Balkan Style: crafts

Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts

In Progress

We started a few masterpieces this week. One being a creative endeavour, and the other we will leave to nature (with a little sun and water).

Yesterday's public discussion on the Senate's report on poverty was eye-opening. We all know that poverty is devastating to one's soul, and for that reason alone, we should want to eradicate it, but it's been proven with unrefutable stats that it costs taxpayers more to allow our fellow Canadians to live below the poverty level than it does to bring them in from the margins. It is to all of our benefit to educate, house, feed, employ and nurture every single one of us. Imagine a country where each person is productive and paying taxes. It would be an economic dream. It costs taxpayers $100,000 per homeless person per YEAR. Imagine if we helped lift that person up out of poverty by meeting their needs - housing, food, schooling, health, and finding a meaningful, good paying job. It would be a very good start indeed.

So now I have to figure what I'm going to do about it. In the next few weeks, I'll be meeting with the volunteer coordinator at a homeless shelter for young single moms. In addition to some focussed volunteering, I will continue to talk about it and spread awareness and educate. We need to show that the public, us, wants the poverty issue to be the government's top priority. I've also joined the London Homelessness Outreach Network which is a grassroots organization developed out of the passion of individuals to take action on homelessness in our city. If you feel like joining me, I'd be happy for the company.

Happy Thursday, friends!
N

Heart Garland

Inspired by the heart garlands over at house on hill road, I got to work and made one. My intent would be to make a gazillion, but time hasn't been on my side. It's on my to-do list for now. May this serve as a reminder. To be honest, this little string of hearts only took a few minutes, but I made it a lot longer by gluing sheets of scrapbook wrong sides together so that the hearts were patterned on both sides. Next time, I plan to embrace the white (wrong) sides, and save myself an hour of gluing and drying. It really is as simple as cutting heart shapes free-hand and stitching them together with the sewing machine, and hanging it with tape.

Valentine's Day Decorating Music Mix:

Air hugs,
N

Some Fun on a Monday

Yesterday we had some 'work' to do. While the eldest volunteered at a craft station, the littlest and I took pictures. Well, I snapped away while she played. I admit I did some colouring too. We had a lot of fun despite the Bee having a crick in her neck. When we got home, I heated up one of the ol' rice socks, and she wore it around her neck to bed. I felt so badly for her, but she didn't once complain. And that outfit? Oh boy, does she ever get lots of remarks, but she's got a 14-year old sister! We've been noticing a trend around here of some slight copying with a little 8-year old jazz sprinkled throughout. And we are big advocates of allowing our children to choose their own clothes except when they're 14 dressed like they're 18. Besides, I'm nowhere near her at school, so it's not bothering me if she wears short over leggings with several different stripes. :) And she loves scarves - this one in particular is made more special because it is El's scarf that was kindly lent to her for just the evening. The Bee also does her own hair. I love that she packs her fashion design book in her school knapsack because she's always thinking up new styles, and you never know when inspiration will strike. Y'all best keep your eye out for this one! I'm seeing snowflake tank tops and skirts made of streamers in the near future.

N

Sneak Peek

Last weekend, my sister and I did a run-through for the Handmade Festival that is coming up TOMORROW! Oh dear, I'm so very anxious and will be quite glad when this is over. I'm not good at selling my wares or myself. Thank the stars I'll have my sister by my side and two 14-year old assistants that seem to be much more excited than me. They've been texting back and forth about all the details and giggling. I'm not clear what that means for us. As for what one will find on our table, we have earrings galore, big flower-y barrettes, winter-y wool hats and cowls just in time for the summer, cotton head scarves and head bands, quilted coasters and hot pads, magnets, zippered pouches, tote bags, reversible baby bibs, and bathtub stickies. We have a little something for everyone.

Handmade Festival
Central Library, 251 Dundas St, London
Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.handmadefestival.ca/

Come by and say hi. I will probably blush and mumble something incoherent, but please know that I will be eternally grateful. :)

N

Packaging

We've stamped brown paper lunch bags with some botanical doodads and purchased black raffia string to complement the black ink. These will serve as our bags for the small fiddly items at our upcoming craft table. This was a simple project when we could no longer bead another earring. I think it adds a dash of pretty while not costing us an arm and a leg. There's a hole puncher hiding in there somewhere too!

And the goodies for inside the bags include these sweet magnets we whipped up using my huge stash of buttons and my sister's scrapbook supplies. I admit we got a tad competitive. Mine are the pretty ones. :) Of course.

N

Our Foray Into Embroidery

The littlest and I went to a free embroidery workshop last night at the library. The project was to make a mini pin cushion, and our very sweet and patient teachers were a group of ladies from the Canadian Embroiders Guild. About halfway through, the Bumblebee declared rather loudly, "This is not as boring as I thought it would be!" In fact had it not been past her bedtime when we returned home, I'm certain that she had enough interest and energy to whip up ten more! To give you a sense of the size, the base is simply the lid of a water bottle. They're very little. We think they would also be great for cupcakes for her teddy bears or stools for her polly pockets.

N

P.S. Do you have ten seconds to spare? I did, and I made some of this nifty gardener's scrub. And then I dragged my little jar to work and showed it off to anyone who would listen. I think that some of them were seriously wowed.

Spring Crafting

My sistah and I had a mega-crafting day yesterday from dawn to dusk. It was insane the amount we accomplished. This morning, I am a little hung over from the pomtini we shared and all the laughing that ensued.

While she worked on a quilt, I started and finished my first ever crochet project - a simple crocheted headband using some dishcloth cotton from the stash. I am still working out some kinks in my stitches, but I'm still learning. And the teen loves it. She's not going to admit it, but she wore it for the rest of the day, I caught her smiling, and she took pictures of herself when I wasn't looking so she could show her friends. Yeah, I'm certain that she loves it.

The bunnies in the glass canisters were my sister's idea to make - she saw them in a Martha Stewart magazine or something. We got everything from the dollar store, so we're pretty sure that the chocolate will taste like crap, but they look really sweet, right?

Happy Sunday!

N

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

It's 2 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon, and we've just gotten dressed for reals, and the Bumblebee is doing the mambo or some kind of salsa all over the living room. So far we've beaded, drawn thumbprint animals, knit, and embroidered. The paperwhites are blooming, and they're definitely 'fragrant'. :) I'll kill it with some chili in the slow cooker 'cause tonight is field hockey practice, and we'll want to eat as soon as we walk in the door. 'Til then, I'ma gonna go back to the comfy couch and curl up with my sock knitting, a cup of tea, and a silly book.

Happy Sunday!

Off

I didn't mean to disappear from here for a whole week! We've been busy finishing up school and work for the year, and we've been busy making. We downloaded the house and the tree patterns for free and got to work immediately. Hours of fun! Honest.

Four more days to Christmas! Eek! I thought I was prepared, but I sat down and made another list, and turns out I gots lots to do still. So off I go . . .

N

Lemongrass & Spearmint

The salt dough ornaments have all been painted.   I will need to search out twine for hanging them as the holes are too tiny for even the slimmest ribbons.

Four weeeks to Christmas - are you ready? Last year, we scaled down a bit on gifts, and I did alot of crafting, but I am afraid that my family is tiring of my 'making'. I really appreciated not having to step foot in a mall in December, not having to drive around parking lots for hours to find a parking space, not having to push past harried shoppers, not having to stand in checkout lines with impatient children, and so forth. Frankly I felt a little superior to all of those that simply picked something off the shelf and handed over cash. I spent weeks knitting, sewing, beading, baking, thrifting, and colouring.   I don't know if that's the answer.   I could support local businesses instead. I could buy gift cards that benefit non-profit organizations. I could give gifts of time. Make donations in lieu of gifts. Or scale down completely. Make new traditions and continue with old traditions. What do I want my children to remember about Christmas? I guess that's the question. In any case, their few gifts have been well-thought out and purchased, and I am making them each a gift.   I'm keeping it simple.

Happy Sunday, my friends. We're off to spend good ol' quality time with family this afternoon - decorating the tree and sharing a meal.  That's what I'm talking about.

N

30 Days of Happiness :: Crafty Bits 'n' Bobs

I knit up a pair of wristwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts using an oddball skein of Noro Cash Iroha in one night while catching up on Mad Men. Such a satisfyingly quick knit. Not sure whose they will become. They will most likely be thrown in the gift drawer. And so one Christmas knit has been achieved, and I can resume knitting my sweater of which I have the front and back and a partial sleeve completed already. It's coming along swimmingly.

And I'm not the only one handcrafting around here. The Bee got a fairy doll making kit for her birthday, and she also got a lot of help making the fairy doll. It's so pretty and sweet and sparkly in all the right places.

Happy Saturday!

Prickly Pear Cactus

Most of the year, this cactus looks really dead and gross, and for the briefest time, we get a glimpse of its spectacular flower. This was taken last week. It's gone now, and I must return to apologizing for its hideousness, but honestly, I think it's worth it.

This week I am being inspired by . . .

* Books of Colour (I've always adored Keri Smith's collage journals)
* Handmade Home (it arrived in the mail on Wednesday, and I have been lugging it around in my knitting bag to sneak peeks any chance I get)
* Sewing for Little Ones (perfect for the Bumblebee)
* Mara (I've already cast on!)

I find myself blogging tonight to past the time while I wait for the dryer to finish one load so that I can put in the second load before I get cozy in bed. Plus I was brilliant enough to whip up another flippin' peach & blueberry cobbler, so now I must wait another hour for that to cook and cool for another hour. It's going to be past midnight before I can call it a day. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

N

Ninja For Hire

I returned home from work today to find that two ninjas had replaced my girls. All day they studied up on ninjas - like ninja rules and ninja tools. They watched Wendy Wu and made origami ninja stars. I believe the littlest even has a new ninja name. Last week she had to come up with a Secret Agent name, and she came up with Secret Agent Yellow Chicken Nugget. I can't even pronounce the ninja name, so you're out of luck on that one. I think when I left for work this morning, the kids held ninjas in high regard, but now ninjas are being fanatically idolized. I've been told they're practically mythical!! Excellent. Did you know that ninjas ate and drank very little to avoid washroom breaks while they were undercover? Oh and the skills! The Bee has a good idea what she needs now to build up her resume. Her big sister, on the other hand, has a future in photography and must be credited with the images above. Good lord!

N

Gosh!

We got ourselves declared 'Kreativ' Bloggers! Colour us flattered! Thanks, Isa!

1. The winner must copy this Award to their own blog.
2. Link to the blog from whence you received the Award.
3. Nominate a minimum of 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to the nominated on your blog.
5. Leave comment about the award on the nominated blogs.

All I can think of is all that linking that must be linked, and all those comments that must be commented. How 'bout if you see your blog listed below, feel free to do 1 through 5 if you wish. I've got cookies burning in the oven and bedtime routines to enforce. Side note: I am so lazy that rather than putting on my coat and walking the two blocks to the store to buy cookies, I baked them. You've probably cocked your head to one side and scrunched up your face like something's stinky. I'm saying I don't have the energy to leave the house once I am home from work, so I would bake for hours if it meant that I didn't have to go out. It doesn't make sense to me either.

In the time I typed up all that nonsense, I could have left seven comments. Okay let's do this. T - if you agree with these choices, simply respond with a 'ditto'. You can get the next award honours 'cause it's inevitable that we'll get another. We're THAT good.

In no particular order, I bless these blogs with an esteemed 'Kreativ' Blogger Award:

Katherine of Fuzzy Love - she's our craft sister, another transplanted Canadian, and the sweetest person ever. She's super smart too. One day we're going to have a bird collection contest. As soon as we get some free time! And honestly, if we were to put this list in order, she would be tops regardless.

Danny Seo of Daily Danny - this kid kicks it. Most of his ideas are simple and low-cost and green of course. I call him 'the kid'. He became famous as a teenager when he advocated green living, and he has written great green design books. I borrow them from the library all the time. The kid isn't making a dime off of me, but I think he would be satisfied that borrowing is a greener option. You should make him part of your regular reading because he posts every day with beautiful pictures, great design tips, green product reviews, and lots of contests. I mention the contests because your chances are good that you might win because he doesn't have a ton of readers. Just saying.

Rachel of Cultivating Rachel - she's been missing for a while, but she's back! And that just makes us happy!

Jennfier of Write Start - I've just got hooked onto her blog, and so far it's been about little kids writing, but it's certainly creative, and I love the images. It's timely for me with the littlest learning how to read, and the oldest is a writing machine.

Danielle of Sheep Geek - Danielle can knit ANYTHING and make it look wispy and effortless. She is the genius behind World Wide Knit in Public Day. I just drool over her projects.

Ellen of elanknits - She's the wondermum that I wish I was, and she knits the coolest skullies! This lady is a local legend. Go to any crafty festival or show or what have you, and everyone knows her, and it's very likely that she has some items on display. She's a legend at my workplace - they made an award because of her exemplary volunteer work. Her attendance at knitting gatherings around town is spotty 'cause she's so flippin' involved in her boys' lives, yet she still practically gets a standing ovation when she makes her entrance. I always feel like shouting Bravo!

Erin of Bluebirdbaby - I just love looking at her photos. She can make anything look absolutely beautiful, so I go there for a dose of pretty.

Good God. That's seven for you. That was certainly a feat. Looks good on all of you. I'm whipped. Must go hide the burnt chocolate chip cookies or else I won't have any left for the lunchboxes tomorrow.

As you were,

PS. Blogger, you suck at spacing. Why must my post look all wonky?

Sunny Side of My Basement

My craft shizzle finally has a home! It needs more light and more table space, but this is a huge start. I keep going down to the basement to make sure it's still there. Yep. All's good. The pictures are kind of craptastic, but I'm still working on lights, and in all honesty, I was supposed to be cooking dinner for 15 people and not taking pictures of the basement. It wasn't all picture-taking however 'cause I whipped up that fancy blue floral curtain right there yonder to cover up the water meter or what have you. I couldn't have all that ugly in my special pretty place!

I'm not sure how the computer made it to my work table, but something tells me that I shouldn't argue. A girl's got to look for inspiration, patterns, and tutorials somewhere.

That there is maybe one fifth of our books - all read and enjoyed. Ironically we haven't bought any books for four years since we moved into this house, AND we filtered the collection before so that there would be less to move. We are book junkies. Every few years I can read and enjoy the same books because my mind retains very little, and the little that I do retain enhances each re-reading. I've read The Handmaid's Tale four times, and each time it gets better and I understand a little more its pure genius. Having too many books is a good problem to have.

Oh dear, I need to get back to staring at my craft space. It's calling me. "M-a-k-e something!!"

Cheers!

Signature Look

What I've learned this weekend:

:: It's all about perspective.

:: It's a good thing that no one can hear the yelling in my head.

:: Waking up early is gold. Yoga at 10:30 a.m. is impossible.

:: I am more decisive and focussed than I used to be.

:: This 'craft' can be done on many levels.

:: This song is the shizzle.

She Smiled

Today I fulfilled El's Christmas 'coupon' for a trip to the hair salon and lunch after to show off her hair. I truly believe that a new haircut needs to be paraded. This chick rocks this hair. This hair makes my brooding angst-ridden pre-teen smile. I couldn't take enough pictures of the hair and the smile. It's catching. I asked her where she wanted to go for lunch, and my heart skipped a little when she responded anywhere, but fast food. That's my girl. Poor B groaned a low groan of sorts from the backseat, but nothing a little more volume on the radio couldn't drown out. Just kidding. I would never raise the volume to drown out my children. Well, not on a regular basis. So we found a little bistro and the three of us had a fashionably late lunch, and then we hit the library to pick up our trunkload of holds. I love chilling with my girls.

B's teacher has assigned a recycling project due later this month, and before I had time to read the project details, B had rooted through the garbage and made some crayon and marker holders out of an old pizza box from Wednesday's dinner. Apparently this isn't all she has up her sleeves - the kid wants me to hand over all the trash. Secretly I want her to wow her class with hand-stitched bags out of sweaters and pillows out of old t-shirts, but she is going through a phase where any direction from me results in "I want to do it all by myself!" And dang it, I've already passed grade one. What a bummer.

I must head to bed. I gulped down a crantini at the neighbour's house, and sadly, I am feeling a bit woozy and sleepy. Cheers!

N

Eight Dancing Princesses & A Fairy

She was going for 12, but had only 8 stickers. I am head over heels in love with the princes and the fairy buzzing around up top.

Have you seen this tutorial? It's crazy addictive, and if you are sick of the magazine Christmas trees, try using up your magazines this way. Origami wreaths - perfect for slapping on top of a gift or throwing into a card.

Found my addi turbos (after I dashed out to Michaels for a pair of Susan Bates Velocity circs which are incredibly equal to addis in every way!), and I resumed churning out mittens.

And because I have a 12-year old who whines horribly when I am baking shortbread snowballs, I have probably baked a dozen batches of these so far. They disappear faster than I can make them. I have stocked up on bricks of butter like it's going out of style. This is all T's fault.

Back to the sewing machine. Ugh. I love the finished product when sewing, but I really dislike the whole process. That machine is going back to storage after the holidays. I swear to Todd it's jeering at me from the corner of the dining room.

4 more days to go,