blueberry eyes

I have been awful at updating this thing lately. Here is my try at making up for that.


I have been really into contact paper/packing tape transfers recently. Here is a jar I put a transfer of a smiling matchbook on. The jar contains eyes and eye backs.
If you don't have a thread shelf like that, you should think about getting one. I have one for bobbins too. I love them. They make sewing life easier.

I've been makin' and sellin' teeth. Glow teeth.
My table while makin' teeth. That sculpy clay softener stuff is awesome. You only need a few drops for a decent size chunk of dried out clay. Teeth on strings with beads. I forgot to take a picture of them packaged. oops.
This is Regina the bunny, she has beautiful blueberry eyes.



This is a sign I made for summer basketball fun that some friends have. My scanner is being difficult and won't scan the whole thing. booo, hiss.

Today I read people magazine in the lobby at the dentist office while knitting. I didn't drop a stitch or ruin my tension and I was able to turn pages without losing a having to set anything down. Hot dog! This is great. now I need to make one of those heavy snakes to hold books open.
I have been slowly reading "No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting" by Anne Macdonald. It talks about how knitting is not really a visual project to work on. Women knit in the dark all the time, or while reading. I'm on my way. While on the bus I have been looking out the window while knitting and trying to see how long I can go without looking at my hands. This is pretty exciting for me.

still no snow

Tonight I did some sewing and paper crafts. I tried out making paper pinwheels (it worked out alright). I made some little prize ribbons for Saint Valentines Day. Maybe. I always feel really ambitious about the valentines I want to make, then I get distracted and suddenly it's the 13th and I feel like forgetting about it this year. Oh well. I will at least make a few this year. Here is what I did tonight. They are cardstock paper with 1/2 inch heart shaped brass brads, and yellow felt or pink cardstock. I'm not sure what someone would do with one. I am thinking about trying to attach them to skewers so that they can be placed in a plant! Who doesn't like decorating their house plants?!!





For my sewing this evening I made two (well, one and a half, the bobbin ran out and I decided to call it quits on the sewing for the night) drawstring bags. They involve rick rack and french seams (NO RAW EDGES!)

I made a loaf of soda bread. I searched and searched on the internet for a simple simple what I had on hand recipe (I did go to the corner store for baking soda...). Here is the recipe

preheat over to 400º F

combine...

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

stir it all up. It turns into dough really quickly.
Form a round loaf, place on a greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper instead...), cut slits on the top and bake for 40 minutes. I read on some sites to rotate the bread half way through, so I did that. The loaf is nice and smallish. Perfect since I don't eat a lot of bread. I think this may be my new bread for now. I think I am done with no knead molasses bread.

OH! I have the coolest new plant. It is a mistletoe cactus. I have had it for one week. It seems like it loves living with me. Here are some pictures...


This is a wacky looking plant. I like how it looks like a funny drawing of a plant that came to life.



Do you see all those bright green finger-things poking up?! Those were about 1/4 inch when I got the plant. The plant on the left is one that a friend was throwing away because it was dying. I saved its life.

adventures in tiny cloth shoesies

I found a really basic pattern idea for booties. I thought I would experiment with it for a baby that is going to be born very soon. John and Sara, I am so excited to meet your kid.

These red ones were my first attempt. Red corduroy with polar fleece lining. They fold down easily for putting them on!
I don't know if there is a way to rotate images on here, but here are the red boots by my nice yellow wall.


I forgot that I wanted to try and document the process. I kind of failed at that anyways... BUT, here are the pieces. I ended up cutting the tops so that they dip down to the front, not the back.

I tried to sew some elastic across the top of the foot. It didn't really gather it at all, but did help form the shape of the shoe.
I made a 3rd sole piece to go between the outside and the liner, it is polar fleece and makes the bottom more formed and a little thicker (not that someone this small would be using their feet to walk)

Here they are!

Here they are with the tops folded down.

Hopefully the baby won't have super long feet. If these are too small I will just make more. This project is so simple and cute I will probably be making a lot more anyways. I would like to make some bigger ones, like for kids or adults. I wonder if making fabric paint dots on the bottom would help keep them from slipping on hard floors.