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:

• Comme des Enfants - Coeur de Pirate
• Flowers in the Window - Travis
• Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
• Nantes - Beirut
• Ce Jeu - Yelle
• I Feel it All - Feist
• Migrations - Christine Fellows
• Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
• Paperweight - Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk
• No Myth - Michael Penn
• Two Hearts - Jayhawks
• Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan

Air hugs,
N

Peppermint Deodorant

I was drooling and clicking on etsy last Saturday, and a Valentine's Day appropriate lip balm, a grapefruit patchouli facial soap, and a stick of peppermint deodorant made their way into my cart, and within six hours they were in my mailbox in a homemade cotton bag!  Jamie lives in London, and she was out doing deliveries (FREE) door-to-door.  It didn't take that much longer for the deodorant to make its way into my pit. :)  I'm loving the deodorant.  It's so minty that my armpits tingle when I roll it under my arms.  The most brilliant part is that as I move around all day, the scent makes its way up my shirt and into my nose.  I get high off of it.  I swear!!  It wakes me up.  My co-workers have been doing a lot of eye-rolling as I shriek and exclaim the wonders of my deodorant.  Can they not smell the peppermint??

The lip balm will be a Valentine's Day gift to the littlest who loves cinnamon and needs lip balm.  I feel as if I'm constantly reminding that sweet child to apply some chapstick.  The dry, cracked, bloody lips don't seem to phase her one bit.  I, on the other hand, have to look at them.

I have yet to try out the facial soap.  I'll probably test it out on the teen first, and then assess her skin over time.  If she doesn't break out from it, I will be buying it in bulk.  Wow, that kinda comes off as if she's my guinea pig.  I'll make her sign a consent form. :)

N

PS. This is not a paid endorsement.  This is how excited I honestly get by small stuff.  I did however have the table beside Jamie at the Handmade Festival last year, and we exchanged smiles and some small chit chat, and I just know that she is a lovely girl who is local, makes natural products, and delivers right to my door under six hours.  And that alone was blog-worthy.  Well, and my minty pits.

A Teenager's Sanctuary

There is one room in this house in which we rarely step inside.  It's kept tidy for the most part.  I sneak in every few weeks and feather dust it to freshen it up a bit.   I never stay long.  I bet it's a treasure trove of teenage angst and drama.  I'd rather not find out as I am certain it would probably keep me up at night.  There is also a large collection of monkeys, and their stares are a bit unnerving.  Terrifying, really.  However, I am enamoured by her wall of art.  There are a few paintings that she has painted, but my favourite is this portrait that her best friend/boyfriend painted of her for Christmas.  He absolutely adores her, and I know that he spent so much time perfecting it.  I love it!  She spent an equal amount of time knitting him a super long navy scarf, and he wears it every time he steps outside which is more than I can say of Mr. J who has wore the Cobblestone I knit him once in two years.  They're so cute and cool and sensitive.

Happy Saturday!  I'm going to hunker down and get some knitting finished.  I'm excited about dinner - hummus, pitas, and fresh veggies.  It's a nosh kind of night.

N

Second Time's A Charm

For the story of this garland, check out my SECOND guest post over on the Canadian Living craft blog.  I had so much fun writing and making these garlands that I had enough for two posts!  Thanks, Austen, for the opportunity to contribute to your blog.  My fifteen minutes of fame were brilliant. :)

N

Guest Appearance and Pom Poms

I'm so excited!  (Now I have the Pointer Sisters stuck in my head.)  I guest-blogged over at the Canadian Living craft blog today.  Thanks, Austen, for letting me ramble on about pom poms.  'Cause pom poms are where it's at.  And for those of you living in my vicinity - why wasn't today a snow day, eh???   It totally should have been a snow day.  Thankfully the children only have two more school days left until their holidays.  I'm looking forward to two weeks of vacation. :)  Think of all the crafting that's possible in two whole weeks!

N

Happy Halloween

For the first time in my 14 years as a mum, I feel as if I am on top of this Halloween thing.   The littlest is dressed as the ghostly spirit of a young girl tragically run over by a train just like Jumbo the elephant, and candy is ready by the door.  And we still have half an hour before the neighbourhood gang is gathering.

Huzzah!
N

Loose Ends

These socks have been sitting in my knitting pile for a while now.  In fact I've probably only had to knit the toe on the second sock for two weeks.  Wednesday night while at Ignite London, I finished the toe, but I set aside the grafting until I was safely at home.  Well I got home, and they were set aside again until Saturday morning.  They fit the oldest perfectly.  Those are size 9 feet, my friends!   I shall not feel too guilty when I send her off at an ungodly hour each morning to the bus stop.  Her feet will be toasty.   Of course she can not wear this pair every day, so I will have to get moving on another pair.  If she's especially nice, I will lend her my size 8 socks in between. :)

The pattern is Wildflower by Fawn Pea, and they were very simple and mindless.  Really.  That one stitch is just purling 3 stitches together, leaving them on the left hand needle, bringing the yarn over, and purling the same 3 stitches together again.  Oh Nelly, it was easy.  I used up some unnaturally green Knit Picks Palette fingering-weight wool.  The wool was super cheap, but it is not superwash nor does it have a wee bit o' nylon.  Ack, it's what we get for $3 (I only used a ball and a half).   Oh but they will be warm, and that's all that matters at this point.  I really don't mind handwashing socks.  Really.

Happy Sunday.

N

Country Fair

We woke up silly early this morning, and despite the family moaning and the rain pouring down, we went to our first ever country fair.   On the way, we stopped for rainboots and umbrellas as only we would do. We sat on bleachers and watched a sheep show that was out of this world, paraded through deep and muddy puddles squealing, oohed and ahhed over the handcrafted exhibits, petted handspun alpaca, ate black bean brownies, admired pumpkin twins and award-winning indian corn, and laughed at crazy clowns zooming around on motorcycles.  Country fairs are where it's at.  Even when it's raining cats and dogs.

I returned home itching to bake and knit and search local farms for sale.  Never hurts to dream my Amish dream a little. :)

N

Pictures of a Picture

I can't believe the amount of work that went into this picture.  When I saw it at the bottom of a Goodwill heap, there was no question in my mind that it was meant to be mine.  I love those little golden knots and every single whipstitch on this loosely woven canvas.   Unfortunately it isn't framed, but I can fix that, or maybe I'll just tighten it up on a new board as it's gotten a little saggy.  I was picturing it hung up in my craft nook, but visitors would have to descend into the basement to admire it.  :)  And I think this sort of stuff needs to be oohed and ah-ed tout le temps.  Perhaps I will incorporate it into my autumnal decorating of the mantle.  I confessed to friends over the weekend that I had a whole dresser drawer full of branches, pods and pinecones from last year, so I'm pretty much all set.  I hope that came off as normal behaviour.

N

EZ #9

I started this spiral hat on what would have been EZ's 100th birthday  (8.9.10), went to work, and finished it by bedtime.  The next day I started another, and again, I finished it before bedtime.  Then I did it all over on the third day.  Now I have three, and I'm still itching to cast on another 10.   The best part is that the girls love them.  Success!   I think I have my go-to for gift knitting this winter.  Thanks again, EZ.

Cheers!
N

Family Game Night

The girls made a board game, and the littlest insisted on a Family Game Night.  She's always scheduling family activities because secretly I think she's in love with us.  I also think she has a future in event organization.  One thing with having children far apart in ages is that it can be a challenge to find common ground.  At the same time, the benefit is that they complement each other when teaming up on a project like this.  The littlest loves drawing and cutting, and the eldest loves writing and organizing.  Surprisingly we didn't have to drag the teenager out of her bedroom when it came time to play.  Thank goodness, too!  She was the only one who knew the answers to the green cards!   Playing this game was a buttload of fun. We all laughed and joked and smiled for an hour.   I wish that when my children grow up that these are the times they remember, and not the times mummy was mean and said 'no' to soda pop. (I realize that I've probably been 'meaner' than this, but honestly this is the stuff that really bothers them.)

In regards to my natural shampoo trial, I lasted exactly four days.  First day, I immediately noticed and appreciated the healthy amount of natural oils that had returned to my hair.  It felt great and crazy healthy.  Second day, my hair was put up in a pony tail.  Third day, I washed it, and this time, my hair felt thick and heavy.  Weird, but okay, I guess.  Fourth day, I felt the back of my head, and it was so oily.  I curled my hair around my hand, and it STAYED.  Um, cool if I was having it styled professionally, not cool to leave a stain on my pillow.   So, if I was to make a recommendation on this particular recipe, I would say it would be great used maybe once a week.  It's a bit frustrating, but I am not ready to admit defeat yet.  I will keep my eyes peeled and see what I can find.

Happy Winds-day!
N

Squeaky Clean

I made my own shampoo this morning and  washed my hair with it.  I'll pilot it out a bit longer and let you know how it goes.

I just combined 1/3 cup of tea tree liquid castile soap, 1/3 cup of water and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil.  It's just a small batch while I am in the experiment stage still.

Day 1: My mane feels squeaky clean.  Now I'm off to google hair conditioners.

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

Another Week Bites the Dust

We've been busy.  I guess no more than usual, but I'm still grateful that it's the end of yet another work week and the last day of school before March Break.   I have finished an EZ blanket that will suffice as a baby bear blanket for the Bumblebee.  I should know this well by now that knitting with acrylic will disappoint me in the worst way because after knitting on this blanket nonstop like a fiend and with plenty of excitement, I cast off the hundreds of stitches to find myself with a tiny puckered diamond-shaped blanket.  I can't block it because of the acrylic.  I will take some pictures of it wrapped around a doll as evidence of another completed pattern eventually.  It's not a complete loss.  I re-learned the reason I prefer to use natural fibres, and it's definitely not because I am a yarn snob.  And the Bumblebee likes to spoil her bears with gifts, so we'll wrap it up, make a cake, and have a party for maybe Flower Bear or Erica Bear.

One of the highlights of our week was attending a free doll-making workshop at the library.  We made the Waldorf gnomes pictured above.   So much fun!  If you are from these parts, you should check out all of the other free workshops that are happening over March and April.  They are being offered through the Handmade Festival project.  We've already signed up again for the upcoming embroidery class.  I'm also interested in the salve-making.  Then in May I've rented a table at the Handmade Festival, so I really should be concentrating on making like crazy in order to have crafts to display!  I may need to put the EZ project on hold for a month.  Eek!

And because I should really be concentrating on the craft table and the EZ project, I am working quite steadily on a pair of purple cashmerino legwarmers for the Bumblebee.  They're mindless and almost done.  Really.  Then I'll get to work.  Promise.

N

Rice Sock

We're pretty much all about the rice socks right now.  Every girl needs one.  Get yourself a sock.  Fill it with rice.  Jasmine-scented rice would be sweet, but not necessary.  Sew it up so's to keep the rice in the sock.   Tie a pretty ribbon round it.  You're done.  To enjoy, simply pop it in the microwave on high for one minute.  The Bumblebee likes to wear it tucked in her hoodies around her neck.   When it's not on her neck or reheating in the microwave, it can be found at the foot of her bed under all the blankets to warm up her feet when she gets under the covers.   When the heat hits us this summer, we're going to chill out with a rice sock fresh out of the freezer.  The fun never ends around here.

N

Pretties

The girls are currently hyped up on a butt-load of sugar.   In my defense, I put out a giant platter of fruit and veggies.  One stick of celery seems to be missing.   This does not bode well for parents due to arrive any minute.

N

Like a Real Aristocrat

It's the weekend once again, and we thought we'd shake it up a bit and CRAFT.  Shocking, right?  We're very unpredictable.  I've been drawn back to the chiffon flowers, and I've bought some barrettes and a glue gun, and instantaneously I have rose hair clips.  I required something with a little more skill and thought involved, so I found myself digging up a few old holey thrifted wool sweaters, and I sewed up child-sized hats.  The Bumblebee declared them "painfully itchy".  But they're so pretty!  She agreed that they were very sweet, but there is not enough money in the world to convince her to place it back on her head.  So very sad.  As for other crafty endeavours, we found the watercolour pencil crayons that the girls got for Christmas, and we drew flowers, coloured them in and brushed it with water.  Our pictures turned out brilliant!

As for knitting, I plan to cast on for a hat that will match the newfie mittens.  If you look in the comments below our Newfie Mitten pattern post, Wendy has graciously written a pattern to make a matching hat.  How flippin' awesome is that???  So keep your eyes out for more hats!   It's gonna get crazy around here.  Seriously.

Happy Saturday, my friends!

N

A New Year

Happy 2010, everyone! 

We've spent all morning staring out the window at the snow swirling around and making everything a little lighter and whiter.  We've also been keeping an eye on the bird feeders we made yesterday with pinecones, birdseed and lard.  So far, all we've managed to catch is a bright red and very plump cardinal pecking away at the pinecones.

All this work requires another cup of tea. 

N