt4t0g6m0KxrG52koj2Llr-a2kTIjMKcBWeC4Qi45_gT9XMI/s320/myhouse_04.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzU3iQNQDwjfBKnOP2YTaEYCWUGYAaFFhyqLLzY7W__QJCaYiWD6Rjbx2cdXq8WIXLLywiwLv4hXZPTgE44gMjg1WZDyEFA5wrXj-nupA96tf0r4Zc8Y5wcd3T7Ma0tLXxx8gnTyzZkg/s1600/myhouse_03.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518015000905067602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzU3iQNQDwjfBKnOP2YTaEYCWUGYAaFFhyqLLzY7W__QJCaYiWD6Rjbx2cdXq8WIXLLywiwLv4hXZPTgE44gMjg1WZDyEFA5wrXj-nupA96tf0r4Zc8Y5wcd3T7Ma0tLXxx8gnTyzZkg/s320/myhouse_03.jpg" /></a></div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VeLwlpsoy8v41r2bntTbcE7-KzcKDKJux82rkkiBB-RUHrUCnLLEf49R3Cm2OEYwwoFk8tRnxiXmHG1GdDvNItEMTOchdqUH37pgqw_rRp9in-j10OOP2Fl0vwZ5b_n-0weCz6EFZDY/s1600/myhouse_02.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518014991417700018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VeLwlpsoy8v41r2bntTbcE7-KzcKDKJux82rkkiBB-RUHrUCnLLEf49R3Cm2OEYwwoFk8tRnxiXmHG1GdDvNItEMTOchdqUH37pgqw_rRp9in-j10OOP2Fl0vwZ5b_n-0weCz6EFZDY/s320/myhouse_02.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><div>If you make your own little paper houses, I'd love to see them!</div><div><br />Toodles,</div></div></div></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-49550871510575937322010-09-15T12:23:00.006-05:002010-09-15T21:01:28.610-05:00Yay Goodwill!!Today I got my first fall paycheck from my teaching gig, and I celebrated it with a whirlwind shopping trip - to the Goodwill. I know that sounds pitiful. I should be celebrating with a trip to the mall or lunch with the girls at a shee-shee bistro. But instead I celebrate the return of bi-weekly paychecks by digging through second-hand clothes.<br /><br /><br />The truth is, I've made it a rule that my discretionary clothing (clothing I want but don't necessarily need) should either be handmade or purchased secondhand. Even better is when I make them myself using fabric repurposed from secondhand clothes.<br /><br /><br />And I don't really shop at Goodwill that often. I prefer finding my secondhand clothes at church rummage sales, where they are priced MUCH lower. How sad is it that I think of Goodwill as being "expensive"? When the same shirt you can find at a rummage sale for a dollar costs $3.50, that's more than 3 times the cost. But rummage sales are only here and there and not open for shopping on a random Wednesday morning, so it's off the Goodwill for me today.<br /><br /><br />I did pretty well, even with the inflated Goodwill prices. I walked in to see a sign that the green colored tags were all buy one, get one free. Woohoo!!! I grabbed up a handful of men's polos and long-sleeved tees with exactly that color tag.<br /><br /><br />And then I took a stroll through the women's clothing. I snagged up a pair of embroidered chambray drawstring lounge pants for $1.55, a pair of stretch khaki cords for $3.75, and a long-sleeved tee in one my most favorite color combinations - gray and yellow.<br /><br /><br />Total cost for my shopping spree was $13.85. Yay Goodwill and happy paycheck day to me!!<br /><br /><em>Sorry - no pics of my haul. I had planned to lay it all out and snap some photos, but the pieces have already all migrated to various project stacks and laundry piles.</em><br /><br /><br /><br />Toodles,<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-47810733219107145732010-09-14T16:44:00.010-05:002010-09-14T17:16:45.862-05:00Shield your eyes...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcT7eU3jO5q57gP-v8YgYdjjFAwE7SnCJPWhxLtR14LCkaRZh2834FG9SZyTsBn8FsetY2mlE8322EuPqcF5qnK9oL7KvjnWnuqqoDIEJsCkGejeamwevaNYrMPzoHnyIv85puKXdTZo/s1600/catdress_2.jpg"></a>...because this dress is BRIGHT. I made it for my niece's 5th birthday this Saturday. The nieces all play together at my mother-in-law's house and I'm all the time stopping by to try some dress or another on Liv to check the fit. I thought it would be fun for her cousin to get a dress of her own.<br /><br />I don't have any illusions that her cousin thinks that I make the greatest dresses ever. But I do know that she really looks up to Liv, and so having something like Liv has will probably be pretty cool.<br /><br />I gotta tell you, I really struggled with this. For the piles and piles of t-shirts I have stacked ready for a refashion, I wasn't able to come up with a killer color combination that included the all-important bright pink. I played around with color for several days before I resigned myself to the brown and hot pink.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TbPy8p_A5Sf1PUCTYZCKS5UPTeqXDBgR7sJv_72PqSSIfoCQ-XENFsIbBYm8QFTeJ953ArIxLNWFGthOz4vKedcOWG-67TgnN_d29D1E7KrBDcu8i4lXR_YaZkDjt0vHGM9H0a0zx-Y/s1600/catdress_2.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIhbWDAWELhkMdt_fx2QffZ_Y7ABDCd1xsbtRwbRQQHe43A36Nu0tWjHwC5krPWKEkI4sF9CrUVJVSF_siC1gmGZ2KkFdGNfWoIKroxQlD5y0dJRG3cHGZOg15vpGBb1X1LanjdCGOf4/s1600/catdress_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516889532076575138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIhbWDAWELhkMdt_fx2QffZ_Y7ABDCd1xsbtRwbRQQHe43A36Nu0tWjHwC5krPWKEkI4sF9CrUVJVSF_siC1gmGZ2KkFdGNfWoIKroxQlD5y0dJRG3cHGZOg15vpGBb1X1LanjdCGOf4/s320/catdress_1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The construction of the dress is really pretty simple. It's a long t-shirt with a ruffle added to the bottom. I like this drop-waist ruffle style because it grows with the child. There's no defined waist, and as long as it fits across the chest then it's wearable. If the dress gets too short to be worn on it's own, just add a pair of jeans and call it a tunic. For cold weather, layer it over a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved shirt.<br /><br />I had a close-up of the kitty cat applique, but Blogger seems to think that it needs to be rotated. I didn't think a sideways kitty made a good photo, so I'm leaving it at just the one pic.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-58089025126774340172010-09-11T21:11:00.004-05:002010-09-11T21:32:47.792-05:00My shiny happy iron<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkaa9HC-Aqk7o59cYjLYCmHZ5I4AU-qPlXQ6uTzqj6hCHhrkABjixIwDCM60FgJSbQ-JZgqHG_Vz8s2R8qNyVgo-5wNVlcN-Gl9je6us6gI254FXSqRbJKrNgPS31lnZl038J0w2zvcc/s1600/DSC_5199.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515844105305466386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkaa9HC-Aqk7o59cYjLYCmHZ5I4AU-qPlXQ6uTzqj6hCHhrkABjixIwDCM60FgJSbQ-JZgqHG_Vz8s2R8qNyVgo-5wNVlcN-Gl9je6us6gI254FXSqRbJKrNgPS31lnZl038J0w2zvcc/s320/DSC_5199.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Do you know how sometimes seeing someone else's house makes you realize how utterly disgustingly messy your own house is? I had a similar thing happen with my iron.<br /><br />It started by reading <a href="http://craftygemini.blogspot.com/2010/09/money-saving-quilting-tip2.html">this post</a> at Crafty Gemini, where Vanessa tells how she used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean the soleplate of her iron. Up until then, cleaning the sole plate was one of those "extras" - you know, like changing the oil in your crappy car when you're in college. Things you figure people who really baby their car do, but you don't baby your car so you don't do it. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgL2EEKBuX3WrK31c1Sjel2gQU40IwpJq5PbciBOzurMAsoVdjg6cE3PDk-7n8ouFwn7_eVE-c-xMQgJtyYpUEh6VcxVKN_97zGrJTptbDROYKe8shODPrrTZ8NI4z6rMVCOhG-Aogjg/s1600/DSC_5190.JPG"></a><br />Enough about the crappy Datsun 210. We're talking about my iron. I read Vanessa's post and I realized how yucky the bottom of my own iron was. Not just discolored and with bits of old burned on starch, but NASTY. Like, areas of black gunk all burned on. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgL2EEKBuX3WrK31c1Sjel2gQU40IwpJq5PbciBOzurMAsoVdjg6cE3PDk-7n8ouFwn7_eVE-c-xMQgJtyYpUEh6VcxVKN_97zGrJTptbDROYKe8shODPrrTZ8NI4z6rMVCOhG-Aogjg/s1600/DSC_5190.JPG"></a><br />What was I waiting for? I needed to clean it. NOW. And it needed to look all shiny and happy just like Vanessa's iron.<br /><br />So I dug around under the kitchen sink and found the remnants of some old, pitiful, thrice used Magic Eraser and get to it. It got off a lot of ugliness, given how little life it had left in it. But the burned on gunky stuff was still there.<br /><br />And so I broke out the Dritz iron-on cleaner. I squeezed some out and wiped and wiped, and squeezed out more and wiped and wiped. It got it a little bit cleaner, I suppose, but the smoke was starting to hang thick in the studio and I was afraid I'd set off the smoke alarms if I did it any more.<br /><br />And so I hit the Google - "how to clean an iron" - and came up with a couple of tips. One said to wipe the (unheated) plate with vinegar. It did nothing. Nada. It was like wiping it with water. The stubborn burnt stuff remained. The next tip said that if the stains were "stubborn", to mix warm vinegar with salt before wiping it on the soleplate. Did that, and it achieved absolutely nothing. The gunky stuff was still there.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgL2EEKBuX3WrK31c1Sjel2gQU40IwpJq5PbciBOzurMAsoVdjg6cE3PDk-7n8ouFwn7_eVE-c-xMQgJtyYpUEh6VcxVKN_97zGrJTptbDROYKe8shODPrrTZ8NI4z6rMVCOhG-Aogjg/s1600/DSC_5190.JPG"></a><br />And then, I came across a <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/laundry/clean-iron-00000000002266/index.html">how-to at Real Simple</a> telling to make a paste with baking soda and water and wipe that on the unheated sole plate. This, my friends, was the magic bullet. I got a lot off with a simple wipe across the soleplate, but the more stubborn of the stubborn stains required some scrubbing. Like, an HOUR of scrubbing. Scrubbing and wiping and scrubbing and wiping and "man, my arm is sore". At the end, I got every bit of it off and my iron is the shiny happy piece of equipment you see here. YAY!!!<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RxgVuOJ-2YEzwNrEemQ2ooPCBfB6ci6RapYgLLyOhOe2qO7jOPW4tte2ldrZ2zwYoDLp9jh-YXov-5ell6SEd87Dn75wuSDsbA6GYBDEginHGxnfEdEWLTaJOyJfuGjeXz456X8SpYY/s1600/DSC_5194.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515844103712100498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RxgVuOJ-2YEzwNrEemQ2ooPCBfB6ci6RapYgLLyOhOe2qO7jOPW4tte2ldrZ2zwYoDLp9jh-YXov-5ell6SEd87Dn75wuSDsbA6GYBDEginHGxnfEdEWLTaJOyJfuGjeXz456X8SpYY/s320/DSC_5194.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgL2EEKBuX3WrK31c1Sjel2gQU40IwpJq5PbciBOzurMAsoVdjg6cE3PDk-7n8ouFwn7_eVE-c-xMQgJtyYpUEh6VcxVKN_97zGrJTptbDROYKe8shODPrrTZ8NI4z6rMVCOhG-Aogjg/s1600/DSC_5190.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515844092999932210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgL2EEKBuX3WrK31c1Sjel2gQU40IwpJq5PbciBOzurMAsoVdjg6cE3PDk-7n8ouFwn7_eVE-c-xMQgJtyYpUEh6VcxVKN_97zGrJTptbDROYKe8shODPrrTZ8NI4z6rMVCOhG-Aogjg/s320/DSC_5190.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSGs15j88XK21dc4iDs1mPRcyUNcEphJx5sQXBWOQ9awX7ySCOIP1Jee1unA08szoVmXpI6yOaeQgeBaGNo8GOo0OVtK6k_sUXi-tpSb9X1h4DIxqHdlLG51KBCVJTpIRvFK0U9CLCGA/s1600/DSC_5197.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515844104515911314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSGs15j88XK21dc4iDs1mPRcyUNcEphJx5sQXBWOQ9awX7ySCOIP1Jee1unA08szoVmXpI6yOaeQgeBaGNo8GOo0OVtK6k_sUXi-tpSb9X1h4DIxqHdlLG51KBCVJTpIRvFK0U9CLCGA/s320/DSC_5197.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-61099124213358541132010-09-10T12:04:00.005-05:002010-09-10T12:20:20.438-05:00Count me in!Count me in!! I've joined the <a href="http://www.thecreativemaven.net/2010/09/sew-5-challenge.html">Sew 5 Challenge</a> over at Creative Maven! <div></div><br /><a href="http://www.thecreativemaven.net/2010/09/sew-5-challenge.html"><img style="WIDTH: 250px; HEIGHT: 222px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333936703363922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYqKnZfLtN_TY1M_o36lhDT8R_SMjK5gaPJmBkcnAF5D9BSXLjYuKs3NUmUG0jaYnkB08i-fKsymmTKP9yQj-2npqT7f2TFqBw-174az9C0urXBdVZWNMHpg37SF5hF4CCcgq2lbbQQY/s320/i'm-in-big.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The point of the challenge is to use the month of September to complete 5 sewing projects and blog about them. Molly, <a href="http://www.thecreativemaven.net/">The Creative Maven</a>, came up with the challenge as a way to motivate her to complete some of the many projects on her must-sew list. <br /><br />I can sooo relate to the ever-growing project list and the need to mark some items off of it. This is why I'm going to join her for the month and finish 5 of my own projects and blog about them here. It's like a classier way of saying "Git 'er done!"<br /><br />My own must-sew list grows every day. I'm sure it has a little bit of something to do with my gig at Craft Gossip and the hundreds (literally) of sewing blogs that I follow. I see someone doing something cool and I think, "Ooooh, I need to make one of those, too!" And then I see another cool project, and another, and another...<br /><br />And then there are the donations to my project pile from friends and family members. Those stretched or stained t-shirts than can be made into something fabulous with a little bit of recutting or applique. The must-sew list grows...<br /><br />First on my must-sew-in-September list is a t-shirt dress for my nieces 5th birthday. She wears the same size as my daughter, so this should be fairly straightforward. I'll post pictures as soon as I git'er done.<br /><br /><br /><br />Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-67581279177522391122010-09-08T11:56:00.007-05:002010-09-08T12:54:27.978-05:00Lookie what Livvie made for her Grandan!I have no idea why it is that I am perpetually unprepared for people's birthdays. It's not that I don't know ahead of time that they're coming up, that I should make a card, or get a gift or do something -anything- in preparation, but somehow I'm all the time rushing around at the last minute. <div><div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday was no exception as we prepared for my father's birthday. I had asked Liv the week before what she wanted to give her Grandan. Her response was a handmade t-shirt with a rocket and saturn painted on it.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8dRrjzsf0TLBLxKQSpmYeMj2ZBhm6EIoMq5Ww9-LUoWqnSv7EztvClQqFmcA6acZA4lcuYGOhZGZ9PIQOe38AzLI9Gbz_sgWpFpW0g48Ai61sUVxwrbjyx5tKh2COWxgvuW2FnuZmy4/s1600/rocketshirt_3.jpg"></a><br />This was my first time I used freezer paper stenciling and I am sooo hooked! It was easy to trace through so I was able to reproduce the exact shapes that Liv drew in her concept picture. The waxy back of the freezer paper ironed down to seal the edges of the stencil so we got nice, crisp lines (for the most part). </div><div></div><div>It turned out reall pretty awesome if I say so myself. I am lovin' that funky rocket and the wonky Saturn rings!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM6PnL4pf0Ajvs2Awk_Ml_RCpqpEgaEaHxCQDg1i1intvSFNMQ5WqqdwWTjcMA1E0CKLWkPyIYV6b-RnGRa1We1EcI8g54yLGkcUl432Obq6OKXrJ1ukSlu8MK1B9f8Bt-0L4nUczloU/s1600/rocketshirt_4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 263px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514596249062649138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM6PnL4pf0Ajvs2Awk_Ml_RCpqpEgaEaHxCQDg1i1intvSFNMQ5WqqdwWTjcMA1E0CKLWkPyIYV6b-RnGRa1We1EcI8g54yLGkcUl432Obq6OKXrJ1ukSlu8MK1B9f8Bt-0L4nUczloU/s320/rocketshirt_4.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8dRrjzsf0TLBLxKQSpmYeMj2ZBhm6EIoMq5Ww9-LUoWqnSv7EztvClQqFmcA6acZA4lcuYGOhZGZ9PIQOe38AzLI9Gbz_sgWpFpW0g48Ai61sUVxwrbjyx5tKh2COWxgvuW2FnuZmy4/s1600/rocketshirt_3.jpg"></a></div><br /><div>And like any post-crafting analysis, I'll follow my bragging with a list of all the things that didn't go quite so well. </div><div></div><br /><div>1. Timing. Last minute crafting with a child is sooo stressful! I should learn not to do this to myself? We didn't even have time to wrap it. We took it to my sister's house still wet and let it dry during dinner.</div><div><br />2. Stingy with the freezer paper. Because freezer paper is so expensive??? I have no idea what I was thinking. I left enough a deep enough margin if I were doing the painting, but children don't have the concentration or fine motor control to keep things in the lines as well. There were several places with paint drips or brush slips that could have been prevented if I had left more freezer paper around the images.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7n7bOjkes7VZ7ohyphenhyphenoTXVLCDh4cYYO9Pz-SKxXjAdiOGMsChpMHOyGTLZCfe9lOh5_rwdplMflU_IB2NcxdoWC0YyKYfjsWurUROYWznNe_hzA7wlat3JdTfKU0ytdUABsnZwRxT6mas/s1600/rocketshirt_1.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQol-yN6YqDv_txiLAc2HdtOTi32B19Qqdj0318hk_-3cgTNzfMPdiWvGfIwp4rp1mpfeI9pZVw6D7NpgdmOgwNNkCrn0l_CS4JXi9W5emL11JuuNioPP-2zJcWI_TheNqZAnztO1WNg/s1600/rocketshirt_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514596237511072434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQol-yN6YqDv_txiLAc2HdtOTi32B19Qqdj0318hk_-3cgTNzfMPdiWvGfIwp4rp1mpfeI9pZVw6D7NpgdmOgwNNkCrn0l_CS4JXi9W5emL11JuuNioPP-2zJcWI_TheNqZAnztO1WNg/s320/rocketshirt_2.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />3. Dark t-shirt. The navy made an awesome background for the space scene, but it also showed off alllll of those paint drips.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Melty freezer paper. Somehow I transfered some of the waxy stuff from the back of the freezer paper to the plate of my iron, which then burned and transferred to the t-shirt. The navy blue shirt. So it looks like someone wiped their snot above the sun. Luckily it seemed to chip off pretty easily - it should wash out.</div><br /><div></div><div>5. Cheapy paint. Back in the day when stenciling was all the 1980's rage, we used cheapy craft paint on t-shirts all the time with great results. But it seems that the manufacturers have been watering down the paints since then. My textile paints worked great, but I only had two or three colors of them. The others were watery and runny. They seeped under edge of the freezer paper on the Saturn rings, and they took coats and coats and coats and still didn't cover. I finally gave up and put a base coat of white textile paint, and then covered it with a second coat of cheapy craft paint in the color I wanted.</div><div><br />And yet, in spite of all the self-wrought challenges, it DIDN'T turn out to be a craft fail. Quite the opposite. I'm proud of how Liv and I worked together to create her design on a shirt for her Grandan. </div><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8dRrjzsf0TLBLxKQSpmYeMj2ZBhm6EIoMq5Ww9-LUoWqnSv7EztvClQqFmcA6acZA4lcuYGOhZGZ9PIQOe38AzLI9Gbz_sgWpFpW0g48Ai61sUVxwrbjyx5tKh2COWxgvuW2FnuZmy4/s1600/rocketshirt_3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514596246976787794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8dRrjzsf0TLBLxKQSpmYeMj2ZBhm6EIoMq5Ww9-LUoWqnSv7EztvClQqFmcA6acZA4lcuYGOhZGZ9PIQOe38AzLI9Gbz_sgWpFpW0g48Ai61sUVxwrbjyx5tKh2COWxgvuW2FnuZmy4/s320/rocketshirt_3.jpg" /></a></div><div></div><br /><div>Oh, and in case you were wondering... My father LOVED his shirt!</div><div><br /></div><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-19933064932575578932010-09-06T13:44:00.008-05:002010-09-06T14:03:45.813-05:00This is what's holding me upThank you for the well wishes! The headache finally lifted on the fifth day when the front came through. And oh, what a huge weather change it was - one day it was in the 90s, and the next morning when I went to go get the paper it was actually chilly. No wonder I hurt so badly during the build-up. <div><div><br /></div><div>Before the headache began I brought out a bunch of photos and pretty papers and made a huge mess of things getting some scrapbook pages put together. And then I started hurting and so everything stopped. Now that I'm feeling better I'm out of scrapbook mode and have a pile of sewing projects demanding my attention. But my craft table looks like this:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9MI_NWG3Tizk3Cxb_z3vpcrlc3VRX-1Fx2llylFRzK9x4qSH4sl613zz3qbCh2eHcH5r3ENEx6cdRoNZn15PQRB8GyZS_MSLMj0o-HM9o4KXwoQg3QdJ32wrEIMh-hP3rWaSqNXE4UU/s1600/crafttable_1_small.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513877542927089218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9MI_NWG3Tizk3Cxb_z3vpcrlc3VRX-1Fx2llylFRzK9x4qSH4sl613zz3qbCh2eHcH5r3ENEx6cdRoNZn15PQRB8GyZS_MSLMj0o-HM9o4KXwoQg3QdJ32wrEIMh-hP3rWaSqNXE4UU/s320/crafttable_1_small.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div> </div></div><br><div><div>Bonus shot of the pile of knit scraps:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOFN30yAf0TQ8BTn_ApXFBdimyhtlXIDCsCR9_8jIKC0Rhy8NyV-q1jsPaCwOeF6r8aoKgjyU4uNijIgcJ1-bhNVvTyD7ydYOyFk_pwPfnkotB8pTO3ZIj589hAqJOPK9fRLBwUXKoTg/s1600/scrappile.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513877556700380098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOFN30yAf0TQ8BTn_ApXFBdimyhtlXIDCsCR9_8jIKC0Rhy8NyV-q1jsPaCwOeF6r8aoKgjyU4uNijIgcJ1-bhNVvTyD7ydYOyFk_pwPfnkotB8pTO3ZIj589hAqJOPK9fRLBwUXKoTg/s320/scrappile.jpg" /></a><br /><br />And my kitchen table looks like this:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WeN_hrMjUowE9dsnt1STP9L1_-PRjpo3yjC8slpW644Y2Fxeyh2gz3oFNy1U_dqxamYoNnaw1xmb3kuK5HcSJBd8IE707wFBc5mKIwFrGb9vRVUarvuPTJyTdiNFgVdOMCffb-C5wGE/s1600/kitchentable_small.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513877551619288642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WeN_hrMjUowE9dsnt1STP9L1_-PRjpo3yjC8slpW644Y2Fxeyh2gz3oFNy1U_dqxamYoNnaw1xmb3kuK5HcSJBd8IE707wFBc5mKIwFrGb9vRVUarvuPTJyTdiNFgVdOMCffb-C5wGE/s320/kitchentable_small.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Must get this finished! Little girl clothes and Barbie clothes and birthday gifts and more are calling my name.</div><div> </div><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-17108444885773694302010-09-01T15:46:00.003-05:002010-09-01T15:54:54.735-05:00Nothing crafty to show today...<div>...thanks to my headache that is now reaching into its fourth day. Yes, FOURTH day. I am so ready for it to be gone now.</div><br /><div></div><div>So instead I give you a picture of my assistant, who makes the mornings I spend on the couch with the laptop doing school work and blogging (and lately, a sinus headache to boot) a little bit sweeter.</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrTWEPr96ty3GJBWeyjR-Og_3yaX3RT9POFWZXJjUl7PHHD1a6dobEqcXm34QDXA4ZdU2EveHM0NHUSthQJYVdsWdwX32GSVJRq8t0uqr6JJZ5T8RE2rR8uwlVvyy7QM6wZ9dCXwCaI8/s1600/myassistant_small.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512051010542489282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrTWEPr96ty3GJBWeyjR-Og_3yaX3RT9POFWZXJjUl7PHHD1a6dobEqcXm34QDXA4ZdU2EveHM0NHUSthQJYVdsWdwX32GSVJRq8t0uqr6JJZ5T8RE2rR8uwlVvyy7QM6wZ9dCXwCaI8/s320/myassistant_small.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-67650098226236195682010-08-30T10:22:00.003-05:002010-08-30T11:02:37.938-05:00The child clearly needed another dress.......like she needs a hole in her head.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh281tp_8760lxNdxNzjSDjV0GSwKI9oYpKV8oBz_-FdPvUKyCH9BVI73QFCf4jI3UYEMVs9A9tMqHe1DkQcf7XDbUpOWWktgvLRSCo9Im7Gw02sXFyabYLJxFdeUFSv4AWFI7unX2k7EU/s1600/sweetdress3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511231705050964866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh281tp_8760lxNdxNzjSDjV0GSwKI9oYpKV8oBz_-FdPvUKyCH9BVI73QFCf4jI3UYEMVs9A9tMqHe1DkQcf7XDbUpOWWktgvLRSCo9Im7Gw02sXFyabYLJxFdeUFSv4AWFI7unX2k7EU/s320/sweetdress3.jpg" /></a> </div><div><p></p></div><div>And yet I keep making her dresses! If it weren't so much fun, I suppose I could stop. But when a couple of hours will yield a special new something for my girl, I just can't control myself.</div><div><p></p></div><div>It was supposed to have a peace sign on it, but when I got the applique shaped layed out on the tie-dye it just didn't look right. So I changed it to say "SWEET" instead.</div><div><p></p></div><div>I think it suits her.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp9_TXemVprUrFSTOEYKMYzGvR3Wl7C6Q1j7T_-f1XY1dzCH3jGAvifmZZDYGwhDmumqBpod4tyIwZoMji6OnG92JP61DxUr4ysXN_LY2jGF8g96Vzl3jDujxTZtLBCyJNlv0sMCNjLU/s1600/sweetdress4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511231710931727858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp9_TXemVprUrFSTOEYKMYzGvR3Wl7C6Q1j7T_-f1XY1dzCH3jGAvifmZZDYGwhDmumqBpod4tyIwZoMji6OnG92JP61DxUr4ysXN_LY2jGF8g96Vzl3jDujxTZtLBCyJNlv0sMCNjLU/s320/sweetdress4.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-TpHIgaIqNxUIdt9BzSCVr070Wl3adsgN6j-smCuvyJTQSM4kSlsLCTNm_XOOMaODWhyphenhyphen3bPCGnIOYQ1gHZtwOEogn-AoIqsAw-qjxb_d48MVuG8bkaqgVFDSSb9k5k0olUHswJol7Cw/s1600/sweetdress.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511231691601433122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-TpHIgaIqNxUIdt9BzSCVr070Wl3adsgN6j-smCuvyJTQSM4kSlsLCTNm_XOOMaODWhyphenhyphen3bPCGnIOYQ1gHZtwOEogn-AoIqsAw-qjxb_d48MVuG8bkaqgVFDSSb9k5k0olUHswJol7Cw/s320/sweetdress.jpg" /></a><p>Check out the sparkly kitty mask that her Aunt Catherine found for her. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0SqrMBGRpqV6FVD4eIgOt9GvFmP5Y7hwMt-ftMFC7t4exg_un_GKgtamqDB7Mx1QkFSdUqrdhxgi8gA6St2EasXY7tTbI4zuWVRXe4AQHy8VfsEHDEnZwtjzMYuu1xeMGJyXfUKLuUg/s1600/sweetdress2.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511231697038223554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0SqrMBGRpqV6FVD4eIgOt9GvFmP5Y7hwMt-ftMFC7t4exg_un_GKgtamqDB7Mx1QkFSdUqrdhxgi8gA6St2EasXY7tTbI4zuWVRXe4AQHy8VfsEHDEnZwtjzMYuu1xeMGJyXfUKLuUg/s320/sweetdress2.JPG" /></a></div><div><br />Little girl LOVES her new dress! She tried it on Friday night and insisted that she sleep in it. She wore it all day Saturday and Sunday as well.</div><div><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-24372650564857074122010-08-28T13:58:00.002-05:002010-08-28T14:14:19.557-05:00I don't know why I didn't think of this beforeLately - as in the last several years - I've been on a sewing kick. But I also like papercrafts, whether it's scrapbooking or collage or cardmaking. I was even a Stampin Up! demonstrator back in the day. And just like sewists hoard fabric, papercrafters hoard paper. Lots of it.<br /><br />I have a good sized studio. But when you have to find space to store sewing machines, sewing notions, scrapbooking supplies, ribbons, yarns, collage materials, rubber stamps, ink pads, and lots and lots of paper, the space becomes quite a bit smaller. Every nook and cranny is used for storage. Take my 8 1/2" x 11" paper, for example. It's stored in milk crates underneath my craft table.<br /><br />See?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD__tPSrPe28vWyOEHFYabo-vQNvHcgefS8j43x9v8obdc0aKq-wUUO6HEDVvCkFBqT4oE9OFY3XPPJsqDkMPczeaZLuM9vrT2wUDEg2CclVaCdZFeCzE2eHcWhckYNy-LgDeigBmfQxg/s1600/DSC_5042.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510537444009239970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD__tPSrPe28vWyOEHFYabo-vQNvHcgefS8j43x9v8obdc0aKq-wUUO6HEDVvCkFBqT4oE9OFY3XPPJsqDkMPczeaZLuM9vrT2wUDEg2CclVaCdZFeCzE2eHcWhckYNy-LgDeigBmfQxg/s320/DSC_5042.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The hanging files are a great way to hold my paper. They keep the paper from getting bent, but they're also easy to flip through. But under the table? <br /><br />Every time I want some paper I have to either lean over really really far, or clear out enough space on the floor in front of the table to sit. Not exactly convenient.<br /><br />I would have moved the paper, but there wasn't another surface in my room large enough to hold the crates.<br /><br />And then it hit me. What if my paper wasn't craft paper, but important files that I needed to access? I'd keep it in a filing cabinet.<br /><br />Of course!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbVR4zefIgJ3UbKR-TO5MrH9N_7M6lLIijeCa7N6kd7N0v72Ia8mOz3jncxAmpWR8JyA7wTBKAOb4JeUIctT9ETw-wQDkE2XNmd_7bUPFcFm0MEdMhQT4DOWOYxZAhXfN5mwRaFrbg1Y/s1600/DSC_5045.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510537450390481026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbVR4zefIgJ3UbKR-TO5MrH9N_7M6lLIijeCa7N6kd7N0v72Ia8mOz3jncxAmpWR8JyA7wTBKAOb4JeUIctT9ETw-wQDkE2XNmd_7bUPFcFm0MEdMhQT4DOWOYxZAhXfN5mwRaFrbg1Y/s320/DSC_5045.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX-nnqzCLo82w_MdW6MDjLAUlarE8F4mQrSSER-2uyDu50-RY4P1s53Au__6tx0-hJSoAiAzJkp5JpPKv9s8HjvDNdpDDjuZrVQ2bpSnlU7iuZve81yO_HjtYq72DkKC2140_vdrsdYc/s1600/DSC_5046.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510537454536182466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX-nnqzCLo82w_MdW6MDjLAUlarE8F4mQrSSER-2uyDu50-RY4P1s53Au__6tx0-hJSoAiAzJkp5JpPKv9s8HjvDNdpDDjuZrVQ2bpSnlU7iuZve81yO_HjtYq72DkKC2140_vdrsdYc/s320/DSC_5046.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The file cabinet takes up very little floor space. And it's soooo much easier to get to than on the floor! And better protected from the boxes that usually end up getting stacked on top of the paper crates.<br /><br /><div><div></div>I have no idea why I didn't think of this before.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-76559781598447997132010-08-27T10:54:00.003-05:002010-08-27T11:03:16.237-05:00More Livvie art<div><div>One of my favorite parts of the day is when I pick Liv up from school. That happy grin on her face as she recognizes her mama standing at the top of the steps. That excited look as she runs up the steps to meet me. And then when I get home I dig through her backpack for the artifacts of her day.<br /><br /><div></div><div>Being a first grader (can't believe I'm typing those words already!), the backs of all of her worksheets are covered with artwork. Her pictures are joy to me. They're a peek at the world through her eyes. What is the thing in her mind at that moment? Her perspective, her color choice, the details she chooses.</div><br /><div>Here are a couple of my joys from yesterday.</div><br /><div>A mama kitty nursing a kitten. She has a stuffed kitty with that has places for three little stuffed kittens to nurse. Notice the "pink magnets" that she included. hehehe...</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX5T0cBYEfvuCN4r_LlkeFintb2665Cj4qg9cvTql9ECvTSXzXX18okzqRc7jri0dqyUUcmaqjRj203AYIANAEJESH3S8ZkqPVR1JhRBbkRtp2aTaSM23b-20-OeCoVsw6msAm8cg6sg/s1600/DSC_5015.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510120427848764098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX5T0cBYEfvuCN4r_LlkeFintb2665Cj4qg9cvTql9ECvTSXzXX18okzqRc7jri0dqyUUcmaqjRj203AYIANAEJESH3S8ZkqPVR1JhRBbkRtp2aTaSM23b-20-OeCoVsw6msAm8cg6sg/s320/DSC_5015.JPG" /></a></div><div><p> </div><div>And a "rainbow land of kitties."</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEInxJmXdC29tXTjgnDotgirZS6MBJiEEkP2mYTSwL0MpYMi7vWIo5xTUFidg5jtJYDySNnid9zVgevmsd3QmXtLYqdIVI5wKQ2hXGT1KIrelcOhUbtrTT808OEHe8Cs18454ueMOON4/s1600/DSC_5016.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510120434342574226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEInxJmXdC29tXTjgnDotgirZS6MBJiEEkP2mYTSwL0MpYMi7vWIo5xTUFidg5jtJYDySNnid9zVgevmsd3QmXtLYqdIVI5wKQ2hXGT1KIrelcOhUbtrTT808OEHe8Cs18454ueMOON4/s320/DSC_5016.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>What a happy, colorful, feline world my little girl lives in.</div><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-84791837464177188792010-08-26T11:24:00.003-05:002010-08-26T11:34:13.969-05:00If you do nothing else in the next week......you MUST go see <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-03/hubble-3d-review-ultimate-hubblegasm">Hubble 3D</a>. Trust me.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUZDHuLGCc2HJG9VU5Kq125GxC81uDD8by2uCemEHIaNa-s23EoQIKdrFdN2OjA9vm29Ls3GnT-uz4BIQFDf74ySTAXALPW4_t9_7UP57_DoA_csLhWxo0kk54AD3sTC8uBvt2-jWukw/s1600/shuttle-hubble-repair-525.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509757133582644738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUZDHuLGCc2HJG9VU5Kq125GxC81uDD8by2uCemEHIaNa-s23EoQIKdrFdN2OjA9vm29Ls3GnT-uz4BIQFDf74ySTAXALPW4_t9_7UP57_DoA_csLhWxo0kk54AD3sTC8uBvt2-jWukw/s320/shuttle-hubble-repair-525.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><br />photo by NASA, retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-03/hubble-3d-review-ultimate-hubblegasm"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">popsci.com</span></a><br /><br />It was probably the most amazing film I've ever seen, and I'm not even a space geek. I don't know how to describe the impact that this movie had on me. It was only a 45-minute film, but I left the theater feeling like I had been part of something historical, like I'd been out there in space with the astronauts on their spacewalk. It was so.... real.<br /><br />If, at like our theater, the movie only plays during the day, check your kid out of school for "an appointment" so you can take them to see it. They'll think you're super cool for letting them watch a movie instead of sit in class, and it will be far more educational than anything they'd do in the classroom.<br /><br />Do it.<br /><br />Toodles,<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-3185026560391674562010-08-25T09:26:00.007-05:002010-08-27T16:38:09.551-05:00Layered hoodie for Liv and a dress for her doll<div><div><div><div><div>The first few weeks of school are always my most productive. I have the house to myself during the day, and my own responsibilities as an instructor (online course) are fairly light. Once the semester gets further underway, I have to spend more time actually working. But for now, I get to play.</div><div> </div><div>This weekend I made a hoodie for Liv.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahQ_ZDiBXitmVvteb_r0NvAiAedjHJkuLBHLIKXzzX0bdQe76LnKh9DHjALpw8xXp3fX2RtNWFz5G09mD-ch3eq3qv1BRVKSY0TSAwBCH-ix8ihBaKK_ZQ55GMKi7fag7RgUjdlIQ2_c/s1600/hoodie01.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509371042107606514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahQ_ZDiBXitmVvteb_r0NvAiAedjHJkuLBHLIKXzzX0bdQe76LnKh9DHjALpw8xXp3fX2RtNWFz5G09mD-ch3eq3qv1BRVKSY0TSAwBCH-ix8ihBaKK_ZQ55GMKi7fag7RgUjdlIQ2_c/s320/hoodie01.jpg" /></a><br /><br />It's from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Clothes-Kids-Love-Instructions/dp/1589234731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282750430&sr=8-1">Sewing Clothes Kids Love</a>. It takes a lot to get me to purchase a sewing book, but the photos in this book had me weak in the knees. And the patterns in the book are super versatile. The t-shirt pattern includes several sleeve options, two bodice options, and two optional hoods. You can mix and match to get the style you want.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSVqXnwn1_U27pKwid4F9QmyYWzJ2OXJxn6nOaCRJMitgqr4qnhyphenhyphenYI6Dt2wFmIc6m-5N65cXYupdymNgIEZlw6KcQbNedvQQShsllsvLgBAjBIorpANd-udmEIST9koGpZJi0G1FZx6U/s1600/hoodie04.jpg"></a><p> </div><div>I chose a long-sleeve with a gathered cap layer on top, along with a rounded hood. The knit for the body of the shirt came from a man's polo shirt. The flowered knit on the sleeve is yardage from the fabric store.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1wRVmttx9oP5I3h7cYDZRleAqAHnqIo3Cesg8wY7cu9hpM6S6iKotdFiZCuUdf5GWA1oGMHDSPt1r3JO0jCUCv3YlhWQ2rp8u4gwUpTRgeKv7ClaOedoQGxIbMuonlk_BC_-jXz2k34/s1600/hoodie02.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509371045726013426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1wRVmttx9oP5I3h7cYDZRleAqAHnqIo3Cesg8wY7cu9hpM6S6iKotdFiZCuUdf5GWA1oGMHDSPt1r3JO0jCUCv3YlhWQ2rp8u4gwUpTRgeKv7ClaOedoQGxIbMuonlk_BC_-jXz2k34/s320/hoodie02.jpg" /></a><br /><br />While the styles in the book are cute cute cute, it turns out that the pattern sizing for the hoodie was too broad through the shoulders and too big through the sleevecaps. I spent yesterday morning recutting and refitting the sleeves and I think we've got something that will work.</div><div><br />I'm super excited about this hoodie pattern now. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX6ndj3KP_-PhLpZJQNu3b8UN3zBtOpGvEEG0RMxhapVe55WTbYeUYQMlEzIv3e6KwRTROhNn5T9g5wrnQxTqi9l9am9vxWKlWF8oPDZpdHdF7esFchI0SfeB8QEwNceqUuXwQAylZ2s/s1600/hoodie05.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509371063894105890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX6ndj3KP_-PhLpZJQNu3b8UN3zBtOpGvEEG0RMxhapVe55WTbYeUYQMlEzIv3e6KwRTROhNn5T9g5wrnQxTqi9l9am9vxWKlWF8oPDZpdHdF7esFchI0SfeB8QEwNceqUuXwQAylZ2s/s320/hoodie05.jpg" /></a></div><div><p> </div><div>Here's a full-on view so you can see the way it's all put together. </div><div><p> </div><div>And Liv wasn't the only one who got some new clothes.</div><div><p> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSVqXnwn1_U27pKwid4F9QmyYWzJ2OXJxn6nOaCRJMitgqr4qnhyphenhyphenYI6Dt2wFmIc6m-5N65cXYupdymNgIEZlw6KcQbNedvQQShsllsvLgBAjBIorpANd-udmEIST9koGpZJi0G1FZx6U/s1600/hoodie04.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509371059126927938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSVqXnwn1_U27pKwid4F9QmyYWzJ2OXJxn6nOaCRJMitgqr4qnhyphenhyphenYI6Dt2wFmIc6m-5N65cXYupdymNgIEZlw6KcQbNedvQQShsllsvLgBAjBIorpANd-udmEIST9koGpZJi0G1FZx6U/s320/hoodie04.jpg" /></a></div><div><p> </div><div>So did Dolly Rachel. Check out her new dress!</div><div> <p></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAacKG7N70mD-EpFKsz62IQAC5y-7tyB1xjPPKj5LcLLOWeuFwJhicSarHxgJYFOATRcHs1eSLSGU0x1T1OcYjQ6yLHuw4YFemR2fRN0oBNadBsbyLcwNx9Q0HWvbNLqrYh39x1vv2Us/s1600/dolliedress.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509371331106865938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAacKG7N70mD-EpFKsz62IQAC5y-7tyB1xjPPKj5LcLLOWeuFwJhicSarHxgJYFOATRcHs1eSLSGU0x1T1OcYjQ6yLHuw4YFemR2fRN0oBNadBsbyLcwNx9Q0HWvbNLqrYh39x1vv2Us/s320/dolliedress.JPG" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it"></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-18428357972546198932010-08-23T18:46:00.003-05:002010-08-24T09:57:27.328-05:00Make last minute wrapping cute with scrapbook paper<div><div><div>Yesterday was my mother's birthday. Even though we had planned in advance for a little birthday cookie/coffee time, it totally slipped my mind until that morning that I hadn't addressed the issue of a birthday present. </div><br /><div>And of course, when you run around town all morning looking for a last-minute birthday present that doesn't suck, then you're also left with last-minute birthday present wrapping. Keep in mind that my sister always has the most beautifully packaged presents for people, usually wrapped in vintage wrapping paper and embellished with cute-as-a-button vintage tags or ribbons.</div><br /><div>So how to make my last-minute gift and my last-minute wrapping not look like the pitiful stepchild? </div><br /><div>Easy! Just bust out the scrapbook paper scraps, your Sharpie, and your gluestick. Oh, and a pair of scissors, too.</div><br /><div>Instead of seeing the present as a 3D object, look at it as a blank canvas.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaM3ZZY0XKduQZrJ0FeXW13X85e35KUNoRYVQYBHwd5kaYw9ybAHW38sOiUpEtJhtdzUaQ26aKCh7iRVEW_DwcIhNSmaKDf_GhcISz7UJYLYbhuKlTjLqsNU55I4sXuUzOtsseJwLTb0/s1600/DSC_4883.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508989611097821794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaM3ZZY0XKduQZrJ0FeXW13X85e35KUNoRYVQYBHwd5kaYw9ybAHW38sOiUpEtJhtdzUaQ26aKCh7iRVEW_DwcIhNSmaKDf_GhcISz7UJYLYbhuKlTjLqsNU55I4sXuUzOtsseJwLTb0/s320/DSC_4883.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Draw and cut out a fun kitty cat. And maybe a thought bubble. And a cupcake, of course. It IS a birthday after all.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpsXpC_wu3CBd7GuWXPRm9GiI2qI8lFQYMiRmJ9EAdt8USenK6VbsDNtbLRv08j4d9hVGhbVXSR2xF_zeiqQNdQUGjEUABwVs5QkXVeFzfVCRRrIptpFzHKFN59lXn-_1uYM1A52yESQ/s1600/DSC_4885.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508989623017884530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpsXpC_wu3CBd7GuWXPRm9GiI2qI8lFQYMiRmJ9EAdt8USenK6VbsDNtbLRv08j4d9hVGhbVXSR2xF_zeiqQNdQUGjEUABwVs5QkXVeFzfVCRRrIptpFzHKFN59lXn-_1uYM1A52yESQ/s320/DSC_4885.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Don't worry if you "can't draw". I "can't draw" either. But somehow "can't draw"-ing always looks cute when done in a Sharpie on patterned paper.</div><br /><div>Glue your picture down, and add some happy words. Voila!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nUBOuOibJrFJD06G6QLnu4M5CUijwGGEN0vOmVQ6KgILhVCZL6knXCSDxy6MjD5mIeh_R2ZeDRVxUVnWHJZYZyky-HkYRzvrb64MBWjPa5T_UaoszbNBXUsu0dh6NnFb_YRpwVoYJwo/s1600/DSC_4887.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508989624429153874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nUBOuOibJrFJD06G6QLnu4M5CUijwGGEN0vOmVQ6KgILhVCZL6knXCSDxy6MjD5mIeh_R2ZeDRVxUVnWHJZYZyky-HkYRzvrb64MBWjPa5T_UaoszbNBXUsu0dh6NnFb_YRpwVoYJwo/s320/DSC_4887.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Liv was so excited when I showed her how I had wrapped her present for her Nan. On the way to Nan's house, she asked me, "Mom.... Will Nan be careful when she unwraps the present?" <br /></div><div>Toodles,<br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-46887112641873935012010-08-23T08:29:00.004-05:002010-08-23T10:06:31.298-05:00Donut hole drama<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7gssxah4HDPcwXLTM_gPziwsI4Nd6x2itSqEzC0bGGXLwvAk7xw-PI1cxiwRwRG29LwZynEFgs4DHvPe2sZiyTFrWOjSPdaKBNenl-FaH4Y_Xd_NzHidsBDA96Q2fr3-K79UJ-j6v3c/s1600/donut-hole.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 159px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508597555162452050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7gssxah4HDPcwXLTM_gPziwsI4Nd6x2itSqEzC0bGGXLwvAk7xw-PI1cxiwRwRG29LwZynEFgs4DHvPe2sZiyTFrWOjSPdaKBNenl-FaH4Y_Xd_NzHidsBDA96Q2fr3-K79UJ-j6v3c/s320/donut-hole.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">photo from <a href="http://foodfrenzy.ocregister.com/2009/06/30/its-a-deli-its-a-doughtnuttery-its-delicious/9553/">Orange County Register</a><br /></span><br />Yesterday we had little girl drama at church, and it was all over donut holes. I'll spare you the details, but sufffice it to say that there were tears and two little girls who left church early very very sad. Okay, that's a little bit too vague. I'll give a little detail. We grabbed the last donut holes out of the foyer before the service started, but there was some misunderstanding about sharing and one girl ended up having gotten more donut holes than the other. And since we had grabbed the last ones, there was no running back and grabbing a few extra to even things up.<br /><br />My attempts to help Liv help the other little girl feel better only resulted in Liv feeling worse. I suggested that she give the little girl on the Silly Bandz on her wrist, or perhaps her treat from Children's Time. I didn't realize that Liv already felt rotten about unintentionally making the other little girl sad, so she took my suggestions as me giving her a punishment. So then she was reduced to tears, and then we have to make our own exit.<br /><br />Eventually we talked it all through. In the hallway, in the bathroom, and in the car. What I realized through the whole discussion is that my little girl is me made over. I've always known that she is intense and has sensitive emotions, but I didn't realize until then exactly how much. Just like me, she's quick to feel guilt and to feel it strongly. She felt so bad about the donut incident that her stomach was tied up in knots. And because she already blamed herself, my attempts at helping her achieve a happy ending were turned inside out and back on herself as even more blame. My poor girl!<br /><br />The happy side of this whole thing going down is that I now know better how to handle my daughter's feelings and protect her gentle spirit from her own inward-facing assaults. Of course, the guilt-ridden side of me is thinking back to every time in her 6 years that I've lost my temper, or sighed audibly at the thought of getting up "one more time" to help her with something, or any other time I may have inadvertantly hurt her feelings. Like mother, like daughter, right??<br /><br />Oh, and the donut drama? It ended up with a trip to the bakery and two sugar-iced flower cookies, and the girls sharing them over a little kid-sized table in the playroom. And an impromptu playdate with baby dolls and girl time.<br /><br />Happy children. Healed feelings. Sugar rushes all around. <br /><br />All is good.<br /><br /><br />Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-39774059269966758602010-08-23T08:27:00.001-05:002010-08-23T08:28:55.044-05:00Summer vacation is over!So I had a bit of an unintended summer vacation from the blog. WHY WHY WHY did I think that my life would be simpler with little girl home from school? Ah well, we had a great time this summer, me and my girl... But she's back at school and I'm getting back to my routine and that includes no longer neglecting the casserole blog.<br /><br />Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-32349886783996565952010-05-20T10:56:00.007-05:002010-05-20T20:40:27.191-05:00Fabric storage inspiration? Not quite.I spent all day waiting for fabric storage inspiration to hit, all the while sorting and folding and stacking. I knew I had a lot of fabric, but I was still surprised to see how much was there. The pile of wool garments ready for felting was the largest, thanks to my mother cleaning out all of her business clothes when she retired this year.<br /><br />In the end, fabric storage inspiration didn't exactly hit me in the face like I was hoping. Instead, it kind of tapped gently and gingerly on my shoulder saying in a timid little voice, "Ummm... I think maybe if you put these pieces in a box together, ummm... it might be a little bit better than it was. That is, if it's not too much trouble for you, cause, umm.... I might be wrong about this."<br /><br />So rather than a photo of some eye candy stack of fabric all neatly folded and organized, I'll give you a quick description. Same fabrics, but sorted and in stacked plastic tubs rather than spilled out all over the floor. Not earthshattering, but it gets my studio back to being functional again. (I'm still not finished; plan on being there by this time tomorrow night.)<br /><br />------------<br /><br />On a totally unrelated note, I just had to share some of Liv's homework. The teacher asks them to write a "story" on the back of their worksheets - basically just three sentences all about one theme. Usually it goes something like, "I like cats. Cats are the best. Yay for cats!" Every now and then she gets creative and we get some real winners.<br /><br />Like these....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEqD2sSDlXXoYqk3McZ9ARTop5ZZzEtrQgKJfvMJmo_wW7zb5ZcFmIjCe1xJYSA-91h2AMXClVetsvXFXYjEQANVbMuNs3ijxtPgvu2Zx2-vgzCSLD2fo55XT2bquaAV-KglU9LJG_do/s1600/homework2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 272px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473381828480083922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEqD2sSDlXXoYqk3McZ9ARTop5ZZzEtrQgKJfvMJmo_wW7zb5ZcFmIjCe1xJYSA-91h2AMXClVetsvXFXYjEQANVbMuNs3ijxtPgvu2Zx2-vgzCSLD2fo55XT2bquaAV-KglU9LJG_do/s320/homework2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />"My mom has a mine (mini) van. I rid to scool in it. I love mine vans!" I love her illustration of the mini-van. She's got the pointed nose shape DOWN. What you can't see in the scan is that there's a body all slammed up against the pointy windshield. That's me. And the picture of her in the side has her wearing a seatbelt. Safety first.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ_jjaro378NyS-p5qdfdXYGMgDgQLZEMjPr7wLPr4oa2dLBkKU312wcA2LNSDlqWOM9geyJxIoBm9Gx7V1-kP2200ZhOLH9l4uvQ5fecfhznoErTUe_usKWUcfOcbQ7VQjncva4JFyU/s1600/homework3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473381837684434258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ_jjaro378NyS-p5qdfdXYGMgDgQLZEMjPr7wLPr4oa2dLBkKU312wcA2LNSDlqWOM9geyJxIoBm9Gx7V1-kP2200ZhOLH9l4uvQ5fecfhznoErTUe_usKWUcfOcbQ7VQjncva4JFyU/s320/homework3.jpg" /></a><br /><br />For this assignment she had to write three sentences using her spelling words, which included "you", "not", "sit", and "do". So of course she strung them all together and wrote, "Do you not wat (want) to sit and do your homwrk? No I dot (don't). I do not like homwrk."<br /><br /><br />And finally, a set of sentences about her daddy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgRvKLoNBisRuWzEYd8C7d6aLFx-BiDttL76BHqTCV2nw-2r4mUOyoo1UFVq2xs0VEKycsf5CyIzYQc8SLvU9FINRClGGc3iPfgs7BXTeqUXTOm1Mb_HYl0UPFtFqADsp39ZyiLxUh1k/s1600/homework1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 299px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473381822265241314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgRvKLoNBisRuWzEYd8C7d6aLFx-BiDttL76BHqTCV2nw-2r4mUOyoo1UFVq2xs0VEKycsf5CyIzYQc8SLvU9FINRClGGc3iPfgs7BXTeqUXTOm1Mb_HYl0UPFtFqADsp39ZyiLxUh1k/s320/homework1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />"My dad plas goof (plays golf). he uoosis (uses) a cluB. he pas (plays) Good."<br /><br /><div>Toodles,</div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-87074565210260464662010-05-19T13:34:00.010-05:002010-05-19T14:00:33.833-05:00ProgressSo today I got the big idea to clean out my sewing studio. I am NOT one of those people with the dreamy sewing room, with decorator colors on the wall and inspirational art pieces scattered on shelves throughout the room. My studio is purely a place to put things until I want to work with them. Except that sometimes I get so much stuff stacked around that I can no longer walk into the room.<br /><br />I'm at the point right now.<br /><br /><p><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPbN_FkBDafjiFRc1iPBXDSJQBkZRDgM3T3IZa-ZiEVGfExhAzknQVGBJOQzm_bBK1gdMdItDgbN1SIPSa04uNEYFKGaPVduh2-3wWxgaam0hFmB1ymdNmV30DKQlzhio4hXkqYfmm4Q/s1600/DSC_4144.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473056475073556338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPbN_FkBDafjiFRc1iPBXDSJQBkZRDgM3T3IZa-ZiEVGfExhAzknQVGBJOQzm_bBK1gdMdItDgbN1SIPSa04uNEYFKGaPVduh2-3wWxgaam0hFmB1ymdNmV30DKQlzhio4hXkqYfmm4Q/s320/DSC_4144.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>Those boxes in the floor are all vintage fabrics. I had been "storing" them in my van, but since we went on vacation and had to use our minivan for its intended purpose, rather than just a storage room on wheels, they ended up in the floor of my studio. I'm waiting for storage inspiration to strike. </div><div></div><br /><div>What you can't see in this photo is that there's an area of the room that is literally knee-deep in knit yardage and garments for refashioning. I spent the morning hauling it all out, sorting it, and folding it on my dining room table. I no longer have a working dining room table. I'm waiting for storage inspiration to strike for this as well.</div><br /><div>Now that I'm all depressed about my fabric hoarding and lack of storage, perhaps I should show you some progress that's happening in our house. Remember my ugly fireplace? It started out as this:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoWAR-JUgKRf8lDA4qCB5sJEcOYFRO5hstGEQeZOBkp1Yh89SGZLMBvilslkKwRBUj9tZU_micA09lsntttpe8Le4KkqLWtEHPHOruIx1CrATvW4T3eUJPkqtn_oEa364zocA_3WqQ0o/s1600/DSC_2532.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473055346866174770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoWAR-JUgKRf8lDA4qCB5sJEcOYFRO5hstGEQeZOBkp1Yh89SGZLMBvilslkKwRBUj9tZU_micA09lsntttpe8Le4KkqLWtEHPHOruIx1CrATvW4T3eUJPkqtn_oEa364zocA_3WqQ0o/s320/DSC_2532.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>and then my sweet husband added sheetrock above the fireplace (actually, it was fireboard because it's a working fireplace) to cut the ugly brick fireplace off at its knees. He also built a new mantel that's considerably deeper than the ridiculously shallow one that was there before. After mudding and sanding and mudding and staining, it now looks like this:</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcTTqWgxso2yfdmMw073Lq1EZx2SWW_E3OKbC7OamyQilM-p8zlT7Fg4yFmngdXCJLveNiELK_p3pTI2_WGQMkGyv9TRL5IBmkx8pH5wSWl-16kZvCl64s1eaf35utBDU8pSEZeM1D-8/s1600/fireplace4.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473055641571371634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcTTqWgxso2yfdmMw073Lq1EZx2SWW_E3OKbC7OamyQilM-p8zlT7Fg4yFmngdXCJLveNiELK_p3pTI2_WGQMkGyv9TRL5IBmkx8pH5wSWl-16kZvCl64s1eaf35utBDU8pSEZeM1D-8/s320/fireplace4.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>I'm totally digging the dark stain on the mantel. We'd be all done except for the decorating (see my pretty new bottle on the mantel?) except that Home Depot did a piss poor job matching the paint and now we have to repaint the rest of the room. I'm not going to think about that right now. Instead, I'll start obsessing over what to put above my new mantel.<br /><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-48875815508728419372010-05-13T13:48:00.004-05:002010-05-13T19:17:10.958-05:00It went... swimminglySo I've been absent for a while. During my little blog absence we've gone on a family vacation (will post pics tomorrow), I've finished up the semester at school (YAY summer!!), and Liv has finished up her first soccer season. All in all, a crazy busy time. <br /><br />In betwixt and between I was able to get a bit of sewing done. Nothing major - some t-shirt dresses and such for Liv. But the BIG thing I tackled was actually something not so big after all.<br /><br />Ever since I saw Dana's <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2009/07/coast-to-coast-swimwear-sew-along.html">Coast to Coast Swimwear Sew-Along</a> last year, I've been dying to try my hand at making a swimsuit for Liv. Over the past 10 months I've been reading, gathering supplies, and generally getting my nerve up. Given that a basic girls' swimsuit doesn't require much in the way of supplies, and there's actually not super a whole lot of practical nuts & bolts info out there on sewing swimwear, the bulk of that time was spent in avoidance. Thinking, planning, plotting, but not actually DOING.<br /><br />But this week, I tackled it. <br /><br />And it went.... swimmingly.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jHUBHk401fdOc5eL61LrscU0Vi0ElAxFYxHc9ESJAb4RJzNnvaPReaVMwXyOnzf8YYGqJjzVL4y7t4V4sqNMnZ74PYwNDx7T_i765jLYalgLKJL0SrXdN4iD6ICXVSjHBxfDP8cSQfY/s1600/DSC_4125.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470829321561597618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jHUBHk401fdOc5eL61LrscU0Vi0ElAxFYxHc9ESJAb4RJzNnvaPReaVMwXyOnzf8YYGqJjzVL4y7t4V4sqNMnZ74PYwNDx7T_i765jLYalgLKJL0SrXdN4iD6ICXVSjHBxfDP8cSQfY/s320/DSC_4125.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaC_XLBidHNn6U6f7fQ3q9I1uU3L1oukRMAz9cWFa8oeyGZBlyJUmUllMJCEYOhTWdXakINJrbIp_-2KbTWg3Ez1erqpBk9V17xZW2gYYVHhETLfp8yQrnsnx9YHxw-eyrhQ4y2UO57g/s1600/DSC_4126.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470829332330894418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaC_XLBidHNn6U6f7fQ3q9I1uU3L1oukRMAz9cWFa8oeyGZBlyJUmUllMJCEYOhTWdXakINJrbIp_-2KbTWg3Ez1erqpBk9V17xZW2gYYVHhETLfp8yQrnsnx9YHxw-eyrhQ4y2UO57g/s320/DSC_4126.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The edges all have contrast binding with cotton-wrapped elastic on the inside for stability. I'm not so happy with the top where all the binding comes together with the straps. With all of that elastic sandwiched, I couldn't get anything to lay down smoothly. <br /><br />I couldn't find any information about how to transition from binding the edge to wrapping the binding around the elastic. I couldn't get a smooth finish where the edge binding met up with the straps, so I finally just stitched it all down ugly covered the top with a strip of black that I pulled really taut. A band-aid fix, literally.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PeOgBU2uuAwqa01bvxPJ0A-crGg0lc6ZFMlNnfjxGFs14ZRSvAI959jbdg6kx8egSy2IHakya5WNbm-jIhSHT_yfw80v5i7aKzZwQ2JDaH5-l9M99IoFEgJHw4MuGB-fMFJM2DfP2eo/s1600/DSC_4128.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470829334710736610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PeOgBU2uuAwqa01bvxPJ0A-crGg0lc6ZFMlNnfjxGFs14ZRSvAI959jbdg6kx8egSy2IHakya5WNbm-jIhSHT_yfw80v5i7aKzZwQ2JDaH5-l9M99IoFEgJHw4MuGB-fMFJM2DfP2eo/s320/DSC_4128.JPG" /></a><br /><br />I tried it on Liv tonight and it fits to a tee! I'm so giddy from my bathing suit success that it's taking every ounce of self-control to keep me from spending down my entire bank account on spandex for future bathing suits. <br /><div><div><div></div><br /><br /><div>Toodles,</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-14718216181974204302010-04-16T21:43:00.008-05:002010-04-16T22:25:21.100-05:00Rummage sale finds and fireplace progressI realize that I've started grouping two random topics together in my titles. That's because I get a bit lazy (or maybe it's busy?) and forget to blog about things right after they happen. And so when I do get time to sit down and blog, I usually have a few saved up. Tonight the two items are my rummage sale finds and the progress on the fireplace redo.<br /><br />Even though my fabric stash runneth over, I couldn't resist the siren song of spring rummage sales. I allowed myself to go to two sales last week, which was all kinds of self control because yard sales were all over the city that week, people. The first was mainly clothes and everything was priced as "fill a bag for $5". And fill a bag I did. With books and old t-shirts for refashioning. At the second, it seems that not everyone was on the same page with the pricing structure. But I dug around and found the cheapie t-shirts, as well as some vinyl make-up- bags at 10 cents each. I plan on cutting the vinyl into applique shapes for t-shirts and such.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaBUyccQXIHvK9uCNeBQgGTWt7eaw2nFJWIHDUSsQ5xqXla0euvYdHM4Opno43TO44mUCkRKOQ8_B_ftxYooIM1RU3WvdI8TezcgiNTlJbh3wYfgBMYz9skneIwWirEQ-wH0W7F5iecQ/s1600/rummage3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460936701023951074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaBUyccQXIHvK9uCNeBQgGTWt7eaw2nFJWIHDUSsQ5xqXla0euvYdHM4Opno43TO44mUCkRKOQ8_B_ftxYooIM1RU3WvdI8TezcgiNTlJbh3wYfgBMYz9skneIwWirEQ-wH0W7F5iecQ/s320/rummage3.jpg" /></a><br />Three long-sleeved tees<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1NUyfNbRPbLutMJt-4sG_QBY1_AOc42SxFE5rDZcuvXO-_DUpZKz0178BIDF52XDsa2PbAVooBcj3KhHMISI-nnKezJ4U7tI3WcoguJEenibKBM1DRkPvrvQoX0OgQB5bbljcoQeM8/s1600/rummage6.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460937429560252130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1NUyfNbRPbLutMJt-4sG_QBY1_AOc42SxFE5rDZcuvXO-_DUpZKz0178BIDF52XDsa2PbAVooBcj3KhHMISI-nnKezJ4U7tI3WcoguJEenibKBM1DRkPvrvQoX0OgQB5bbljcoQeM8/s320/rummage6.jpg" /></a><br />Two sweaters<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRyFH2e5bqXm3E-ok4gxYpzrgRuzT6tFZVCj-jZ4SHAYztobTYyK2eJ-LcSILdYqVRFNk_PH4Kt9SQWrVH_qqAbUEAh7hFgZyemTWoqAAZqyCEDT129nop50vs33XsMlQQ2ivo6vvMOg/s1600/rummage1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460936686459060514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRyFH2e5bqXm3E-ok4gxYpzrgRuzT6tFZVCj-jZ4SHAYztobTYyK2eJ-LcSILdYqVRFNk_PH4Kt9SQWrVH_qqAbUEAh7hFgZyemTWoqAAZqyCEDT129nop50vs33XsMlQQ2ivo6vvMOg/s320/rummage1.jpg" /></a><br />Odd strapless dress (ties in the back)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4ABjiMXN-3XjUahqKTyVIdUYvaFXmBuhqhjA6T15w-f1XYFNSvYRUTGYlzZ9v8WXxUr1FrYaAdKvnn2hKlOgWmXFrYdYHlj4-166BO9afVRVmItC3aqJSKVOCrAM2515ikVWMCyhrvc/s1600/rummage5.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460937420691131154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4ABjiMXN-3XjUahqKTyVIdUYvaFXmBuhqhjA6T15w-f1XYFNSvYRUTGYlzZ9v8WXxUr1FrYaAdKvnn2hKlOgWmXFrYdYHlj4-166BO9afVRVmItC3aqJSKVOCrAM2515ikVWMCyhrvc/s320/rummage5.jpg" /></a><br />Ugly chenille sweater (to make swiffer cloths)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskyXPixVc4HwF6M8JkHHLJrScBj_RTTPnUdsDJuIFPbrt5R6uc_kB7QaHL7rraoqWhKHcX4SmW3s107tUpCPLS5QUm5l7D3zfXiSI3JCFaPOalbwQEMzHCXaBnpP5M6e8d3wQ1sxrRGI/s1600/rummage2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460936700644072274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskyXPixVc4HwF6M8JkHHLJrScBj_RTTPnUdsDJuIFPbrt5R6uc_kB7QaHL7rraoqWhKHcX4SmW3s107tUpCPLS5QUm5l7D3zfXiSI3JCFaPOalbwQEMzHCXaBnpP5M6e8d3wQ1sxrRGI/s320/rummage2.jpg" /></a><br />An assortment of short-sleeved tees and tanks<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vwhoIN3hwTKsXdeyLphvekPc_dLsSwv3ZElsaKFutfhoTRejfE6AQ0Y3d6JiCro-jYfoq33KPtv6N77Snne_7mczfAuqfIdpN3hpfHx0wOBHpW-TicKcO0fdtN5Wf-rFe_2xw_yMU-E/s1600/rummage.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460936693412823058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vwhoIN3hwTKsXdeyLphvekPc_dLsSwv3ZElsaKFutfhoTRejfE6AQ0Y3d6JiCro-jYfoq33KPtv6N77Snne_7mczfAuqfIdpN3hpfHx0wOBHpW-TicKcO0fdtN5Wf-rFe_2xw_yMU-E/s320/rummage.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmB1BdYMn-KB6ZtsD1tAvGUGd7gqX5QZdTTN26ILMEXr7gtVpF15h85BlQWkRsWm0JH_ONg8EBXE7fkRN-69RX5hGULcUPjUt9bDqcn6cPs-BrwPZaW7tgvRQo-cST1qIUQ4FTXM3WYY/s1600/rummage4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460936712936108034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmB1BdYMn-KB6ZtsD1tAvGUGd7gqX5QZdTTN26ILMEXr7gtVpF15h85BlQWkRsWm0JH_ONg8EBXE7fkRN-69RX5hGULcUPjUt9bDqcn6cPs-BrwPZaW7tgvRQo-cST1qIUQ4FTXM3WYY/s320/rummage4.jpg" /></a><br />Kid-sized pajama pants with a fun scooter print<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiofV7thFKNManBpU-ib5UH0_t2mBwZbhJHeKLjkGXOJa6VXbFeCOjSuiV_96neGUjwYZiFhsqpT5aUgfGT3fwTMl9cp2t-DzU2xpQQ0NSS_FqvhBp-Xqf3H5_sNH5tqtwjHe1FZ_xzY/s1600/rummage7.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460937438465702690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiofV7thFKNManBpU-ib5UH0_t2mBwZbhJHeKLjkGXOJa6VXbFeCOjSuiV_96neGUjwYZiFhsqpT5aUgfGT3fwTMl9cp2t-DzU2xpQQ0NSS_FqvhBp-Xqf3H5_sNH5tqtwjHe1FZ_xzY/s320/rummage7.jpg" /></a><br />Vinyl make-up bags, scarves, and necklace with gold-painted wooden beads<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV3Z7i5AIUegfNCP-B_kz29SfFT3KYDNxMvq3FLQrxmQnDICBm54j5AFrJRcouWwsyQe0BHMSOvFMLzHiyDa4y-KvWFBh65HoYqHiRUTYlg_QpSNPd8Qtcs8Ux0JIDdNsruToYI4Vhj8/s1600/rummage8.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460937441762567490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV3Z7i5AIUegfNCP-B_kz29SfFT3KYDNxMvq3FLQrxmQnDICBm54j5AFrJRcouWwsyQe0BHMSOvFMLzHiyDa4y-KvWFBh65HoYqHiRUTYlg_QpSNPd8Qtcs8Ux0JIDdNsruToYI4Vhj8/s320/rummage8.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ1VNPbk_eOcJKp2UK7e6ysvzv_0C4_tsIaKMwsfay5RgUdUlkSmQK07GVNz8SrNhieJgdjpf2vvZ_qxBnUw0BB7VwqI-AQdfBgsZCeItbuc0hdSOKXkwg6q9gf8dFJ2mtyAtgOKPVdQ/s1600/rummage9.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460937447749954642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ1VNPbk_eOcJKp2UK7e6ysvzv_0C4_tsIaKMwsfay5RgUdUlkSmQK07GVNz8SrNhieJgdjpf2vvZ_qxBnUw0BB7VwqI-AQdfBgsZCeItbuc0hdSOKXkwg6q9gf8dFJ2mtyAtgOKPVdQ/s320/rummage9.jpg" /></a><br />And a stack of books - some for reading and some for crafting.<br /><br />Oh, and new short sleeved blouse for me. (not pictured because I wore it for three days this week and now it's in the laundry)<br /><br />All for a total of $6.70. I've already used some of the t-shirts to make a couple of dresses for Liv. Will post pics tomorrow.<br /><br />And now for a bit of a progress report on the fireplace.<br /><br />Mantel is built.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuQP2LDg4PmnVpb8VUqBXcMhAsLKMBnThchnjRmUu0RwmgWe0tK_50kMA3bKiikHJlfnYyn4mzuNTuab-XKs341EvQoXmMXBwj5QkqNUgddwSwE4cZ1uY93hD1X_ywSNfXmhcToC26uo/s1600/fireplace1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460941007803121426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuQP2LDg4PmnVpb8VUqBXcMhAsLKMBnThchnjRmUu0RwmgWe0tK_50kMA3bKiikHJlfnYyn4mzuNTuab-XKs341EvQoXmMXBwj5QkqNUgddwSwE4cZ1uY93hD1X_ywSNfXmhcToC26uo/s320/fireplace1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBwaFvCiDduEwmxrwh60Y-DzzA71vXqz528FcTuvJIhXEH7cdnLCJEnH2SNKPQFB4s9j7E8uj3Txay97a_fDo3j0wFt6Dz2PGEYpJA7xVnSjko40TBVOQ_X5Lkvolz9AfgIZyu0XeqC8/s1600/fireplace2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460941013909795010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBwaFvCiDduEwmxrwh60Y-DzzA71vXqz528FcTuvJIhXEH7cdnLCJEnH2SNKPQFB4s9j7E8uj3Txay97a_fDo3j0wFt6Dz2PGEYpJA7xVnSjko40TBVOQ_X5Lkvolz9AfgIZyu0XeqC8/s320/fireplace2.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sheetrock is up.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdE7NWKx3_KYB5LvT8eQ9ba3qsJsc1zhhy3WUETiUxosKeSgra5kRU8wbsemaRwtuV2sszNhbPEZqx0-8QqRZHrH3fI7aH_5bseypR3n1Wikwf50WxZs8hkpzpuuCFDkffzVRKlHbykU/s1600/fireplace3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460941022188289778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdE7NWKx3_KYB5LvT8eQ9ba3qsJsc1zhhy3WUETiUxosKeSgra5kRU8wbsemaRwtuV2sszNhbPEZqx0-8QqRZHrH3fI7aH_5bseypR3n1Wikwf50WxZs8hkpzpuuCFDkffzVRKlHbykU/s320/fireplace3.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I'm loving it already! This weekend we'll have to finish floating the sheetrock and then paint the wall above the fireplace to match the walls around. After that, I get to bust out the chalkboard paint to give the wall NEXT to the fireplace a bit of a redo. and then... and then... and then...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><div><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-51018786811352878682010-04-14T13:02:00.003-05:002010-04-14T13:24:23.860-05:00The beginning of a BIG projectThere is a long brick fireplace/heart that cuts across the corner of my dining room. Odd, I know. The room used to be a den but in made more sense to the layout of our house to use it as a dining room. And the idea of a fireplace in the dining room is really kind of neat to me. A fireplace says come in, sit down, warm up, have a good meal. It has kind of an old timey farmhouse charm that's a natural pairing for a dining room.<br /><br />Except not THIS fireplace. It's loooong and it's ugly. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j87i7XusRLUCgQGbjP6X0F_U-6pVv2h0gt0OMIgg3ft-h7UlKOMag0kMXuniyUOtE-5CsxSKpnqpv7RnW71V6IDFjiCuIoXRYwM0GEU_EteNem9IqkG_-WYlggm8YA-rO11gtfscWYI/s1600/DSC_2531.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460056262973947282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j87i7XusRLUCgQGbjP6X0F_U-6pVv2h0gt0OMIgg3ft-h7UlKOMag0kMXuniyUOtE-5CsxSKpnqpv7RnW71V6IDFjiCuIoXRYwM0GEU_EteNem9IqkG_-WYlggm8YA-rO11gtfscWYI/s320/DSC_2531.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The brick is somehow simultaneously busy, blah, and dark. The floor-to-ceiling aspect overwhelms and makes the whole room feel dark. There are so many colors in the brick it's impossible to put anything in front of it and have the items stand out. And what you can't see from the photo is how narrow the mantel is. It's only 7 inches deep. But it's easily 10 feet long. So whenever I see pictures in decorating magazines and on DIY blogs with these beautiful, creative, colorful mantelscapes, I can love them from a distance but know that they will be impossible to replicate in my own home on my long, skinny, ugly fireplace.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokS5ORoxiU_MYbH-FKJIOXjIv0XY3ceahsrW25uos3GOuEMq1A2YInYBcGd8yWwrvIqeRMIFovklfVM_fRNKZIQh8CfkSMakxXp4KV4pWIPxJvDoAcmFAeUDeQbkfvidNtDdMZhJMR54/s1600/DSC_2532.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460056272142892738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokS5ORoxiU_MYbH-FKJIOXjIv0XY3ceahsrW25uos3GOuEMq1A2YInYBcGd8yWwrvIqeRMIFovklfVM_fRNKZIQh8CfkSMakxXp4KV4pWIPxJvDoAcmFAeUDeQbkfvidNtDdMZhJMR54/s320/DSC_2532.JPG" /></a><br /><br />It's only taken 13 years, but we've finally come up with a solution! YAY!!! My original plan was to paint the brick, but sweet husband says he doesn't want to do something that can't be undone. I'm thinking, "When would I EVER want this brick again?" But since sweet hubby lives at this house (and is doing most of the work), I found another solution. <br /><br />Instead of painting the brick, the plan is to nail sheetrock above the fireplace so that it looks just like the walls on either side and effectively cutting the fireplace off at its knees. That will solve the looming dark aspect. And to solve the long, skinny mantel problem the plan is to create a larger mantel that will fit around the original. Work has already begun. I can't wait until it's all done!!<br /><div><div></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-48456656563256704232010-04-12T08:41:00.012-05:002010-04-12T09:50:41.520-05:00Scrapbooking, Baby Kitty's quilt, and moreI've been busy in my studio this weekend, though not with sewing. Every now and then I get bit with the scrapbooking bug. So Friday I cleared my schedule and cleaned off my sewing table. In place of the cutting mat, I got out my paper cutter and stacks and stacks of pretty paper. (I hoard scrapbooking paper, too. Sad....)<br /><br /> I don't know that any of the pages I made were showstoppers, but they are DONE. Done and behind plastic page protectors in Liv's scrapbooks. She's always so excited when I make new pages in her book.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD4XQ8kijvT6tlhBGl_tcRJ21L6HUAe-bLRMjW-xSLm443KljdlGKNgcKVoRY9QOzOEjjTyLhxDhwVBCX-8AdaUbMvZNAS6DjA_kUxEThhP-K9ATAgpTiIkc2OGDxQUFq3PwZtvwusbA/s1600/DSC_2539.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 308px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459262462930235394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD4XQ8kijvT6tlhBGl_tcRJ21L6HUAe-bLRMjW-xSLm443KljdlGKNgcKVoRY9QOzOEjjTyLhxDhwVBCX-8AdaUbMvZNAS6DjA_kUxEThhP-K9ATAgpTiIkc2OGDxQUFq3PwZtvwusbA/s320/DSC_2539.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iszRrKSDMwsumAI8BIAyKcvwprtVgPlHlnkDb51eEPXx18kVz2SLNIpRPC7KLpqerrS5Ix4vGTDFLm0osbQnoBEFcAriNBP4Z4fYONYmUju8wOgb8OxbKnROnX2TwhMutkQcW_E4mRQ/s1600/DSC_2543.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459262467549398946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iszRrKSDMwsumAI8BIAyKcvwprtVgPlHlnkDb51eEPXx18kVz2SLNIpRPC7KLpqerrS5Ix4vGTDFLm0osbQnoBEFcAriNBP4Z4fYONYmUju8wOgb8OxbKnROnX2TwhMutkQcW_E4mRQ/s320/DSC_2543.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzO4rpsMisI3U57m35L0MdkKDA6TxFXNx77xBKZiwDM6G-D0R8tV5WaLhFlNUt606pXKVH5GSA3CeaSNL1BztAImkCaYVm5Tjmlm2W6x25izYeKeL09iYGPuXRAHxrOY5hsqPTebCl4w/s1600/DSC_2548.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 310px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459262485223927298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzO4rpsMisI3U57m35L0MdkKDA6TxFXNx77xBKZiwDM6G-D0R8tV5WaLhFlNUt606pXKVH5GSA3CeaSNL1BztAImkCaYVm5Tjmlm2W6x25izYeKeL09iYGPuXRAHxrOY5hsqPTebCl4w/s320/DSC_2548.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqkBjjWk0FqYNkAvODMz-VPMOdpigg9EmGHEyJvnYINClsXDfxweezAbYUoxFea_l4ym2jPcbfrOdmTgXEKMItNE8N-ThZyZQ4zOg2At7SwuGEPH6Xp_kFLgz9HytEEXTRDpmxySW6Yw/s1600/DSC_2547.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 313px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459262476480413362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqkBjjWk0FqYNkAvODMz-VPMOdpigg9EmGHEyJvnYINClsXDfxweezAbYUoxFea_l4ym2jPcbfrOdmTgXEKMItNE8N-ThZyZQ4zOg2At7SwuGEPH6Xp_kFLgz9HytEEXTRDpmxySW6Yw/s320/DSC_2547.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4JMF_1P4QA-ss4vfmLDIpbpoo1hFtZYnv1PlBE91IV3Pcl01t0FnEdPCnHfs_cvoy9DRIFLwG5NjX7yoOJFIYl4NtsyIs4G0JJXLFB1tktKh_J4jAr2UF5CHSZXgv4iHVqkKRBycdqM/s1600/DSC_2546.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 317px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459262474234242626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4JMF_1P4QA-ss4vfmLDIpbpoo1hFtZYnv1PlBE91IV3Pcl01t0FnEdPCnHfs_cvoy9DRIFLwG5NjX7yoOJFIYl4NtsyIs4G0JJXLFB1tktKh_J4jAr2UF5CHSZXgv4iHVqkKRBycdqM/s320/DSC_2546.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>And while I've got you here, I gotta share what my little girl made last night. The lead-up to the project went a little something like this:<br /></div><br /><div>"Mama, can I make a quilt for baby kitty?"</div><br /><div>"uhhh...." (That's me, trying to work up the energy to tackle a sewing project with her instead of finishing up the last of the scrapbook pages.)</div><br /><div>"Pleeeease!"</div><br /><div>"uhhh.... Well.... I'm in the middle of something."</div><br /><div>"Pleeease!! Baby kitty needs a quilt. And it would be really small."</div><br /><div>"uhhh.... How about when I finish your scrapbook page?"</div><br /><div>"...and I can make it myself. And I'll use the fabric out of my own stash."</div><br /><div>And that last statement sealed the deal. The little girl has her own fabric stash, but just like her mama she has hoarding tendencies that have prevented her from cutting into any of her gorgeous fabrics. So when she offered to actually USE her fabrics, I couldn't say no.</div><br /><div>And unlike previous sewing projects where I let my perfectionist tendencies take over, I decided that I'd take her at her word and let her do this completely on her own. She chose the fabrics. She did the cutting, the design, the sewing, the everything. I take that back. I did do the fusible webbing kitty patch. That whole hot-iron thing.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f_G77Xv405UKf4eTMVGWqzVGNewnpcXb-HtxJABITlcbrhQFPllJBn5JNAM16dOpQFngQ1Ke_D4VdYKZ7tXCpNbWwHBsvRkKw97r6hpfq58tbhFNF6CYmp7D__tt0EnI7kPjbQhE8_I/s1600/DSC_2534.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459250321735269442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f_G77Xv405UKf4eTMVGWqzVGNewnpcXb-HtxJABITlcbrhQFPllJBn5JNAM16dOpQFngQ1Ke_D4VdYKZ7tXCpNbWwHBsvRkKw97r6hpfq58tbhFNF6CYmp7D__tt0EnI7kPjbQhE8_I/s320/DSC_2534.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Q-_eGFXtue5b7zFRgOG29DE_iL-JdwumCKxv-8zKGgtrovQAxW_dFY4_kP59DAD5-mn3XGEoKr4FreHYgktd8vB-ElmdkbHBYiLZ0epfnmyZ5y6ZgY2fdXC6a2UygyQtLUVBVE9ItmQ/s1600/DSC_2537.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459250304841757826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Q-_eGFXtue5b7zFRgOG29DE_iL-JdwumCKxv-8zKGgtrovQAxW_dFY4_kP59DAD5-mn3XGEoKr4FreHYgktd8vB-ElmdkbHBYiLZ0epfnmyZ5y6ZgY2fdXC6a2UygyQtLUVBVE9ItmQ/s320/DSC_2537.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><p>I could see her confidence increase stitch by stitch, piece by piece as it all came together. The result was a far-from-perfect little bit of fabric scraps sewn together. The fabrics were just layered and stitched, no right-sides-together going on there. The seams are crooked and the threads untrimmed. The sides are wonky and the edges raw. But it's all her own work, her own vision, her own little sewing triumph.</p></div><div>She's written up her own blog post about her project over at her blog, <a href="http://oliviacoolshow.blogspot.com/">Cool Show by Olivia</a>. Just like her sewing project, the blog post is all her own - phonetic spelling and all. <a href="http://oliviacoolshow.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-is-my-babykitty.html">See her post here</a>.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlzIx97YMIWIkzbZNrKdT1gI0-rQIIyIWFkBX-gkkCkHxVMx8ww5JtUDSJTQn2HwLywAXQqtRpu-gugD15GpLY25ohL3CH760UKUQtljpEz29NXwPzENxG3qK_4mbJFsv-6_sChtp_Js/s1600/DSC_2533.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459250315517246594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlzIx97YMIWIkzbZNrKdT1gI0-rQIIyIWFkBX-gkkCkHxVMx8ww5JtUDSJTQn2HwLywAXQqtRpu-gugD15GpLY25ohL3CH760UKUQtljpEz29NXwPzENxG3qK_4mbJFsv-6_sChtp_Js/s320/DSC_2533.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>(Baby Kitty snuggling under her quilt.)</div><br /><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-26792206576940182782010-04-07T20:12:00.004-05:002010-04-07T20:44:47.510-05:00Another t-shirt for meSo when I created my sweater-to-scoopneck tank the other day, I cut the v-neck band off of the blue sweater. I don't know if it's a sign of thriftiness or mental disorder, but I save the collars and cuffs and pockets and button plackets and necklines from garments I cut up for fabric or refashion into other items. I have a shoebox full of them just waiting for the right project.<br /><br />Today, I made use of the neck band from the sweater. See?<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfx-ImOlMHF3gjcBvI_eYl4GySNYxvX0IwE0_aOA3vWB9yeH3kZMUtgaMptysMOcdiDgO6opHB4WKozBnidwQN1EDO7TZAIn9E7gppB_3qKcmXzMcPr1eoD8W7o6HQ0D0hP1IB66qytw/s1600/DSC_2511_edited.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 208px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457568971683926514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfx-ImOlMHF3gjcBvI_eYl4GySNYxvX0IwE0_aOA3vWB9yeH3kZMUtgaMptysMOcdiDgO6opHB4WKozBnidwQN1EDO7TZAIn9E7gppB_3qKcmXzMcPr1eoD8W7o6HQ0D0hP1IB66qytw/s320/DSC_2511_edited.jpg" /></a></div><div> <p></div><div>I made a fitted tee from some brown knit I had on hand and then stitched the sweater banding down to create a neat v-neck detail. That sounds awfully simple, doesn't it?</div><div> <p> </div><div>Actually, it was a bit more complicated than that. First of all, I had to be sure that the neckline I cut out of the brown tee was the same size as the v-neck band, since the sweater band was a closed circle. This involved first cutting the neckline really small (like, the same as the back of the tee), folding it in half to find the perfect middle, lining up the sweater neck band so that the point of the V was exactly at the middle of the t-shirt, and then pinning up and around. After it was all pinned, I marked the top edge of the neckline, removed the sweater band I worked so hard to pin down evenly, and then cut the neckline slightly larger than the line I had marked. I made it slightly larger to be sure that there would be no brown t-shirt peeking out.</div><div><p> </div><div>I decided at this point that the colors were a bit drab. To add a bit of "pop", I cut long strips of cranberry red rib knit and ruffled one edge. I stitched them down around the neckline of the shirt before I -once again- pinned the sweater band down very carefully and very evenly. Finally, I stitched all the way around the edge of the sweater band to attach it permanently. </div><div><p> </div><div>Voila!</div><div><p> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeZUFPVaML8Nxt8N_5EUM0uZ7qxkZgR_a7jrMl2Jbs4dc5xoWJBwBDg9ySGWFdnby-5NejyhCBVa6c3tbEdoDAgPvQ_eY5Mqc_FtcoTYuai9-ky9hcUeDGdnJvW_lsFWeslqlzDUzsWg/s1600/DSC_2522.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457568977849308290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeZUFPVaML8Nxt8N_5EUM0uZ7qxkZgR_a7jrMl2Jbs4dc5xoWJBwBDg9ySGWFdnby-5NejyhCBVa6c3tbEdoDAgPvQ_eY5Mqc_FtcoTYuai9-ky9hcUeDGdnJvW_lsFWeslqlzDUzsWg/s320/DSC_2522.JPG" /></a><br /></div><p><div>And because I can't get pictures of me without also taking some pictures of Liv...</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwlj10-ot-DFm4RUqD8EphNAeQt1fkbuj9vMTpTXlyeCI0MA4FFBk9m8b9S1TzlYWNdW9t9u4Ny910G44eRsrZ__hHLOKwOss4U0b4HH8Zje2SIekTDR3Ic1HVFRsWDZJpGOkrAcoQww/s1600/eyes_seventies.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 569px; HEIGHT: 366px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457568983091682898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwlj10-ot-DFm4RUqD8EphNAeQt1fkbuj9vMTpTXlyeCI0MA4FFBk9m8b9S1TzlYWNdW9t9u4Ny910G44eRsrZ__hHLOKwOss4U0b4HH8Zje2SIekTDR3Ic1HVFRsWDZJpGOkrAcoQww/s320/eyes_seventies.jpg" /></a><br /><br />LOVE those big eyes!!!<br /><br /></div><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-81024261225044323302010-04-05T22:20:00.004-05:002010-04-05T22:34:47.277-05:00Getting my sewing mojo backMan, that last project really threw me! <a href="http://casseroleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/dress-that-nearly-kicked-my-butt.html">The Dress That Nearly Kicked My Butt</a> totally zapped my sewing mojo. Everything - from cutting the thing out to binding the apron edges to making the casings - ended up far more difficult than it needed to be. The floral print was so ravelly, the elastic was so cheap it rolled all over itself, and then my measurements were apparently not as accurate as they needed to be.<br /><br />All of that had me hiding out from my sewing room, until a few days ago. I got my feet wet with some little covered felt brooches. (Still haven't glued the pinbacks on them.)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTdqzEcVO91Y4cjky2lP4Htt5TJoVUSPSE9PzX8tQUCz9HzYokpdzHveGxbI-ZvTwSkUgdQCFgTTPm7phMOY8A8F5JsGIEGm6USDn-xgnmckQbC4UurR8kblJY_BqbbCN-H5uGUIDrvg/s1600/DSC_2351.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456861263671514146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTdqzEcVO91Y4cjky2lP4Htt5TJoVUSPSE9PzX8tQUCz9HzYokpdzHveGxbI-ZvTwSkUgdQCFgTTPm7phMOY8A8F5JsGIEGm6USDn-xgnmckQbC4UurR8kblJY_BqbbCN-H5uGUIDrvg/s320/DSC_2351.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Then today I got the nerve to finally cut into an old sweater of mine. It had short sleeves and a deep V-neck so it really wasn't practical for winter wear. But the steely blue always seemed too drab for spring. And it's worn out and a bit too big for me since last year's mondo weight loss.<br /><br /><br />So today I cut the sleeves off and reshaped the v-neck into a scoop neck. I then bound the edges with a cranberry red rib knit. I'm especially proud of how there's no buckling at the neck or sleeve. This was one stretchy sweater!! I used <a href="http://omi-creates.blogspot.com/2010/02/baby-boy-onesie-with-binding-tutorial.html">Naomi's binding technique</a>, but I moved the seam in so that there was a 1/2" seam allowance. I think this helped control the buckling.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlxjuDxHagQF6hvdYuYb_eltROK4CM8xgxUy_ODvySeAFY883CMDYKwW8TxmjnDmzGk2on6xmTD2bst_T364m1Yy6YuCmjvXxmxsnVe4EwaaotQFivEKgtw5rkYjKuRbldMYHyyWQQ2Q/s1600/DSC_2497+copy.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 215px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456861249332661842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlxjuDxHagQF6hvdYuYb_eltROK4CM8xgxUy_ODvySeAFY883CMDYKwW8TxmjnDmzGk2on6xmTD2bst_T364m1Yy6YuCmjvXxmxsnVe4EwaaotQFivEKgtw5rkYjKuRbldMYHyyWQQ2Q/s320/DSC_2497+copy.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP8WTRospm-qPNVR_ox8jM9NIOHj73TjW7r9gi7xU8SZgbq1dTg57YFYqOYnx68Wn7cmbcmjFzqstJ-2jafW2oUY2GBYKXLJM-iLenDcBClxnvz9o-jYw0ayXejJPX7StWszfK4egHYg/s1600/DSC_2500+copy.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 237px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456861257860967938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP8WTRospm-qPNVR_ox8jM9NIOHj73TjW7r9gi7xU8SZgbq1dTg57YFYqOYnx68Wn7cmbcmjFzqstJ-2jafW2oUY2GBYKXLJM-iLenDcBClxnvz9o-jYw0ayXejJPX7StWszfK4egHYg/s320/DSC_2500+copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I'm lovin' my new shirt!!<br /><br /><br />Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984565117890016321.post-26509965267661882742010-04-01T20:33:00.004-05:002010-04-01T21:14:46.587-05:00The dress that nearly kicked my buttSo this is the dress that nearly kicked my butt. A simple raglan-sleeved gathered dress with elastic at the waist. There was nothing about it that should have been difficult, it was just. one . of. those. projects.<br /><br />You know, the ones where everything that could go wrong, does? I won't list all the frustrations and things that went south, but let me tell you it was every step of the way. The kicker was the end when Liv tried on the dress and I realized that it was very nearly too small. We'll get to wear it for about 2 weeks before it becomes a hand-me-down.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhqRB_VW7UpcsMn6PZ7VMvNOucFDOcjr2n4ZqArER4C47pIP_n9-20CGavw8AjV2A3hAOw8tVbTDUBvTRX_pQP1elb3Qljfm3AQfMDfHVNUlSXizpFJtnSWCo8bFS8Qc6JNMsVdAs0UA/s1600/DSC_2350.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455347381730438322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhqRB_VW7UpcsMn6PZ7VMvNOucFDOcjr2n4ZqArER4C47pIP_n9-20CGavw8AjV2A3hAOw8tVbTDUBvTRX_pQP1elb3Qljfm3AQfMDfHVNUlSXizpFJtnSWCo8bFS8Qc6JNMsVdAs0UA/s320/DSC_2350.JPG" /></a><br /><br />I don't know if you can see in the picture, but the ruffles at the bottoms of the sleeves are the same fabric as the skirt.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzNOFs439bvC5lqUf1Cz6riqN4Yz6tfZeC9EybOY6ySm6EwYDTw3o_JxuN3ebCuDRNlY3O2N2VmFhxGa7u6hsnJA4THMdbw7wrbx59kcGgqya_UbqWM0c6rrrFVCbUtmkP7jwPazJZvU/s1600/DSC_2349.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455347376441202146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzNOFs439bvC5lqUf1Cz6riqN4Yz6tfZeC9EybOY6ySm6EwYDTw3o_JxuN3ebCuDRNlY3O2N2VmFhxGa7u6hsnJA4THMdbw7wrbx59kcGgqya_UbqWM0c6rrrFVCbUtmkP7jwPazJZvU/s320/DSC_2349.JPG" /></a><br /><br />A very solemn pose. I promise that Liv really did like the dress. It just turned out that the only time to get a picture of her wearing it was right before she left to go to school. At 7:00 in the morning. Check out the rainbow ankle socks and black sneakers. Niiiiiice.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisy90hQCdq2cln8JIO6zMvtUKApJuHtCjdMUCN-MjMdXZNbDUPXadvmNJuL8MEngXJQATPscGv7dRZcrQRvLZ7jSO2IiQXjFJJOLcyvPTsZnhxD1rlRW4REQl5q8MGIEwfLEt6NjLo934/s1600/DSC_2348.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 271px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455347375736043442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisy90hQCdq2cln8JIO6zMvtUKApJuHtCjdMUCN-MjMdXZNbDUPXadvmNJuL8MEngXJQATPscGv7dRZcrQRvLZ7jSO2IiQXjFJJOLcyvPTsZnhxD1rlRW4REQl5q8MGIEwfLEt6NjLo934/s320/DSC_2348.JPG" /></a><br /><br />See the little applique on the apron? And the black and white gingham check bias trim?<br /><br /><br /><div><div>Toodles,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/335/7BD125E5CEC8892D199B9BE2D488EA43.png" /></a></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317150870888315110noreply@blogger.com1