Currently Watching:
Carnivale
LOTR:Two Towers

Currently Cooking:
Meatballs and sauce


Currently Making:
Milk Carton Candles

Comics! Next up: The flute playing pig makes candles-pending (see above)

Appliqué goodness for an upcoming craft swap

Currently Thinking of Making:
Christmas Cards
Tassels
Pillow shams and a Dust ruffle
Vintage Aprons

Currently: September 29, 2003

Had a fabulous visit with the parents!....It feels like I have been away forever. Mom brought lots of my crap she has been storing including all of my old Sesame Street records (Grover Sings the Blues) and two of my grandma's old sewing kits. It was fun to go through them and see all of the treasures. We found a metal contraption that looks like some sort of an instrument of torture, but Mom informed me it was a lace maker.

One site she and I found that I think I am going to buy some patterns from is Simple Folk. This site has frames, but my favorite patterns are some of the dolls by Netty La Croix:



This is a kitty and a bull named Buster that I especially love. There are some great patterns for Halloween and Christmas items she makes as well. Go to Patterns on the side bar-->Dolls-->Netty La Croix. Actually, check out all of the doll pattern makers...they are all pretty cool. It's interesting to me that a lot of the folk art craft features crows. I have never really seen that before and it seems like a great Halloween/fall theme. I always think of the standard witch, monsters, ghosts and so on...but I think I am now enamored with the crow.




September 23, 2003

Sorry to say there will probably be serious lack of updates this week as my parents are visiting from Wyoming! I am pretty exicted...my mom is bringing a lot of cool stuff so there will be lots to talk about and do.


September 15, 2003

Major progress on the crafting front this weekend. Despite the lamenting in my last post, I was quite productive. I am making candles at the moment, using old milk cartons as molds. I ordered the wax, the additives, and some candle dye when I first started this project last month. I wanted to make black candles, which I have made before, many many years ago so my memory of the process has been a wee bit fuzzy. I remembered that in order to get really solid, lovely, black candles I had to use a ton of dye. So, I ordered three times the amount it said to use on the package. One pellet is supposed to color one pound of wax. LIARS. I ended up dumping THREE packages containing six pellets into what I am guessing was perhaps almost one pound of wax. You would think that would be enough, but sadly it wasn't. I ended up with a beautiful dark, dark, purple candle. Nice,...but not what I was going for. I suddenly remembered the first time I made candles I used a black crayon as a colorant and it seemed to work just fine. At least in my memory it worked just fine. I ordered a box of black crayons from Dick Blick which arrived last week and I tested it out over the weekend. I am happy to report that after some trial and error (the error being me trying to melt black crayons in the microwave. Can you say "stinking smelly smoke from hell?"), I ended up with a perfectly black candle. I am planning on chronicling this candle adventure in a how-to sort of comic, so stay tuned.

I also made supreme progress on the appliqué craft swap goodness. Supreme progress being a prototype I am actually happy with. I have found that the process of turning something I have conceptualized on paper into a flesh and thread object A LOT harder than I thought it would be. I have been using J as a barometer of sorts. "It's very lovely, but I don't have any idea what that is" he'll say. I finally had to consult the Goddess of Craft (aka Mom) and she gave me some very helpful advice that solved my most pressing issues (of course). I will post the final product for all to see sometime next month after the swap is over. I don't want to ruin anyone's surprise as I know you are watching! (marcia and suzanne!)



September 10, 2003

I think I have crafter's ADD. I am all over the place these days and my attention span for each project is about one day. I need a little guardian angel to perch on my shoulder and yell "FOCUS!" when I bumble off to the storage closet to drag out something new. Or perhaps I can booby trap myself and make getting each potential project such a long drawn out pain-in-the-ass that I will give up before I start. I am lazy that way. At least I know that about myself.... that's a plus, right?

I totally fell in love with the song at the end of this past episode of Sex and the City. I found out it's Zero 7's In the Waiting Line. I am going to see if I can downlo-uh.. buy, BUY it. I am going to buy it.

Stumbled upon a FANTASTIC artist, Jen Corace the other day...through the current issue of BUST I think. Ah..yes..I remember..it was page that featured these beautiful handmade books from if'n books. Now I am off to research bookmaking...



September 9, 2003

I reeeeally want these dishes. Ooh la la..I love them so. I am not willing to pay that much money, so I will covet them from afar.

J and I ran up to the big city on Friday night to sort of celebrate my birthday (6 months late) and catch Eddie Izzard. We ate at Restaurant Zoe and it was fan-freaking-tastic. One of the best dining experiences ever. The show was hilarious, but a bit stuffy since the theater has no air-conditioning and it was hotter than Hades on Friday. We stayed at the Ace Hotel, which I had read about in an issue of Budget Living and thought that it looked rather hip. It was hip, but really disappointing. I think if you really watching your pennies and only want to spend 50-70$ to stay right downtown and you have no car and are willing to share a bathroom, then I would definitely recommend it. Otherwise, stay somewhere else. It was a super quick trip though, too quick. It already seems like forever ago.

September 5, 2003

1. Joanns had a 50% off pillow form sale this past weekend and I loaded up. This is an old-ish embroidery I had done on ivory linen,..it had been hanging out waiting to be used or thrown away or something. I backed it with a square of ivory dupioni, crammed in the pillow form and sewed it shut. I think it's a good first start to my bedroom following the inspiration page I posted about last month. The embroidery had monkeys in it originally as it was inspired by a Pottery Barn pillow but I ripped them out because I goofed up and they were lookin' a little funky. And not funky in a good way.

2. J brought home these two wine barrel halves last night and I am so excited to start planting something in them. I think one will be used for herbs, and I would like the other to eventually be a little water garden. I found this site yesterday and I can't wait to get started.



September 2, 2003

I am in awe and in love with the work of Chris Roberts-Antieau. It's been a while since art has spoken to me this way...and oh my god....Godzilla, Outerspace, Under the Table, Good Dog and Bad Dog...I could go on and on, so check out her work for yourself. I am so inspired..I need to work on my appliqué techniques.

No new banner for this month...at least not yet. I told myself I was going to make one over the weekend, but I went to the nursery and fabric store instead. I got more ground covers for the walkway and some various kinds of fabric to experiment with.

I am already starting to think about Christmas cards and Halloween preparations....I LOVE THE FALL! It's definitely my favorite season and I can't wait to see what it is like up here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.



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