tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8546170966391683102023-11-16T03:13:54.976-08:00Life, Love & CraftingI'm a full-time mother of two with a full-time career and a passion for crafting. This blog will be a mix of work, home and crafting trials and tribulations.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-63026713635884668272015-01-09T16:05:00.000-08:002015-01-09T16:05:39.713-08:00TransitionsWow - it's been nearly 2 years since I last posted here. I have been crafting, though not as often as I was nor as often as I would like. Life has just gotten busier, priorities shifted. There's more to do, less time, and less energy. So crafting and blogging were low on the priorities list. <div>
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During the past two years, my crafting has gotten leaner. I haven't done a class project in quite a while. My daughter's class is made up of two 20 children classes and my son just started kindergarten so instead of just making 20- 24 items, it's now 60-64 items. So it's quite a bit more daunting. After burning out on lots of Christmas projects and burning the midnight oil from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I decided to dial back the craft ideas. Trying to keep them simple and easy so I can enjoy that special time of year and not be a scrooge. </div>
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But I have been crafting. Lot's of knitting, which I like because I can do it while watching TV or while on long car rides. The last couple of years I've taken Ikea Lack-type tables and done beautiful photo collages and sealed them with epoxy. This past Christmas I took plane white dollar store mugs and used oil based markers and dishwasher safe Modpodge to write a saying on them and included packets of hot cocoa. So still crafting, still being creative, just more judicious in the time spent and the projects chosen. </div>
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I've been focusing more on career development. I have found a great space working in palliative care and truly believe in what we do. It's what all of medicine should be - listening to not only patients' hearts beat, but also what makes them beat. What part of a patient's life gives them joy, gives them the will to live? What do they need to feel productive, needed, to feel alive? And how can we help them attain those goals. Healthcare, before and after Affordable Care Act, is driven by insurance reimbursement, which pushes medical providers to provide care in less time, or worse things, in order to make ends meet. We take the focus off of the disease and refocus on what it will take for our patients to have the best quality of life possible, with whatever time they have left.</div>
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Currently, I'm part secretary, part program coordinator, part program development. And I'm the only one really, other than my boss, to do administrative work for the practice. I like having a pulse on our patients. Being the one to triage their calls and e-mails, but we are growing so much that I can't focus on the other part I like - the creating, the developing, the innovating. Not to mention I also feel like I don't have all the skills to fully participate. So I am looking into graduate programs and other ways to grow professionally and hopefully, grow here in this current location. </div>
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This focus on career, though,has been a large part of the decline in my blogging. I want to continue writing, but I want to expand my focus to beyond crafting and life at home. I want to engage in writing about palliative care and healthcare issue as well as my latest craft project and parenting trials and tribulations. I'm not a particularly articulate or eloquent writer but I hope to improve with experience. </div>
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2015 - with only 9 days to your name, there is so much potential! Insanity by Crafting no longer serves that potential. This blog needs a new name to go with the new, broader focus. When we meet again, it will be under a new name.</div>
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Happy New Year!! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-65614935760514932202013-02-16T10:56:00.000-08:002013-02-16T10:56:07.890-08:00The Insanity Never EndsSo much for blogging last year. There just was too much going on professionally, educationally and personally to write. I don't know how others do it - I can't seem to find time to craft consistently, much less take beautiful pictures and blog about each project. The biggest issue is probably organization and time management and my eyes just are too big for my hands - I want to do it all and keep adding last minute "easy" projects at the 11th hour. And overall, raising two kids, working fulltime, keeping house (rather poorly), crafting and also finding me time is challenging.<br />
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This past fall was a flurry of numerous projects. I made photo cubes (5 sets), paper covered pencils, paper covered composition books, candle holders, washi taped decorated mini binder clips, crocheted feely hearts, photo canvases, and tile necklaces. Also put together a 500 piece Thomas Kincade puzzle that's shaped like a wreath, ie no straight edges and mod podged and framed it. The kids also painted on 4x5 canvases and made salt dough ornaments. <br />
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This was probably the first year that I pretty much finished all my intended projects and then some, so it was quite a success. However, by time Christmas came I was exhausted and stressed and sleeping only about 4 hours a night. So like every January, I was spent and just wanted to veg out. Unfortunately, my little bear got sick right as my winter vacation started and got better right after New Years, in time for us to enjoy a trip to Disneyland. Then when we got back, the day before school was to start, both my Nana Bear and I caught the same bug and were out of commission for a whole week. So not really any rest for the weary. <br />
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To top it all off, I had organized a baby shower for 3 of my co-workers that was the Sunday after I got sick. Luckily I started feeling well by Saturday and was able to modify my ideas and shop for what was needed. I pushed myself a little too hard that day, but the baby shower was great fun and successful. The trend on pinterest seemed to be DIY onesies and everyone loved doing them. The favors were not creative - different valentines candy, but at least there were favors. <br />
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My resolution for the new year is to start my Christmas gift projects sooner. My goal is to start in February or March and do one or two projects a month. I've been pursuing Pinterest and the net for great ideas and started a google doc spreadsheet to keep them all logged. My theme this year seems to be bath and body products, which I haven't done before, and kid driven projects. Now that they are getting older each year they are able to help more and more. So far my list is as follows (and not necessarily just for Christmas):<br />
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1. <a href="http://foodformyfamily.com/manic-organic/rosemary-mint-shaving-cream-homemade-gift-ideas" target="_blank">Homemade shave cream</a>: At Food for my Family, via pinterest, I saw this recipe for Rosemary Mint shave cream. My dear husband is a shave cream fanatic - very picky about what he uses, so hopefully he'll like it. I don't often make gifts for the guys so it will be nice to do so this year. Father's day or Christmas.<br />
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2. <a href="http://www.sewcando.com/2013/01/tutorial-time-lets-make-lip-balm.html" target="_blank">Homemade Lip Balm</a>: I was thinking of making these for Nana Bear's class for the end of the year. And can always have some on hand stocking stuffers.<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.rumkihn.com/2012/05/bergamot-and-coconut-healing-salve.html" target="_blank">Hand Salve</a>: I know a few gardeners and thought hand salve would be nice gift for mother's day. <br />
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4. Kid made stationary: Saw lots of fun ideas on pinterest for decorating paper - <a href="http://www.idealstolife.com/2009/08/crafts-melted-crayon-art/" target="_blank">melted crayon art</a>, <a href="http://unplugyourkids.com/2009/02/02/marbelized-paper/" target="_blank">marbleized paper</a>, <a href="http://52weeksproject.com/post/27295972729/week-52-giveaway#disqus_thread" target="_blank">colored bubble art</a>, <a href="http://www.sweethappylife.com/2012/activities/preschool-activities/painting-with-watercolors-glue-and-salt/" target="_blank">Salt, paint and glue art, </a>etc. - that I can see the kids having fun doing. I may frame some of it, but I want to make stationary with it and give to the family and teachers. <br />
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5. <a href="http://52weeksproject.com/post/40482520619/paint-splattered-notebooks#disqus_thread" target="_blank">Acrylic Paint Splattered notebooks</a>: A number of my co-workers use notebooks and last year I intended to cover more composition books with paper and glitter tape for them, but didn't get a chance. This continues that them and I think I'll do a mix of paint splattered notebooks and paper covered. <br />
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6. <a href="http://maizehutton.blogspot.com/2010/04/crocheted-scrunchie-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Crocheted hair band</a>: Yarn art is still a joy - I can watch tv and crochet or knit at the same time, so I can get some time with my husband watching our favorite shows and still get some crafting done. This will be great for the cousins and girls at school.<br />
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7. <a href="http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/homemade-firestarters/" target="_blank"> Homemade Firestarters for Camping</a>: This wasn't the original site that I found this recipe, but sadly I can't seem to find the blog... The other recipe used old, broken crayons, which I plan to use, at last in part. We're a camping family so I figured these would be great, natural firestarters for camping trips. <br />
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8. <a href="http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/10/picture-frame-memory-wreath.htm" target="_blank">Family Photo Wreath</a>: I love to have personalized, family gifts and this is a great idea, taking dollar store photo frames and hanging them in a wreath.<br />
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9. <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Rubber-Origami/step9/Tie-a-ribbon/" target="_blank">Plasti-Dip Origami</a>: I found this project at Instructables. I love origami and this seems like a cool project. I see many possibilities from ornaments to jewelry. <br />
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10. <a href="http://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/" target="_blank">Skittle Flavored Vodka</a>: Because I'm still a party girl at heart...<br />
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11. <a href="http://gardentherapy.ca/seed-paper-v-day-cards/" target="_blank">Plantable Valentines</a>: After much contemplation, I decided that we would make plantable Valentines. Ecological, non-candy/sugary, yet sweet. I'm not going to cut them out into animal shapes, sticking with the traditional hearts instead. I like that she doesn't use a screen, so we'll see how this turns out.<br />
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12. <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/273591/felt-fortune-cookies?czone=holiday/valentine-center/valentine-cnt-gifts&center=276967&gallery=274866&slide=273591" target="_blank">Felt Fortune Cookies</a>: Possibly a Chinese new year craft. I think it would be cute to put lycee in this year. Of course, CNY is close to Valentine's day this year... So we'll see. I have lots of felt, so definitely a possibility. <br />
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13. <a href="http://decor8blog.com/2012/09/24/color-me-pretty-september-shades/" target="_blank">Upcycled glass vases</a>: Saw this on Pinterest and these look so clean and simple. Could use washi tape and scrapbook paper or velum. Could also use photos on velum instead. <br />
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And many, many more ideas... We'll see how much gets done, but I'm hoping that by posting the list, I'll stay the course. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-78797279725986359822012-09-12T22:41:00.004-07:002012-09-12T22:41:55.616-07:00Back to School NightTonight was Back to School Night at Nana Bear's elementary school. So far this year, I have not been as present as school as I have in past years. Nana has decided that she doesn't want me waiting with her in the mornings and now that Dare Bear is going to pre-school that is nearby the elementary school it is just as easy to just drop her off and then drop him off. But I miss chitchatting with parents or teachers before school and feel a little disconnected. <br />
<br />
So, tonight was one of the first opportunities to get a feel for the teacher. So far, he's been great - e-mailing at the end of the first week, over the weekend no less, sending out reminders for picture day, etc. BUT, of the two 2nd grade teachers, he is also the less structured teacher and when it comes to school stuff, I'm all about structure, comforted by structure. Nana, however, has been very happy and extremely excited to be in this class. <br />
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He answered a lot of good questions from the parents and in a thoughtful manner. I like his philosophy and more importantly, I think his style suits Nana well and also balances out my tendency to be strict. He raised many good points and this year will be learning experience of both Nana and I, but in a good way. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-59897336867890061092012-09-10T23:02:00.000-07:002012-09-12T22:50:40.304-07:00Photo Blocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjJptDUCvTeN6RJkHrLL3aEhxp-PpM2x8DV7tbw2ldVnPiyohNpkodjNSjZ6FP352h8AfZI-gr75BvoWOQt3LxwYnMhFULk_CL2k118iw5YQvs3YJFcnHIUHrSXypja_DQEiWSUXRmq8/s1600/DSC_3635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjJptDUCvTeN6RJkHrLL3aEhxp-PpM2x8DV7tbw2ldVnPiyohNpkodjNSjZ6FP352h8AfZI-gr75BvoWOQt3LxwYnMhFULk_CL2k118iw5YQvs3YJFcnHIUHrSXypja_DQEiWSUXRmq8/s320/DSC_3635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't remember what inspired this idea, whether it was another craft blog or photo site or if I came up with it on my own, but I've had it in my head to do for at least 3 Christmases now and I'm finally following through. As I posted yesterday, <a href="http://pickyourplum.com/">Pick Your Plum</a> ran a deal on sets of 9 - 1.5 inch wooden cubes, which after shipping came to about $6.75 a set. I had half a 16 oz bottle of Mod Podge left over from last year or the year before, finally bought a bone folder, and 21,000+ photos to choose from, so this year seemed as good as any to make some photo blocks.<br />
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Tools needed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn2ymwU6na-1hamhMmw__wKvtUuZ60cEjoW-GIFMt1KpYrlufxqDOOojGwmKG5jFrzr_bPqyBEqEzH5t7ddx9hIJZvawOb77t4XfK2eWStYpvSCWb34c8sHj1uPoenklxuFhZfPfDFM0/s1600/DSC_3787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn2ymwU6na-1hamhMmw__wKvtUuZ60cEjoW-GIFMt1KpYrlufxqDOOojGwmKG5jFrzr_bPqyBEqEzH5t7ddx9hIJZvawOb77t4XfK2eWStYpvSCWb34c8sHj1uPoenklxuFhZfPfDFM0/s320/DSC_3787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<u>Wooden cubes</u> - I was lucky enough to find these at <a href="http://pickyourplum.com/">Pick Your Plum</a>. If you have older kids, who no longer play with their blocks, you can upcycle old baby blocks. <br />
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<u>Mod Podge</u> - or other glue that drie clear. <br />
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<u>Exacto Knife</u><br />
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<u>Bone Folder</u> - for smoothing out the photos on the blocks and making sure the edges stayed down.<br />
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<u>Ruler</u><br />
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<u>Paint Brushes</u> - I usually like to use foam brushes to apply glue, but I couldn't find my supply so I used a combination for fine bristle and coarse bristle brushes. I found that I liked the texture of the coarse bristles for the top coat, but I the fine bristles were nicer to adhere the photos to the blocks.<br />
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<u>Photos</u> - Since these will be Christmas gifts for family, these are themed sets personalized to the recipient. The pyramid of cubes is the set for my sister-in-law. The wedding was a couple of years ago so I can still use pictures from the wedding for personalized gifts.<br />
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Steps:<br />
1. Choosing Your Pictures:<br />
This is the most time consuming part of the project for me. The minimum number of photos you will need is 6 (one large photo per side) and the maximum needed for a set of 9 cubes is 54 for all single photos. I like puzzles so I decided to do three large pictures (4.5 inches squared) that use each of the 9 cubes to make up the picture. On the other three sides, I would do random small pictures (1.5 inches squared). So I needed 30 photos total.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflaZwLhKuFCWbOjKFtdh-6984KfYzRt3qAytnD4TC6PIRprdwt4bBIRAMpMqWyAr38Kuk7wDMlaHv5EFnOfzA2FW2eyRFMOO1-PcMlyi7IYQyZGSnn2E3V3yrPVv5Mzf05o2dDZ6hTuA/s1600/DSC_3790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflaZwLhKuFCWbOjKFtdh-6984KfYzRt3qAytnD4TC6PIRprdwt4bBIRAMpMqWyAr38Kuk7wDMlaHv5EFnOfzA2FW2eyRFMOO1-PcMlyi7IYQyZGSnn2E3V3yrPVv5Mzf05o2dDZ6hTuA/s320/DSC_3790.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top photo is one of the large photos. As you can see the one photo is cut into 9 pieces, one for each cube. The bottom photos are 9 single photos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2. Editing and Templating:<br />
It's helpful if you create a template. Since my photo block were 3 cubes by 3 cubes, which are 1.5 inches cubed, my template was a 4.5 inch square grid, made up of 9 - 1.5 inch squares. I made the lines as skinny as possible and a dark grey and kept it in the forefront. This will help when you cut the pictures - you can still see the lines, but they don't stand out so much when you glue the pictures to the blocks. When I edited the pictures for the large pictures, I tried to avoid having eyes fall on the lines, ie become bisected by two blocks.<br />
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3. Printing and cutting:<br />
I printed on both glossy (brochure paper) and regular copy paper. I didn't want to use photo paper because I didn't want to use thick paper. I used the ruler to line up agains the grey lines of the template and used an exacto knife to cute the pictures out into 1.5 inch squares.<br />
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4. Glueing the Pictures to the block:<br />
At first I used only the coarse bristed paint brush (about 2 inches wide), but its a cheap brush and small pieces of the bristles would sometimes stick to the cube and I'd have to take it off so it would create bumps on my pictures. So I started using the fine bristled brush to coat the one side of the block with Mod Podge. I'd then place my 1.5 inch square photo on the cub, use the bone folder to smooth out the picture and apply pressure to the edges to make sure there were no dog ears. Also, if you picture is just a little to big on any side, you can use the bone folder to fold the extra paper over to the next side. <br />
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5. Top Coat:<br />
I used the coarse bristle brush to pain on a top coat of Mod Podge. When I switched to the fine bristle brush for the base coat, I found that the fine bristles did not leave as musch texture on the top coat, so I switched back to the coarse bristle brush for the top coat. I like I can feel the brush strokes on pictures, but if you want a smoother look, go with the fine bristles for the top coat.<br />
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6. Let Dry and Viola! Photo cube. Repeat 6 times per cube and you're done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEKWdc3uBsbW08GSW_M5BHvHgi2AMe8CZovsfxDEplGwd3ymJ_t1Usz23iPdrsX9ILU-g0s5weJZItAKBQ0SDmNEb24WGRQw_66YsLOOfNszRWpzG8mZk7dYzU8B9uRjPJdLkIsTGNZs/s1600/DSC_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEKWdc3uBsbW08GSW_M5BHvHgi2AMe8CZovsfxDEplGwd3ymJ_t1Usz23iPdrsX9ILU-g0s5weJZItAKBQ0SDmNEb24WGRQw_66YsLOOfNszRWpzG8mZk7dYzU8B9uRjPJdLkIsTGNZs/s320/DSC_3642.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I would do two - three sides of a set each night because I liked to let the sides dry a little before going on to the next side. You could do 5 of 6 sides one night and then the last side the next night or a few hours later. Also, I am thinking of lightly sanding the sides and apply a second coat of Mod Podge, but for now these are good enough. If I have time and think they need them, I'll apply a second coat closer to the holidays.<br />
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Later this week, maybe even tomorrow, I'll have worked out all the kinks to my candle holders and can post my tute for those.<br />
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Until then, Happy Crafting!<br />
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Check out these link parties for more inspiration:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://clarescraftroom.blogspot.com/2012/09/under-christmas-tree-15-weeks-to-go.html">Clare's Room's Under the Christmas Tree</a><br />
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<a href="http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/crafting-to-a-deadline/">Kootoyoo's My Creative Space</a><br />
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And </div>
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<a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Marvelous Mess" border="0" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-1.jpg" /></a></center>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-12640136837351087482012-09-09T22:59:00.002-07:002012-09-11T07:12:39.088-07:00It's That Time of Year AgainAfter several months of minimal crafting activity, the workshop is buzzing with activity again as the holidays approach. This year will feature less yarn work, which, while enjoyable, could be time consuming to finish one item. This year is a mod podge and kids theme with some projects for me and some projects for us.<br />
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The project list:<br />
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1. Photo Cubes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjJptDUCvTeN6RJkHrLL3aEhxp-PpM2x8DV7tbw2ldVnPiyohNpkodjNSjZ6FP352h8AfZI-gr75BvoWOQt3LxwYnMhFULk_CL2k118iw5YQvs3YJFcnHIUHrSXypja_DQEiWSUXRmq8/s1600/DSC_3635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjJptDUCvTeN6RJkHrLL3aEhxp-PpM2x8DV7tbw2ldVnPiyohNpkodjNSjZ6FP352h8AfZI-gr75BvoWOQt3LxwYnMhFULk_CL2k118iw5YQvs3YJFcnHIUHrSXypja_DQEiWSUXRmq8/s320/DSC_3635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEKWdc3uBsbW08GSW_M5BHvHgi2AMe8CZovsfxDEplGwd3ymJ_t1Usz23iPdrsX9ILU-g0s5weJZItAKBQ0SDmNEb24WGRQw_66YsLOOfNszRWpzG8mZk7dYzU8B9uRjPJdLkIsTGNZs/s1600/DSC_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEKWdc3uBsbW08GSW_M5BHvHgi2AMe8CZovsfxDEplGwd3ymJ_t1Usz23iPdrsX9ILU-g0s5weJZItAKBQ0SDmNEb24WGRQw_66YsLOOfNszRWpzG8mZk7dYzU8B9uRjPJdLkIsTGNZs/s320/DSC_3642.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pickyourplum.com/">Pick Your Plum</a> had a deal on sets of 9 - 1.5 inch wood cubes. I've been wanting to make photo cubes for a few years now, but every year that project doesn't make it to fruition, so I couldn't pass up these sets. I've completed two sets and third set is under way. There are 6 sides to each cube and for these three sets I decided that for three of the sides, the 9 blocks would create one picture and the for them remaining three sides, I would put single pictures (as pictured in the top photo).<br />
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2. Candle Holders<br />
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gHeYYKFDo_v-xuKSTkAaGY6vsdXAHOy4gTg2LVL7lVH9eEchl4I5iX5lbs1JlQPnwY8KuvN4KYnAzFsdiOJvWl59r5bhH4yfgK_oy0d9uj9_pI-cezvDDy8YGCcuQ5iMY3t-H7Y02RM/s320/FY5LJ97GW89M28P.LARGE.jpeg" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Photo-Candle-Holders/step2/null/">http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Photo-Candle-Holders/step2/null/</a></div>
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I saw this picture on Instructables. Iamkeebler had printed photos on transparent labels and wrapped it around a square votive. So this inspired me to print color photos on transparency paper and mod podge it to cylindrical votives. </div>
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The glasses that I got aren't cylindrical and the mod podge didn't dry as clear as I would have liked, so I have some tweaks to make, but overall I am happy with finished product and am learning a lot in the process. <br />
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3. Washi tape binder clips<br />
For work gifts, I wanted to find a project that was simple and cheap. I haven't played around with washi tape yet and I thought it would be nice to decorate the boring black binder clips with washi or decorative tape and if I run out of the tape, I can use paper. I've done a couple of test runs and plan on sealing them with Mod Podge.<br />
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4. Paper covered pencils, pens, and erasers<br />
For Nana Bear's classmates, I thought of covering pencils with decorative paper, possibly washi paper. On the drawing board, it's a simple project, but of course, when done in bulk, who's to say how simple it will be.<br />
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5. Mini Canvases<br />
Discount School Supply sells <a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=28699&keyword=mini%20canvas&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=">Mini Canvases with Easels</a>, 6 for ~$15.00 Nana Bear loves to paint, so I thought this would be a great project for her. Dare Bear hates to be left out, so I'm sure he'll do his share of painting as well. These will be great for the grandparents and the great-grandparents.<br />
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6. Melted Beads<br />
I saw <a href="http://www.artfulparent.com/2012/07/melted-bead-suncatcher-diy-baby-mobile.html">this</a> on <a href="http://www.oneprettything.com/">One Pretty Thing</a> a couple of weeks ago. The Artful Parent was melting pony beads and making mobiles and sun catchers with them. The kids loved helping me make the sand art candles, so I thought this would be a great project to do with them. Instead of mobiles or sun catchers, these will be ornaments and I can use the cookie cutters I bought to make the x-mas candles from the last year or two (each year's projects seem to be blurring together). I do have some concerns about the fumes from the melting plastic, so these is a maybe project. A strong maybe. I like the possibility of doing it outside on the grill, but we'll see.<br />
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My Pinterest Project board has many other projects I'd like to try, but this crafter has only so many crafting hours before Christmas, so we'll see if these list grows and contracts. I really hope to finish all the projects on this year's list as most years I get overly excited and over estimate my ability (and under estimate the time needed to finish each project). I am hoping by starting a little earlier I will get through each project. Crossing my fingers I stay sane this year.<br />
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Happy crafting!<br />
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Linked to:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://clarescraftroom.blogspot.com/2012/09/under-christmas-tree-15-weeks-to-go.html">Clare's Room's Under the Christmas Tree</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
And </div>
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<center>
<a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Marvelous Mess" border="0" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-1.jpg" /></a></center>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-71251792500958052752012-01-06T15:34:00.000-08:002012-01-06T15:34:48.593-08:00Ahhh...Ahhh.... Finished a work project that I have been diligently working on in the evenings at home and it feels good to have completed it. Still lots of other work to do, but nothing that has to be taken home, which means I can focus on cleaning up my craft supplies after the Christmas rush, complete a few outstanding projects, and then start perusing pages for new projects and start new projects!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-59636435456646394662012-01-02T23:29:00.000-08:002012-01-02T23:29:59.616-08:00New Year Resolutions for 2012On my iGoogle site, I have a page devoted to craft blogs that I follow. I can't spend as much time admiring and perusing all the wonderful projects that I come across anymore, but I still find time to take a peek now and then. As this new year begins, I ponder the amount of time, energy, wherewithal, organizational skills, and craft skills, it takes to keep up such wonderful, successful blogs. I don't know how these amazing women and men keep house, work, raise kids and turn out wonderful projects AND find time to write amazing blog posts with equally amazing pictures, and some even sell their crafts. <br />
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Since August, my crafting was entirely devoted to Christmas gifts (and I still have a project or two left over). I decided this year would be needlework gifts - crocheting and knitting. In all I completed 4 crocheted scarves, 1 crochets shawl, 1 crocheted caplet, 2 knitted healing shawls, and 3 knitted scarves. I am working on knitted hooded scarf. I have 2-3 sets of crocheted, beaded necklaces and earring sets that just need to be completed with jewelry findings. I also finished 87 2x2 tile magnets with pictures of my family, 9 trivets - also mounted with photos, though one did not turn out, and 3 hanging photo tiles. And Nana Bear and Dare Bear and I made 48 candles with beaded candle wax (much like sand art). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPi-zw7ek7xQMvGWLALNgxfgTP6awqXmsBKMe7Z9K8SzpQf_kZDMXxTzb86xej4i6nQK_5ilp9yt0AsiEAW9Nufrjai80bZLckqY6kCeHUW5Q1ihRIZUdvEUY2v_pvbf38Azfg_pAMx8/s1600/DSC_0055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPi-zw7ek7xQMvGWLALNgxfgTP6awqXmsBKMe7Z9K8SzpQf_kZDMXxTzb86xej4i6nQK_5ilp9yt0AsiEAW9Nufrjai80bZLckqY6kCeHUW5Q1ihRIZUdvEUY2v_pvbf38Azfg_pAMx8/s320/DSC_0055.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It's amazing how much time it took to make all of these projects. I finally realized that "easy" does not automatically mean quick. Two of the crocheted scarves took about 10 days each to finish. The knitted shawls took 5 days each. Of course, I wasn't knitting 8+ hours a day or anything, but fitting in a couple of hours here and there each day. So as it goes every September - December, things started out at what seemed like a good pace only to end in a mad dash to finish and staying up to insane hours of the night. The week before Christmas I didn't go to sleep before 1AM and couple of nights were 2 AM or later. Santa is a slave driver.<br />
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So it wasn't as if the year was a failure, but I did miss many of my crafting goals: start selling on Etsy and keeping up this blog being the biggest two. I haven't given up on either goal, but as usual, have extended my deadline or modified my expectations, or will modify my expectations. I would love to blog weekly or more frequently, but I didn't even post monthly on my family blog either, so as reasonable as weekly sounds, it probably isn't realistic for me. So a bi-monthly expectation might be better. <br />
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Also, I think I will plan my posts out a little more, rather than just sit down and write. I love the weekly round-ups that I see on the web, but I felt rushed to add something each week and stressed about missing them. I began doing more and more at work and when I got me new job, that no longer worked. I should be working along my own time line, not to have an entry on a round-up. My next post will include photos of my Xmas projects, links to the patterns I used, pros and cons, etc. If I pick out the photos, crop and edit them, and write a little each night, then I'll feel happier with the blog overall.<br />
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I will start selling my projects. I need to work on the products and not worry about branding. I need work on projects in an organized manner as well. I tend to work on whatever catches my fancy, which means I have about a dozen unfinished and some are even not yet begun projects because another one catches my eye. <br />
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And most importantly, I just need to breathe. Everything else will come as long as I breathe. If I stress about it, I'm just wasting energy and not having fun any more. <br />
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So the 2012 Resolutions:<br />
1) Have more patience with the kids.<br />
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2) Blog 2x month on both blogs<br />
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3) Start selling on Etsy<br />
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4) Go to sleep earlier (will help with goal #1)<br />
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5) Keep the house neater<br />
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6) Exercise more<br />
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7) Keep on crafting and keep being creative<br />
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Happy New Year to all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-73557007795055585212011-06-25T09:04:00.000-07:002011-06-25T09:04:41.624-07:00Being Creative without CraftsLife has been busy and definitely not been as crafty as I had hoped. Mostly, the new job has me channeling my creative juices in other directions at the moment. Not to say that I haven't crafted - I had to finish a couple of gifts, but the Etsy shop is still not open. The dop kits for father's day aren't finished. Thankfully, my wonderful husband says as long as open by the end of the year, he'll be happy. So I feel a little bit less pressurized to open.<br />
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Recently my creative juices have been in overdrive at work. I am still settling into the new job - nearly two months in now. I am seeing what I need to make the desk easier for me to navigate; how to organize my days and my desk for optimized efficiency. The biggest draws on my creativity have been two events that I had to coordinate this month. <br />
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The first was the 3rd Annual Day of Remembing, where my office and two other offices host a memorial service for any patients who have passed away at our hospital in the past year. When I first heard about the event, I wasn't sure what to expect, but after experiencing this one, I am even more in love with my job. We provided a safe space for the patients' families and friends to gather and remember their loved one who have died. There was lots of crying, a little bit of laughter, and a whole lot of love and support. It sounds odd, but I came away from the service feeling renewed and a little giddy. I was so happy to have helped to create this beautiful, safe space for families. And I was touched by the gratitude from the families to the doctors and staff at the hospital.<br />
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The second event was our 2011 Awards Ceremony, where my office selects individuals, clinicians or staff at the hospital, who have shown outstanding patient care. We have official titles for these awards, like Champion of Innovative Spirit or something, but at its core, it's to celebrate outstanding efforts by staff and medical professionals to provide the best, most caring service to our patients. Again, I was renewed and energized by the luncheon and learned of a new quality improvement model called Assertive Inquiry, which focuses on the positive rather than what's wrong, and saw in action. We gave the award to a supervisor, and in turn that supervisor recognized that the wonderful feeling he got from receiving the award should be felt by his staff. So now that supervisor is contemplating his own awards for his staff. <br />
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Both of these events were 50% planned by time I started my job, so there wasn't a whole lot of decision making needed. However, the creativity came in different ways. For the Day of Remembing, I started even before the event officially started, on a list of things I would do differently - pick a different caterer, arrange things slightly differently if possible, add a list of names to be read in the program, etc. This year I took the left over programs, inserted a pretty list of the names of patients we read at the program (whose families who weren't able to attend, or who didn't want to speak) and composed a letter describing the service and will be sending out to the families who requested a name to be read. For the Awards Ceremony, I realized my predecessor was not really into a lot of design and next year I will be finding better ways to create the awards. First purchase, I think will be a circle cutter to make much nicer circles and hopefully other additions.<br />
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While life was settling into a routine the last time a posted, I've since realized that I need more structure to my routine: split the breakfast and lunch making duties, schedule the chores. Otherwise, I won't participate in these important but tedious activities. So we are in the works of implementing a schedule and part of that schedule will be a night that I can devote to my sewing machine. Which isn't to say I can't craft other days of the week. No, I hope to do some crocheting and maybe even try my hand at knitting again on other nights and other projects that I can do at home, in front of the TV.<br />
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So plans for an Etsy store are still in the works and I am finding new outlets for my creativity. Once we're on a schedule, life at home will be less hectic as well. <br />
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Happy crafting to all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-83792292602439599792011-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:002011-05-21T23:36:10.766-07:00Settling InLife is finally settling back into a routine, slowly but surely. Last week was my first week at the new job without training wheels, ie my predecessor, to make sure I didn't forget anything. Aside from one or two little mistakes, the week went well. My parents came back from their vacation and none to soon as Dare Bear came down with a cold and had to stay home from day care on Thursday. He promptly gave the cold to Tiger Daddy, who then developed a sinus infection. It was also Dare's second week at the new day care and he's begun to settle in there too. So I am at little more at peace and life is a little calmer.<br />
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We had planned on going camping, for the first time this year, but due to the germ ridden men in the family, we canceled the trip. While it's disappointing that we have not yet had our first camping trip of the season, it turned out to be a blessing. We had beautiful weather and the kids got to play out in the backyard with my dad this morning. Then Nana Bear got to go visit my grandmother, and unexpectedly, got to go to a friend's birthday party, which just happened to be at the playground my dad took her to after the visit. <br />
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Meanwhile, I got to get some prepping done for some projects that have been on my to-do list. I have a baby shower to attend next month, so I worked cutting the fabric as neatly as possible for a blanket. My mother-in-law's birthday is coming up next weekend and I need to finish her present. And finally, I have set a goal of June 1 to "open" Etsy shop, so I cut the fabric for my products and all have have to do is sew them together. Well, that's not all I have to do: I want to make tags for products, brand them, if you will, so I have to come up with a least a start-up logo. Oh, and must determine prices... math, bleh.<br />
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The baby shower present:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3DGhGd1vhu9MV8gtIZgugt7Q5v_qAuUFeoEICWD4r3LLKE7xlN8_xLkuhNdwIXw7_ypm44s6hFIw4c6tMLwSkvjBkjM04kYArAR3b8YK8ZJLRxMSceMWanx34zhRvGfO5MLclVDE3fE/s1600/IMG_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3DGhGd1vhu9MV8gtIZgugt7Q5v_qAuUFeoEICWD4r3LLKE7xlN8_xLkuhNdwIXw7_ypm44s6hFIw4c6tMLwSkvjBkjM04kYArAR3b8YK8ZJLRxMSceMWanx34zhRvGfO5MLclVDE3fE/s200/IMG_2991.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w-afj-m1DHn2NKYVjJAkWtBE-4i50-UuqRj0GsNxiSI0wx0n2XB16JcpLZ117btU1qKmGSg9TAjC1BdfZlcCnnXXfqfu1cHtWxsB5oXHXZoRd9HU2KhcB9nTw6Z3IJNruITFweUm4F8/s1600/IMG_3000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w-afj-m1DHn2NKYVjJAkWtBE-4i50-UuqRj0GsNxiSI0wx0n2XB16JcpLZ117btU1qKmGSg9TAjC1BdfZlcCnnXXfqfu1cHtWxsB5oXHXZoRd9HU2KhcB9nTw6Z3IJNruITFweUm4F8/s200/IMG_3000.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just my fleece/flannel blanket, but this time I am attempting to personalize the blanket using some of the left over fleece. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My Etsy project: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha75oR1AdAhbY8dVhl3qqOyoa_HAsyuy6l1Eb0B7u7hElu-TBu0UjzAZH-JXTq-EzuQl_61Z9Zt8wf-p6z7TEyLWEVTUenBEMzJFACZVe2-WQg7fplpoc90t22nASOQlpBWvlwtM_JFKc/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha75oR1AdAhbY8dVhl3qqOyoa_HAsyuy6l1Eb0B7u7hElu-TBu0UjzAZH-JXTq-EzuQl_61Z9Zt8wf-p6z7TEyLWEVTUenBEMzJFACZVe2-WQg7fplpoc90t22nASOQlpBWvlwtM_JFKc/s320/IMG_2994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Hopefully these will turn out to be dop kits for the men or make-up bags for women...<br />
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So all-in-all, this weekend home, so far, has been very productive and relaxing. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to finishing some of my Etsy products. <br />
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Happy Crafting!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-62332969833164512452011-05-10T23:30:00.000-07:002011-05-10T23:30:30.312-07:00The Art of JugglingThe euphoria of the quick crafting at the end of last week has worn off and I find myself in need of another fix, but yet, quite unmotivated to go after it. In part, I am waiting for some supplies for my Father's Day dop kits. But mostly, I am just feeling tired and unsure. Unsure about my ability to craft, unsure about my ability to do my (new) job and unsure about my ability to parent. As I sit here writing, I feel as if I am madly flailing about trying to keep all the balls in the air.<br />
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As mentioned in the last post, I just started a new job and when I left my old job, I only had a week to train someone in my duties. So that last week of the old job was extremely stressful as I tried to get someone up to speed as well as get as much done as humanly possible. Then, of course, came the stress of starting the new job and trying to learn every detail in two weeks.<br />
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In that last week of work, I also learned that Dare Bear's daycare provider had a medical emergency and would be unable to watch him indefinitely. So we also had to find a replacement daycare provider (THANK YOU MOM) and then, had to make the decision to find a new daycare provider as well as find said daycare provider. The hardest part was probably the fact that we felt extremely guilty for leaving our injured daycare provider. But, while we were fortunate enough to have my mom available to watch Dare, she went on vacation for 10 days this past Sunday and it was a choice of starting a new provider hunt two weeks ago or start it next week. We chose the former to minimize the stress to all parties, but still there is some guilt about leaving our former daycare provider who watched Dare for the past 2 years. Thankfully, our first two days with the new daycare provider have been absolutely wonderful - Dare has come home happy, adjusted very, very quickly, and seems to be blossoming before our eyes. It helps that some of the things we didn't like about the old daycare are not an issue here. When we pick up Dare, we get to go into the house and see Dare interact with the other kids. Drop-off and pick-up time is quick, efficient and informative. So this was all-in-all a very good change, but the ramp up to the change was a little fraught.<br />
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The new job is awesome - awesome co-workers, awesome clients, awesome environment. I couldn't be happier in this position. I will be mixing my administrative knowledge with client centered care/front line social work, taking what I have been doing and mixing it with what I used to do just after college. But as I train with my predecessor, my insecurities have blossomed. I have gone from knowing that I was rocking a job to not knowing whether I will rock this job as well as my predecessor. Logically, I know I will make this job my own and I know that it's not a competition. My predecessor is me at my old job. Whoever takes over will have big shoes to fill. And after late nights, fitful sleeps, and other confidence issues, there's the little voice of doubt growing larger and larger. <br />
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The sphere of parenting... I fully admit that I should be a better parent. I need more patience - and sleep would help that immensely - and I need to play more with my kids. My relationship with Nana Bear can be contentious - I see too much of myself in her and I want her to be better than me. I want both of them to go farther, travel more, be more than me. Getting them there - that's the challenge. Maintaining a sense of calm is a struggle. I wish I could just let things be... <br />
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Finally, my crafting. I find great joy in crafting for my friends and family. I find great joy in coming up with my own patterns, no matter how simple they may be, and no matter how unprofessional the results may look. And I would like nothing more than to put an item for sale on Etsy. But again, the doubt bubbles to the surface as the opportunity to actually put an item on Etsy presents itself. The "What ifs" abound in my head making it hard to sleep. What if it doesn't sell? What if someone buys it but doesn't think it's well made. What if, what if, what if... So on and so forth until the crafting what ifs merge with the parenting what ifs merge with the job what ifs, etc. <br />
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I told my cousin recently, there is no greater fear than fear itself, and that is certainly true. Hopefully when the world settles down again - when I find the rhythm of the new job, when I actually start going to bed on time - I will find the space to silence the fear and to move on with my crafting. But until then, I need one less ball to juggle and to focus on the things that are truly important - my family and friends and my job (because without that there would be a whole lot more to be stressed about).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-51221679492836213992011-05-07T17:33:00.000-07:002011-05-07T17:33:37.931-07:00Mother's DayHappy Mother's Day, friends! I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I last posted. Life has been very unscripted and I have been unmotivated to craft until a few days ago, when I realized in a panic, that I was ever so unprepared for Mother's day. <br />
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Since my last post, Nana Bear recovered from her bout of Strep, Dare Bear developed pneumonia, I had to train my replacement at work in 1 one and I just finished my first week at my new job. Dare Bear's pneumonia was particularly challenging for us as there was a moment of uncertainty about whether he needed to be hospitalized. Luckily, he responded well to antibiotics and was practically his normal self by Easter. So crafting took a back burner to life. Then came Wednesday night when I realized the only gift I had planned on was for my mother-in-law: a version of the make-up bag with a beautiful French themed upholstery fabric. But I had no clue what I was going to do for her mother, Tiger Daddy's paternal grandmother, my mother or my grandmother. By that time I knew we would have very, very little time to shop between Thursday and weekend. <br />
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Luckily I had some left over Avery photo fabric (printable fabric) and of course, an ever growing stash of fabric. I envisioned a quilt bookmark with family pictures for the squares. I perused our library of digital pictures of the Bears and other close family members. I cropped the pictures and re-sized them to 1.5 inch squares. I made 4 sets of 3. In Adobe Photoshop, I arranged the squares on a 8.5 in x 11 in canvas (the size of the photo fabric). <br />
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I had intended to sew the photo fabric to the border fabric, but when arranging in Photoshop, I forgot to leave a quarter inch around each square. But the photo fabric is iron-on, so it was ok and actually was for the best because these bookmarks ended up being no-sew. I found some light fusible web that I planned to use for another WIP. I took the scraps from some fat quarters, that I used for my placemat project detailed below, and cut two rectangles about 3 inches wide and 7 inches long. I cut the fusible web the same size and place between the two pieces of wrong-facing fabric. I ironed the fabric together and arranged my photo fabric squares on the rectangle fabric and iron those on two. I cleaned up the edges (ie cut about 1/4 inch off each side) and voila! a no-sew photo fabric bookmark. <br />
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Things I would change about this project: Considering I was using 3 in by 7 in fabric, I probably would have made the photo squares a bit bigger, maybe 1.75 or 2 inches. Given more time, I would have taken the time to center each photo. And finally, I need to invest in a pair of pinking shears to make the edges less pedestrian. Hopefully, I will do a tute and post some pictures at a later date. I was rushing through what ended up being three projects that I neglected to take pictures and was too exhausted to take pictures of the finished products. :(<br />
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Thursday, I had a second idea to make placemats with family pictures for Tiger Daddy's maternal grandmother. Seemed like a simple enough idea and it only took me about two hours from start to finish. Because of the time constraint, I only used one picture per placement and sized them to about 5 in x 8 in. I printed the pictures on the photo fabric as well. I took 4 coordinating fat quarters (same pattern, different colors), cut them down to 17 inch x 13 inch. I chose 17 inches because my iron-on vinyl comes 17 inches wide and I wanted to minimize wasting the vinyl. <br />
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I first ironed the picture the fabric, centering by eye, and then ironed on the vinyl. I then sewed the vinylized fabric to some white broadcloth that I had in my stash (also cut to 17 x 13), right sides facing. Note: sewed just three sides around. Then I turned it right-side out and sewed the 4th end and top stitched around. I ironed the back of the placemats again and also iron the front, using a fat quarter on top to avoid melting the vinyl. <br />
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Things I would change about this project: I would make the pictures bigger and all the same dimensions or I would do a collage of pictures per placemat. I would coordinate the backing with the color of the front fabric... Either use the same fabric for front and back, or a coordinating color. Basically, I would have planned this further in advance. I might use a heavier weight fabric next time, either for the backing or the front or both. The vinyl helps to stiffen the placemats, but they aren't as stiff as I would like. Not that they have to be, just a personal preference. <br />
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The make-up bag: My mother-in-law loved the fabric and even offered to put a couple in her antique booth. I was 95% happy with the final product. I accidentally left on side of the zipper showing on the inside and I forgot to add the handle this time. I was going to attach it differently than last and completely spaced making the handle as I was rushing. I liked the upholstery weight fabric and how it made the make-up bag more substantial. <br />
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Again and again, I never seem to learn that rushing is the root of all mistakes. But everything turned out beautifully and was appreciated. <br />
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Happy Mother's Day to All!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-515892500128326642011-04-15T23:05:00.000-07:002011-04-15T23:05:27.586-07:00Struggling with Cherry BlossomsTonight I did some crocheting as Tiger Daddy listened to music. Finished another Easter Egg and then decided to try my hand a making a cherry blossom flower... hahaha!!! FAIL!!! I am trying to get the petals just right and boy am I struggling with it. If the petal looks right, the flower itself looks too squished and the center is ginormous. If the flower isn't squished, then the petals just don't have the proportion I am looking for. (I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. Right now I'm exhausted) <br />
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Well, on the bright side, for us Cherry Blossom ends this weekend with the (2nd) final weekend of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. So I fully accept that I will have nothing for this weekend. I hadn't planned on it so, no big disappointment there. So, I'll have a whole year to keep working on an original crochet pattern for a cherry blossom.<br />
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Variables to work with: Right now my blossoms are coming out looking chunky instead of delicate. I am using worsted weight yarn. I am thinking of trying out something lighter, not as chunky. Play with hook size. <br />
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Yet another project to add to the list.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-63146801358814391172011-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:002011-04-15T23:13:32.311-07:00Past Project: Christmas 2007 Amigurumi Dolls and Photo Collage Boxes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfmdLgi9uZ15ac_2ngWkcJYMZV1KX0Qqn8Zg5SVclAx4O0B34FIM-HIVMXSzFRtJzQNrQYH7axqFNW-XQ5lePYEOZ88GEQYKLYecfOgA_M2EkZ9vvSJ34U3sg3amPVv68xezeKAI3kRI/s1600/amidolls2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfmdLgi9uZ15ac_2ngWkcJYMZV1KX0Qqn8Zg5SVclAx4O0B34FIM-HIVMXSzFRtJzQNrQYH7axqFNW-XQ5lePYEOZ88GEQYKLYecfOgA_M2EkZ9vvSJ34U3sg3amPVv68xezeKAI3kRI/s320/amidolls2007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I was going through my digital photo albums today and found pictures from my 2007 Christmas projects. Every fall I find projects that I belive will be meaningful, thoughtful gifts for Christmas. And every December, I am scrambling to get everything done. Each year seems to get more and more elaborate. Last year was a magnet shop, turning out over 300 magnets, as well as snow flake ornament factory, a candle factory and few other projects. In 2007, I had two main projects: the Amigurumi dolls, pictured above, and (behind them in the picture) photo collage boxes. Considering last year's goals, 2007 was a light year, though I was still scrambling at the end.<br />
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The amigurumi dolls were crocheted from patterns I found at Lions Brand (<a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60680.html?noImages=">boy pattern here</a> and <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60658.html?noImages=">girl pattern here</a>), but I changed the colors to suite the recipients. I love to crochet because I can pretty much do it anywhere - on the bus, at work, in front of the TV. And these dolls were pretty easy to make.<br />
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The photo collage boxes were a lot more work because I went through hundreds of digital pictures as well as scanned dozens of older pictures from my in-laws. I can't remember what exactly inspired this box, but I did not use a how to, just winged it. <br />
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The basic design is fairly simple: <br />
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1) Get a photo archival box (as it would acid free and the recipients could store pictures in it if they choose). I got 3 boxes of $10 or so at a photo store that has since closed.<br />
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2) Measure the dimensions of the area to be covered for both the top and the body of the box. I have to admit that I did not cover the bottom of the box.<br />
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3) Choose the pictures you want and print on acid free paper.***<br />
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4) I used Mod Podge to glue it to the box. <br />
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5) Once dry, spray with clear gloss to protect - I used some Krylon product with a matte finish.<br />
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Sounds simple enough, right? Well, in my anal desire to make everything fit just right, I used Photoshop to make 1:1 digital templates of the surface that needed to be covered. Then I took the pictures I wanted put on the box (tailored to the recipient) and arranged them on the template to make sure important areas of the pictures were not cut off. I resized pictures as necessary. On the band of the cover, you'll notice that pictures fit the height of the band almost perfectly. In Photoshop, each picture was a separate layer. After I got everything arranged just the way I wanted, I copied each picture and pasted them onto 8 x 11.5 templates, so I could fit as many pictures on each page. I had my husband print them from a laser printer on acid free paper (he was smart and made 3 copies of each page). I cut the pictures out and using my original template as a guide, I mod podged the pictures to the box.<br />
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</tbody></table> I don't know if I conveyed the amount of work it took to make these boxes, but what I thought would be an easy project turned out not to be. It's probably because I am a perfectionist at heart and when I make personalized gifts like these I agonize of each aspect, such as which pictures to use, which pictures to "feature", i.e. make a little larger, where to put each picture... I don't remember how many hours I spent just arranging the pictures, but I imagine it was a ton.<br />
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But, this is potentially a very easy project, if you don't sweat the small stuff like I did. And in the end, I was very, very pleased with the results. My only disappointment was that I chose not to cover the bottom of the boxes, and that is a minor disappointment.<br />
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Thanks for going down craft memory lane with me.<br />
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Happy Crafting everyone!<br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/search/label/show%20and%20tell"><br /><img border="0" width="180" src="http://www.rememberthemoments.com/images/blog/satbutton.gif" height="180" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-16358077845959449982011-04-10T23:40:00.000-07:002011-04-11T22:40:02.552-07:00Reunited<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was reunited with my crochet bag this weekend. Tiger Daddy inadvertently left it has his mother's house before we went to Reno in an attempt to be more space efficient. So all of last week I had to fight the urge to buy some new hooks and yarn. I knew that we would be visiting again this weekend to celebrate Tiger Daddy's grandmother's birthday, so I could not rationalize buying new equipment and yarn. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Since being reunited with my crochet bag I worked on some of <a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-easter-egg-crochet-pattern.html">Easy's Easter Eggs</a> and <a href="http://measuredbytheheart.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-is-in-air.html">Measured by the Heart's spring flowers</a>:</div><br />
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The eggs are for Nana Bear's class and hopefully I'll make plenty for the family as well.<br />
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The spring flowers are being sewn onto ponytail holders. I had made a few just before vacation and gave them to Nana Bear and the Wild L's daughters, Red and Sosie. I was afraid they might be too big in proportion to the girls' heads, but they looked fine.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My eggs don't hold a candle to Easy's, but I'm happy with them. Dare Bear is very fond of them. This afternoon he spent rolling them around his in little yellow school bus and squeezing them in and out of the door. I think I'm going to invest in some yellow yarn and a multicolor yarn that is more suited for boys. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Tiger Daddy and I have been once again pondering my opening of an Etsy shop. The problem is I need to finish some salable product. I think I am going to start with my hand warmers and maybe some of the ponytail holders... I also need to start pricing. Fingers crossed that we open shop in the next couple of months.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Linking this to:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab68/The_Hammonds/MoretheMerrierButton.jpg" /></a><a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="A Marvelous Mess" border="0" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground5.jpg" /></a><a href="http://sewchatty.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNXC62KsJ5j0FDgvH83NkKblH8yolQwE2hO0204p3GDA6COceVIIw796HcRucS-FSgLnmBhexXeu7MrrkKehg_vJwm417cC-oPc4Ty9s81WoS131mBUAYW2oCe5SMpfcpGDB1MF7Qrr7D/s320/mwlove.png" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-90716873382845038852011-04-07T16:25:00.000-07:002011-04-07T22:27:07.049-07:00Today's Inspiration: Magic Wishing Stones at CraftbitsIt's been awhile since I've published "Today's Inspiration" as vacation and the back to work and life busy-ness took over. But today I was at Craftbits and saw this post: <a href="http://www.craftbits.com/project/magic-wishing-stones">Magic Wishing Stones</a>. I like their idea of taking natural rocks and making them magical and special. I think Nana Bear's classmates would enjoy them. <br />
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However, my delusions of grandeur self envisions something slightly different. Instead of making a wish and throwing the rocks, I envision using flat marbles and gluing icons to them, such as a heart for love, holding hands for friendship, an airplane for travel, etc., and people can rub or hug or sleep with them under their pillow. I could even make a small pouch for storage. hmm... inspiration.<br />
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Well, I probably will do the Craftbit rocks for Nana Bear's class - I can just see them throwing the rocks and giggling. But I am somewhat enchanted by the bigger project... I can't believe there are only 6 weeks of school left. <br />
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Happy Crafting!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-89727545126501363042011-04-06T12:16:00.000-07:002011-04-06T12:16:49.586-07:00Bling Bling does not equal Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddhWPDJKbjh89-nBCi2JAZhek8C-d05YNgr_a3Q7XTWmlz7onnxRS-OzD-LXBQ4cp-jKqMb3n9NVccMnIUAMQazm1-duUjtEcPifoNs2tVqLuaNg8n7qTf6vJrZXFxL2uQJ4hDC54mdM/s1600/A_Diamond_Solitaire_Engagement_Ring_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_090825-135175-035042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddhWPDJKbjh89-nBCi2JAZhek8C-d05YNgr_a3Q7XTWmlz7onnxRS-OzD-LXBQ4cp-jKqMb3n9NVccMnIUAMQazm1-duUjtEcPifoNs2tVqLuaNg8n7qTf6vJrZXFxL2uQJ4hDC54mdM/s1600/A_Diamond_Solitaire_Engagement_Ring_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_090825-135175-035042.jpg" /></a></div><span class="messageBody"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's not the size of the diamond nor dreams one promises to fulfill, but the reality one brings that matters most. Money comes and goes, and dreams are never ending, but the qualities of character one has now... those are everlasting.</span></span><br />
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<span class="messageBody">Nana Bear has been telling everyone how she wants an engagement ring and could she wear one to school and ask a boy to marry her. All very cute for a 5 (and a half) year old and Tiger Daddy and I don't know whether to laugh or cry at these stories. What I do know is that between the tween shows on TV (which we don't allow Nana Bear to watch) and other outside influences, I have to be ever vigilant about instilling a non-materialistic outlook in my children. I even have family members telling us that Nana Bear should not accept engagement rings less than 1 carat. If I personally believed that, Tiger Daddy and I would not be married, and I would not have these two wonderful children. </span><br />
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<span class="messageBody">Now, I'm not saying that financial stability shouldn't be important or shouldn't be a factor in choosing a spouse. I knew that Tiger Daddy and I would be able to live a comfortable life with pretty things even if we didn't yet have those things (and in some cases we still don't). I had faith in us, in our collective ability to carve out a good life. And everyone is different and has different desires in life, different qualities they want in a partner. My list of needs in a partner will be different from yours, but I hope that Nana Bear (and Dare) learn that the important things in life and in marriage rarely come from money and a rock on her finger will not ensure that her mate will take care of her, nor is it in proportion to how much her mate loves her. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-53061503667722764882011-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:002011-04-05T14:27:35.969-07:00Fabric HuntingWith my crochet projects and needles in Sacramento, my crafting is a little blocked. I like to multi-task, and in this day and age of Facebook, Twitter, TiVo, I have found myself with a short attention span. So I often have two or more projects in process at a time (and sometimes dream up more to do add to the list). Right now I have my crochet eggs, flower ponytail holders, and a number of sewing projects. To sew, I have to go to my parents, where my sewing machine has space to live. They are only two doors down so it's not too bad, but it means I can't watch TV with Tiger Daddy at the same time. <br />
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So last night, we watched Castle and NCIS: LA and I perused the Fabric.com site for fabrics for future projects. After such success and ease of sewing with the make-up bags, I decided that I wanted to make them into dop kits for the men and that I wanted to try using vinyl or laminated fabric instead of the iron vinyl. So I searched through Fabric.com's vinyl, indoor/outdoor, and oil cloth sections and found some combinations for the guys and lots of fabrics for make-up bags. Then it dawned on me that I could use the indoor/outdoor and heavy weight upholstery/home decor fabric for these bags. They would be heavier duty and easiery to clean on the outside too. <br />
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With taxes due the middle of the month, I'm in a look only mode for fabric right now. But with the new job starting in May and the corresponding, if not ever so slight, wage increase, I can look forward to purchasing some in May - in time to craft for Father's day gifts. <br />
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Don't you love it when the light bulb goes on and you come up with some good ideas? So re-energizing.<br />
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Happy crafting all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-31263198363361455062011-04-04T19:26:00.000-07:002011-04-04T19:27:08.424-07:00Home Sweet HomeAnd we're back to our regularly scheduled programming. Our spring break was wonderful, surpassing our expectations. We managed to drive to Vancouver, WA in one day and got to see our very lovely friends, The Wild Ls, for two nights. Mr. Wild has been friends with Tiger Daddy since high school and they were groomsmen for each other's weddings. They have two daughters age 8 and 6 (well almost) who got along famously with Nana Bear - they had Princess Fashion Shows, built forts, and basically had two nights of slumber parties. Dare Bear, while not as involved with the girls, had a wonderful time with them too, being that Mr. Wild is also a train enthusiast.<br />
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The Wild Ls took us to the Oregon Zoo in Portland, which is fabulous. One of the most gorgeous zoos I have seen (not that I have seen many). Their Northwest exhibit is awesome as it winds down the natural landscape. They have a little creek running through the exhibit and at different points talk about the salmon spawning, the insects supported in the ecosystem, the types of tracks you would find, etc. The piece de resistance is their Eagle exhibit. They have two bald eagles and the creek empties into their habitat. The creek contains live fish for the Eagles to feast on. Next to the Eagle habitat is the otter and beaver habitats and you could see the otter having a grand time jumping into the water and swimming about. It was a drizzley day, so after the Northwest exhibit we rode the train. After exiting the train, we were met with a sudden downpour and quickly hightailed it to the car. Dare was so tired from all the activity, he fell asleep on the way back to the car.<br />
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After our wonderfully relaxing visit with the Wild Ls, we went to Portland, where we stayed at a gorgeous hotel. As part of the deal, we got upgraded to a suite. We put the kids in the main bedroom area, on a nice King sized bed and we slept on the pullout sofa. Sounds a little backwards, but we got to sleep together on vacation for the first time in a while. Usually, Dare Bear and I take one bed (as he is quite the mommy's boy) and Nana Bear and Tiger Daddy take the other. So I was very happy at the sleeping arrangements.<br />
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We visited with Tiger Daddy's family, which was lovely. We hadn't visited them in quite awhile so it was quite nice to see everyone. Tiger Daddy's brother and sister-in-law had flown up the day before and we got to introduce her to the rest of the family. <br />
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On Monday, we went to OMSI - Oregon Museum of Science and Industry - where everyone had a great time playing with all the hands-on science projects. It is like the Exploratorium but more polished. The kids did not want to leave.<br />
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After Oregon, we went down to Sacramento to visit Tiger Daddy's mom and relax a little before we picked up my mom and headed to Reno, where we spent the last few days of our vacation. No one won big, but the kids had a great time at the arcade, where the family won 1,046 tickets. <br />
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Not much crafting was done - a lost my yarn needle and forgot my batting at home. Now my crochet equipment and WIPs are in Sacramento... So this week may be light on the crafting. <br />
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All in all it was a great vacation, but I am glad to be home. I have a month at my "old" job and then I start my new job at the beginning of May. So lots of tidying and organizing before I leave.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-11540894667963405142011-03-29T11:20:00.001-07:002011-03-29T11:20:41.830-07:00We're in the Pacific Northwest visiting Tiger Daddy's family. So far it's been a wonderful trip: we saw lots of Rainbows - even huge double rainbow, we got to play with some cool kids, eat some good food, and have good visits with family. And the icing: I was offered a job that I interviewed for a few weeks ago!! Super good vacation. <p>Also if anyone ever visits Portland, OR, two must sees: Oregon zoo and OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-24635281758753790572011-03-24T09:12:00.000-07:002011-03-24T09:15:12.435-07:00National Craft Month Coming to a CloseThere's a week left to March, but for me National Craft Month is coming to a close. Tomorrow we will be heading to the Northwest to visit Tiger Daddy's family. I will be bringing some crochet projects with me, but as Tiger Daddy is vehemently opposed to me crocheting the car, I don't know how much crafting I'll get to do. On the flip side, I'll probably get to finish The Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth Series Book 1) and at least start the 2nd book. <br />
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This month has been pretty successful considering how sick I was at the beginning of the month. My goals of the month (revised due to the illness) were pretty low key:<br />
*Complete shamrock keychains for Nana Bear's class - <strike>found a </strike><a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-search.cgi?store=/stores/eyarn&faqKey=489&language=&service=801&letterId=54673"><span style="color: #f06c26;"><strike>cute pattern</strike></span></a><strike> at Lion's Brand Yarn</strike> used <a href="http://sarahndipities.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-tuesday-crocheted-shamrock.html">Sarahndipities' shamrock bunting pattern</a> and modified to be a fourleaf clover (see <a href="http://insanitybycrafting.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-progress-shamrock-pattern.html">my post here</a> with the modifications)<br />
*Finish Dare's blanket<br />
*Finish diaper pouches<br />
*Finish make-up bags <br />
*Blog at least once or twice a week.<br />
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Then as the month went on I added:<br />
*Finish Nana Bear's blanket<br />
*Make blanket for Tiger Daddy's grandma<br />
*Make 1st b-day gifts for friend's twins<br />
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Of the above the only two goals I didn't meet were finishing the diaper pouches and the birthday gifts. Also, I had to "fix" my sewing machine - a pin got stuck inside and I had to open it up and find the pin (not really a fix, but I was a little apprehensive about opening up the machine for the first time... I also cleaned it for the first time too) - and worked up enough courage to try the pressure foot to sew the zippers for the make-up bag. So, I'm growing my crafting skills. <br />
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I found a wonderful crochet <a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-easter-egg-crochet-pattern.html">Easter Egg pattern at Easy Makes Me Happy</a> (<a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2011/03/needle-felting-on-de-eggs.html">click here</a> to see the awesome embellishments she added to her eggs) and hope to finish crochet flower ponytail holders (Crochet flower pattern from <a href="http://measuredbytheheart.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-is-in-air.html">Measured By the Heart</a>) for our friends' daughters, who we will be visiting on our trip. So all in all, National Craft Month has been very crafty for me. I hope to continue at this pace - I would like to make Easter Eggs for Nana Bear's class and for others and I still need to finish the diaper pouches and the birthday gifts (we missed the party due to scheduling conflict). Ideally I would like to make some more blankets, some child size, some adult size, and a scarf to sell. Just need to remind myself not to rush.<br />
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Happy Crafting!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-14907118764346581472011-03-23T22:29:00.000-07:002011-03-23T22:32:03.423-07:00Rushing is the Root of All Evil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF_9vD9aHT7hredXONrKgDdcAFW2lSQmp7Dv7D2TZrJdfHw6AQHuGqX8CyiavGGc0aJv5ia9hNrBS5qZ28fRQJsOCTtDOta-fmHgUbG5gRx7SfTHw_kn2JfGn56Nga07hyNKnwPKwVdU/s1600/IMG_8858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF_9vD9aHT7hredXONrKgDdcAFW2lSQmp7Dv7D2TZrJdfHw6AQHuGqX8CyiavGGc0aJv5ia9hNrBS5qZ28fRQJsOCTtDOta-fmHgUbG5gRx7SfTHw_kn2JfGn56Nga07hyNKnwPKwVdU/s320/IMG_8858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I finished Nana Bear's blanket (far left) and Tiger Daddy's Grandma's blanket (middle) tonight. I am happy to have finished, but was reminded that rushing can ruin a project. When I compare tonight's blanket's with Dare Bear's blanket (far right), I could really see a difference in precision. I rushed when I was cutting the pink blankets, was imprecise with my cutting, and I rushed tonight when sewing, so my seams are not straight, etc. Not at all saleable. Whereas Dare Bear's blanket, seams look even and top stitch is pretty even (at least 3 sides around) - much more professional looking. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjTSmmyS8YdHtv5gSqPL2c645Z3bA0o0tl-cW17RwYxJ2BKgOKIHYvj8nXFbbTwVNabqgmMqAKkLi0r2Z3F23_z1a3pPNDxMc8JXudMnofGg4Q1zF5pyR-m3T0DZhbAkUqPJgmGiBAgc/s1600/IMG_8859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjTSmmyS8YdHtv5gSqPL2c645Z3bA0o0tl-cW17RwYxJ2BKgOKIHYvj8nXFbbTwVNabqgmMqAKkLi0r2Z3F23_z1a3pPNDxMc8JXudMnofGg4Q1zF5pyR-m3T0DZhbAkUqPJgmGiBAgc/s320/IMG_8859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The blankets are by no means ruined - Nana Bear will love hers and I hope Grandma will appreciate her's too. Just not as close to perfect as I would like. Cause of rushing: worried about all the other things that need to get done before we leave for our trip on Friday. Wanted to make our friends' daughters some pony tail holders, need to pack my clothes and finish a couple more loads of laundry, but I don't want to stay up too late tomorrow and don't want to rush around stressing that I will forget something. Of course, I'm somewhat stressing already. <br />
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Must remind myself: Just breathe and the rest will come...<br />
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Happy Crafting everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-56976461711828226632011-03-21T13:53:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:47:18.906-07:00My Creative Space: Easter Eggs<div class="mobile-photo"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This week I have two creative spaces. First is <a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-easter-egg-crochet-pattern.html#">Easy Makes Me Happy's Easter Eggs:</a><br />
Saw a link for <a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-easter-egg-crochet-pattern.html#">these Easter Eggs</a> at Easy Makes me Happy and liked them so much I just had to try it at lunch today. My results:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvkXGOL_PaQiZZcI40GPfWF8laebOZDfB2SwZO-nLjE6hdFO6yEfC3oHWoLzyoovCEpdXfEL2qZ6NVVxdbtG5vxJhisO_J5xmAwvFSlTrOKi0lbYeImVG0MpRUW_wqmSmpBYQtZq5zzI/s1600/EASTER+EGG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvkXGOL_PaQiZZcI40GPfWF8laebOZDfB2SwZO-nLjE6hdFO6yEfC3oHWoLzyoovCEpdXfEL2qZ6NVVxdbtG5vxJhisO_J5xmAwvFSlTrOKi0lbYeImVG0MpRUW_wqmSmpBYQtZq5zzI/s320/EASTER+EGG.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strike>The lighting was not so good on this picture</strike> and I haven't had to time to weave in the ends, but I was so happy with the pattern from Easy Makes Me Happy that I had to share. Per Easy's instructions, I used an F hook and I chose Red Heart Classic Worsted Weight Tropical Fruits yarn. It's acylic, but the hardware store where I picked up the yarn only carries Red Heart and personally, I don't have a problem with acrylic yarn for my crafts... Now if it was for clothes, I'd probably be pickier, but I'm not that brave. I love how the yarn colors ended up being separated, which you can see in the above picture, - very Spring-y. Thank you <a href="http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/">Easy</a> for such a easy pattern. I can't wait to keep making these. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKsyuMSJSSd8W9ErppoAs8VG3orlnKKE1FRq_XtueT5s7KAF0t6YVLCrsBYW2KD-00Q6s9S3-sFFowUoSBfeIlMVutKOKObkgfDehYw6u_OA99CbIRWYRug8hVrlcA2_QTu4X4OWbhg/s1600/eggs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKsyuMSJSSd8W9ErppoAs8VG3orlnKKE1FRq_XtueT5s7KAF0t6YVLCrsBYW2KD-00Q6s9S3-sFFowUoSBfeIlMVutKOKObkgfDehYw6u_OA99CbIRWYRug8hVrlcA2_QTu4X4OWbhg/s320/eggs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My two eggs: One with the Red Heart Tropic Fruits and the other with Rainbow Brights.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For more Creative Spaces, go to <a href="http://www.kootoyoo.com/">Kootoyoo</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-18027783976322519812011-03-21T09:22:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:50:54.504-07:00Weekend Crafting w/ PicturesMy (Weekend) Creative Space: I'm cheating this week and posting twice to Kootoyoo. Sorry, but while the week has been consumed with crocheting Easter Eggs, my weekend was a whole different animal, but probably much more satisfying crafting. I got to tick off another goal and make progress on another goal. Yippee!<br />
We were pelted with rain and hail and lots of wind this weekend, but it was a fun, productive and ultimately beautiful weekend for us. We were busy bees with a lunch with my grandmother for her birthday, Nana Bear's school had a fundraising Auction, and lots of errands and chores to get ready for our upcoming vacation starting this Friday. <br />
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Saturday morning I hurriedly sewed a silk/fleece scarf for my grandmother. She is currently living in an assisted living facility for Alzheimers. This was the first birthday since she moved. I did visit her on Friday, her actual birthday, and brought mini cupcakes (store bought) for her, the other residents, and the staff. But on Saturday morning, while Tiger Daddy changed the oil on the car, I decided I would make the scarf for her to wear when she goes for walks to help keep her warm. It's been quite brisk here even though it's now officially Spring. It was not my best work by any stretch, but the fabric is beautiful and suites my grandmother well. It is a pink kimono silk printed with cherry blossoms. Typically, kimono fabric comes in 14-15" widths, so I got two yards and cut the fabric into two 7" strips. I have one more strip and was thinking that I might embroider beads onto the fabric on the printed blossoms. We'll see.<br />
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After lunch, while the Bears napped, I finally finished <a href="http://sewlikemymom.com/cosmetic-bag-tutorial/">these make-up bags</a> from Sew Like My Mom. I had intended to give them as gifts at Christmas but lost the iron vinyl and really ran out of time. Of course, a week after Christmas I find the vinyl, but not the time to finish them. These bags are truly simple to make and come out looking quite nice. Some notes about the <a href="http://sewlikemymom.com/cosmetic-bag-tutorial/">tutorial</a>: 1) Iron-Vinyl is not really my thing - it is very light weight and doesn't feel durable to me, so next time I think I may try regular vinyl. 2) The vinyl is slippery, so you do have to be aware when sewing. 3) When cutting the corners, cut 2.5" from the end with the seam and 2.25" from the folded end to get an even line when sewing the corners. 4) Being such a rudimentary sewer, I did use my zipper/pressure foot. 5) I added a handle. I think that I will try these for x-mas again, but this time for the guys as they look like dop kits. I will use heavier weight material, possibly oilcloth and vinyl combo depending on the patterns available. This is a great tutorial - very easy to follow. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOoUh0bS6wTaYeS9Rj10hh-hGvOUGNdM9qxzSzutsTXr82qJn7ypH8KVGJHGzFBWwjYkl6mA2IGclzcVAPDHLz4cw-Dtf7vrQ4UNRNF0g5IwGEkFqV6CUhQSbxeKonZ485HKOkwho5nY/s1600/IMG_8852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOoUh0bS6wTaYeS9Rj10hh-hGvOUGNdM9qxzSzutsTXr82qJn7ypH8KVGJHGzFBWwjYkl6mA2IGclzcVAPDHLz4cw-Dtf7vrQ4UNRNF0g5IwGEkFqV6CUhQSbxeKonZ485HKOkwho5nY/s200/IMG_8852.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first attempt w/o a handle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKVbmdeF809LXp_BesKRnFNSPSvyGWgxGIK42VFYYxG76jADOHtwSW2pjsNRYzoCA8ctbjmQLAOg13illdJAeUbwjawAv4OYIyE3Zv7LSgKWUCCle9khTHT33bprb0EYipPDu8UN1jDY/s1600/IMG_8850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKVbmdeF809LXp_BesKRnFNSPSvyGWgxGIK42VFYYxG76jADOHtwSW2pjsNRYzoCA8ctbjmQLAOg13illdJAeUbwjawAv4OYIyE3Zv7LSgKWUCCle9khTHT33bprb0EYipPDu8UN1jDY/s200/IMG_8850.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My second attempt with handle.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNiIOU9eGA2pruP6XoBUWVCa7YICQXJBh3CnXksNhYDFNHWx3X04MEA4Sv4MMIpsXMSIKpbzwvPXrTQe57XbZXXRk25QyvXcIuTKNlYjM9u1DuaSWztkVf5HS7dcNZbzAG_VdKmgOP8U/s1600/IMG_8857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNiIOU9eGA2pruP6XoBUWVCa7YICQXJBh3CnXksNhYDFNHWx3X04MEA4Sv4MMIpsXMSIKpbzwvPXrTQe57XbZXXRk25QyvXcIuTKNlYjM9u1DuaSWztkVf5HS7dcNZbzAG_VdKmgOP8U/s320/IMG_8857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Saturday night was Nana Bear's elementary school fundraiser. She is part of a special program through the public school system that teaches the children about Japanese culture and language in addition to the normal school cirriculum. I went through the program when I was in elementary school as well. The program has evolved into an even better experience and I have been extremely happy with our experience. While the program gets some extra funding, each year it seems that the public school budet gets slashed, and in order to keep the unique properties of this program intact, there is an auction. In addition to items familes donate, each class does an "art" project to auction off to the parents. Each child goes home and tells their parents they must have the project and begs them to get it for them. Well, Nana Bear's class project went for $650!!! Tiger Daddy and I agreed that one year we would set aside bucco bucks to bid on one of her class projects in earnest, but it wasn't going to happen this year.<br />
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Japanese Relief: In addition to raising money for the school, we also raised money for the relief effort in Japan by holding a Jan Ken Po (Rock, Paper, Scissor) contest at the Auction. I've never seen a more lively game of Jan Ken Po in my life. It was quite fun. Combined with individual donations for the relief effort, the school raised over $3,000 to send to Japan. <br />
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Sunday: This Friday we leave to visit Tiger Daddy's family in the Northwest. His grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer AND had a stroke during surgery. She is on the mend and her prognosis is good, but a visit to her home and to see the rest of his family is long over due. I was going to make a photobook for her on Shutterfly, but now there is no time to get it shipped before we leave. So I have been wracking my brains to figure out what to bring her. I finally decided that I would make one of my fleece/brocade blankets. So off to Joann's we went, found beautiful sari material (a poly blend, but beautiful and soft) on sale. I pinned her blanket and Nana Bear's blanket, which for me is the hardest/ most time consuming part. Next, will have to find time during the laundering and packing to sew both blankets before we leave. Pictures also forthcoming.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50tpJEYiPKCgjU6Uk3W26AMis0uE9DalEu13H-MFC9MAoGX1X6dTxqrP4DLfIsYys7k0eZ7MsiGZ-w9sBgVNzwGbvzhbaRHkRxJtHFEzAquySFGswMtigxa_mFjs0soBTKRDpV68TKQM/s1600/SILK+BLANKET.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50tpJEYiPKCgjU6Uk3W26AMis0uE9DalEu13H-MFC9MAoGX1X6dTxqrP4DLfIsYys7k0eZ7MsiGZ-w9sBgVNzwGbvzhbaRHkRxJtHFEzAquySFGswMtigxa_mFjs0soBTKRDpV68TKQM/s320/SILK+BLANKET.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wrong side of the sari fabric for Grandma's blanket.<br />
If the wrong side looks that good...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Meanwhile, I hope everyone else is enjoying the first days of spring and celebrating with a little crafting.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-54346422329118217362011-03-20T19:02:00.001-07:002011-03-20T19:09:57.401-07:00From my iPhoneWent to Joann's to buy brocade for a special blanket for Tiger Daddy's grandma and found all brocade was $4 off! Bought this beautiful brocade and pinned it to raspberry fleece today. Must finish it by Thursday.<br />
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Trying out the posting feature using the SMS feature on my phone. Tried to send a photo, but that didn't work.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854617096639168310.post-74169722145626873872011-03-20T18:04:00.000-07:002011-03-20T18:04:46.386-07:00Keyboard MishapOn Friday night, the Dare Bear spilled the last bit of my drink onto the keyboard, which makes posting a little difficult (at this moment I am at my parents' computer). While we do use a laptop, we have it plugged into an external screen and keyboard and it is quite awkward to type on the laptop keyboard in this configuration. Combine this with our upcoming vacation to the Northwest at the end of next week (and the needed prep this week), posting will be quite intermittent.<br />
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But, crafting has been in high gear this weekend. Will post more of my activities at a more convenient time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08797153568186623560noreply@blogger.com0