Crafting with the Undead

Scrappy

2011-04-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

There's "some" sewing going on here at the homefront. I love how this scrappy quilt turned out - 4 1/2 inch squares randomly selected. Ikea is now selling some of its fabric in pre-packaged amounts. I got a child's print - perhaps I will donate this one to the next school aution. Pink really stands out in this quilt - apparently, I use a lot of pink; I never knew. Much is happening on the side thought - a graduation quilt and a baby quilt are both under construction. Pictures will follow shortly.

Loving this fabric!

2011-03-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with this fabric, it has little, itsy-bitsy mice and cheeses ... adorable! The fabric - Minny Muu is by Lecien Fabrics of Japan. Here's a link to some etsy shops that carry it.

The Mary Poppins of Photography

2011-03-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am just fascinated by this story of Vivian Maier - by day, a gold coast nanny in Chicago; by night (and days off) an avid photographer. Her photographs are captivating - children, socialites, and Chicago scenery - just beatifully captured images. For the story, click here from WTTW.

For a sweet baby....

2011-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

My office mate asked me to make her granddaughter a sweater - specifically, a cardigan for her little Lucy. Well, my office mate is so wonderful - she listens to me, advises me, laughs with me, (cries with me), and well, really, she's the best ever. How could I decline?

She, with great giddiness, hopped, no leaped into the process and picked out a pattern that she liked. Even though it was with size 3 needles, I said yes. Even though I didn't get gauge, I kept a'truckin.

Good thing too, because, well, its just scrumptious. Here's little Lucy's sweater - no daylight to be had, only cloudy days, so the pictures are a little dark.

The buttons came from Wal-mart about a gazillion years ago - I bought a bunch for my baby (now 10) and have been waiting for that certain item, and this one, they fit just perfect.

Pattern: Cardigan, Baby - Ravelry link

Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Baby Cashmerino in yellow and lilac

A note about this yarn - I LOVE Debbie Bliss, don't get me wrong. But this yarn, is a little limp. I think its perfect for this project but if you want more stability, I might try something else.

The Powder Room

2011-01-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

I've begun thinking about the powder room project and, since I'm a librarian, the most obvious thing for me to do is start researching. So, the first think I did was check out this book from the library - Domino: The Book of Decorating. I really miss this magazine, just as I discovered it, it became defunct just like those television series, you just begin to care about the characters and the series isn't renewed. One of my favorites was this show, Valentine.

I really like the book quite a bit, it talks about incorporating a focus, color interaction, all the things to be considered just like a good HGTV show. I also like how the designers incorporate rooms of their own homes to illustrate points.

As a matter of daily life on the web, I've also been stalking a number of design blogs - Desire to Inspire, the Fat Hydrangea and decor8 to name just a few.

This is what I'm starting with -

(Apologies for the poor lighting, I need to read my camera manual for this one.) Since this is a low budget project, I am keeping: the sink, oak panelling and floor, the mirror, antique lights and the mantle. This is an exterior wall, so the mantle needs to stay as insulation for the sink pipes.

As powder rooms go, I want to have an element of surprise, maybe elegance but certainly different-ness from the rest of the house which I would describe as shabby country since almost all of my (our) furniture is repurposed.

Here's my design board, courtesy of glogster.

I LOVE the fabric sample, above from Schumacher. However, it is fabric, not wallpaper. Yesterday as I was out and about, I stopped at a few paint store who carried wallpaper once upon a time, but alas, no more. So, it looks like I'm going to need to broaden my travels.

Now, if I could wave my magic wand, I would go back about 30 years when a dear librarian I used to work with, wallpapered her shabby cabin bathroom with Alphonse Mucha wallpaper in the most warm shade of brown complete with Mucha's ethereal women. I would love to have some of this wallpaper but I've been up and down the internet and cannot locate anything like it.

So, there you have it. I'm at a standstill until I can get to the wallpaper store. I need to mention, I'm not wholly committed to wallpaper at this point, paint or even stenciling is quite doable as well. Any ideas?

Must-have purchase

2011-01-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

I just came across this fabulous blog post by Heather Ross. Do you know Heather? Well, she creates some of the most charming fabric, I mean, I just drool and salivate whenever I come across it - equal only to my passion for Amy Butler and Anna Marie Horner of course.

Heather Ross has designed themes around brides, VW buses, princesses and gnomes, but, with rapidly beating heart, she's going to come out with a line of little girls and their plastic horses this spring.

Oh, my stars! I had my own herd of plastic horses lovingly cared for by my gaggle of Barbies (who were only around because they were the right size.)

I'm going to start stalking, yep, right now. I must have some of this. And, what might I be doing with some fabric? Well, maybe I'll make something for my adorable nieces, but you see, I really do need to keep some for myself. Don't you agree?

Catching up

2011-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

I've been crazy busy these past two weeks as I'm sure you have been too! Let's see what's we've been up to.

My brother, his wife and lovely daughter were in town and Tuesday, we went sledding at the neighborhood hill. Wonderfully, we had the place to ourselves and had such a fabulous time. Then, we went home to soup, cookies, and more laughter.

Frantically, on Christmas Eve (eve), I was still making my annual pairs of PJs for the boys. Luckily, it was bottoms only and I'm happy to say, I met the deadline.

I had such an itch to make the trees below, they would make wonderful craft projects for school. I think I saw them originally in Better Homes & Gardens magazine but have not been able to find them online.

Today, as part of our New Year's ritual, we took down our Christmas tree. I loved the one we got this year, tall and stately; simply put, it was beautiful.

My husband and I are beginning, tomorrow, our quest for healthier habits - eating and exercising. It seems like a good time with a family reunion and other things on the summer horizon not to mention, we really need to do this. We really aren't ones for making resolutions, you know, its just stressful for the both of us. So, I hope to use this blog as a means to keep myself motivated.

On the home front, I want to redecorate my home mostly through paint; painting the living room, kitchen, entrance hall and powder room - most of the first floor of our home. I plan on blogging about this too. (My office mate will be very grateful as she's been a part of the continued brainstorming this event is having in my life.)

So, onward we go into the adventure of 2011 - wishing your health and happiness in this brand new year!

Decorated Table

2010-12-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

My friend Jo has been teaching some of her pals to knit and she surprised then with a luncheon to celebrate the holidays and their progress. Her is her yarn inspired tablescape. I love how festive the balls of yarn look alongside the mercury glass and china. Everyone had a marvelous time. Thanks for sharing Jo!

This moment -

2010-12-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas to you and yours and wishing you a very Merry and Safe New Year!

The Mermaidens

2010-12-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've been in love with the book Wee Wonderfuls since I spotted it in several blog tours. A few weeks ago, one of the patterns was offered as a freebie on STC's blog so I decided to try my hand at making the mermaid. This is my first attempt and it was great fun. The pattern is quite clever in how the pieces go together as well as the sewing. The mermaid's body fits into the hair and fin, clever, huh? I've got two wee babes who'll be getting these as small tokens of my affection.

What's doin?

2010-12-17T05:15:00.003-08:00

It's been a very busy few weeks since the excitement of the glitter houses. At school, we celebrated Christmas Around the World - J's focus? Brazil!

Then, we moved on to making Grandpa gifts. This was actually really fun although finding pinecones was a little tricky. Next year, I will plan ahead. It was also mess-ier than I remember but we did the craft before I cleaned the house. Yep, that's me, smart planning ahead.

We picked up our tree at Richardson's Tree farm, a lovely 8 footer... And, yes, we let J drag the tree out all by himself

I cured my curse of making toffee - 2 successful batches...

My mom and I took a class at Entwined in Grayslake with some of my quilt group; we made boxwood trees. Good times! More pictures here.

Glitter Houses

2010-11-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I underestimated the amount of time that this project would take and, as a result, house construction took over the dining room table for over a week. Luckily, we weren't hosting Thanksgiving so the Village was able to stay a "work in progress." Directions can be found here.

For other crafting moms, my son enjoyed the following elements of this project (not necessarily in this order): ability to use exacto knife, the glue gun, and to my surprise, the actual decorating of the houses (with the glue gun.) In the photo below, we've emptied the cereal boxes (the small ones) and carefully opened them.

Applying the gesso.

Overall, we did one layer of gesso and two layers of paint.

The houses - under construction.

I bought various picks and other items at Michaels which we cut down to miniature to fit the houses. I can tell you, my favorite part was the actual house construction. It's pretty addictive.

We placed SnoTex on the roofs and around the homes and used decoupage to adhere the glitter - two kinds of Martha Stewart, the fine and the larger crystals.

Free Patterns!

2010-11-24T06:49:00.001-08:00

In case your Christmas list has grown or, you still have an itch to make something for a special someone, check out the free patterns over at the STC Craft/Melanie Falick blog! I absolutely adore the Material Obsession 2 quilt - oh, its literally screaming my name. Maybe, that's what I will work on for the Baraboo quilt retreat.... hmmmm. I also love the Mermaiden and the Mulberry Hat - so many projects, so little time - ah, did someone say immortal?

Quilt Weekend - A Success!

2010-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my sister, mom and I hit the road. Destination - Quilt Weekend. My mom belongs to a quilt group in Antioch, Illinois ~ I belonged, once upon a time, before my life got out of control. Anyhoo, we met the quilt group (along with Aunt Sue) at a Girl Scout Camp in East Troy, WI. It was a little rustic but the accommodations were clean, spirits were high, and the food was delicious.

Turns out, I bought so much Ghastlie fabric that I was able to make one lap quilt, and the beginnings of two more! Whew! Our little group was juiced let me tell you - on Saturday, we sewed from 7:30 in the morning til 11:30 that night - with one small break to get coffee from the local McD's! Yes, we were focused - driven! Here's the first quilt ...

And, the second ...

Do you see what happened? I ran out of the gray! Argh. Lucky me, I managed to find some more fabric at Cia's Palette in Minnesota. It really took me some seriously intent searching to find the Manor fabric. The pattern that I used was Nan's Harvest from Thimbleberries. I love the pink flat piping and it wasn't hard to do at all.

Glitter

2010-11-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

Using Martha Stewart's glitter directions, my friend Jo took glitter one step further with glittered corn and gourds! The detail is a little hard to see in the first picture so be sure to click on it to see the details.

Jo is entertaining her ladies' literary society (yes, a bookgroup) - I'm sure the decos will put the group in the appropriate mindset. I should have asked her what they were reading....

Jo also shared this link with me - Inspired Ideas: The Christmas issue - I have to tell you, it is delightful, extraordinary, fun and flirty - one of the best ezines I've seen yet! I love the Village house craft - made with lots of glitter and small cereal boxes. I think this might be the craft for the Grandmas for Christmas. In fact, I've already started collecting cereal boxes and making my list of appropriate items for my neighborhood.... What do you think about tiny pearl clusters as snow covered bushes.

Got inspiration?

2010-11-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

During the shopping travels of this weekend, my sister took me to visit Sew and Save in Racine, WI.

First, if you have a Viking sewing machine, they have the most attachments and tools for Vikings that I've ever seen in my life. Second, they are extremely nice about answering how-to questions - which in my book goes a long way. Here's some shots of what I found especially fascinating...

My sister loves this Christmas quilt, everyone should have a Christmas quilt but alas, my logic did not work on her and she didn't buy the kit. Hmmm, maybe an elf will make a whispered suggestion to Santa.

And, drum roll please, I bought some more Alexander Henry fabric for the quilting weekend, next weekend, yikes! (You would think that I had enough by now.) But, I have a plan - yes, I do. See that pattern below? Well, the fabric ladies were telling me that they had made a sample using my Halloween fabric with it. I have direction now folks. I can't tell you how happy that makes me especially since the quilt weekend is this weekend! Did I mention that already? I'll need to make the quilt a little longer and wider (for a lap quilt) but I don't think that will be much of a problem, I'll have to play around with it...

More shopping?

2010-11-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Seems I've been shopping more than crafting lately! Friday went off with my sister - we hit Toys 'r Us and did some crafting shopping and antiquing. Then, off again to foil a friend and keep her out of her house while her hubby got ready for her surprise party. And, what a surprise it was! For your viewing enjoyment, some eye candy from two wonderful and very different stores.

Romancing the Home, Deerfield, IL

Much of what is in this store is pricey, but the decorating, ideas, found objects, and new bling is so artfully displayed that its just fun to wonder around and look at everything. I loved these pumpkins!

In the opposite direction, is Embellished Heart in Kenosha, WI.

This place offered antiques outfitted in whimsical ways. Tucked in a smaller shop near the Kenosha News building, the proprietor was engaging, with a quick smile, and the items for sale - oh boy! There were two that I just wanted to scoop up - first, this divine buffet, so 20's! The second, a mirrored side table, under the smartypants tea kettle.

Trolling around, I found another blogger who discovered it - you might want to hop over to Kelle Dame and check her post out as well!

Road Trip

2010-11-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday was errand day and since we were in the vicinity, the boys "allowed" me to go to a new knitting store - Fiddlehead Yarns in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

I absolutely fell in love with this print! The next time I go there, I must ask where they got this!

The classroom is just down these stairs, comfortable area, just right for sitting down and knitting for a spell.

This is one of the main areas of the store, chock full of goodies.

This kit was adorable but I'll have to wait for someone to have a baby ...

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-10-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

The festival begins on October 29th over at Amy's Creative Side. Here's your chance to take part in the online quilt community! Below, is my favorite summer quilt, well, actually my only summer quilt that I finished this summer. This is my new summer quilt on my newly installed clothesline which if you notice, is not really a traditional clothesline but rather a wanna-be variety - we wanted to see if the neighbors would complain. (They didn't, hurray!)

My quilt looked wonderful hanging out int he sunshine awaiting its photographic record. Then, BLAM! A not so innocent bird flew by, and you guessed it, did the nasty on my quilt! Disgusting to say the least.

Now, my quilt is broken in. This is my freshly laundered quilt, yep, I had to try again.

Done!

2010-10-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

And, here it is - finished! If only I knew where I was going to put it. It's currently residing where my ironing board sits in the sewing room. What a quandary - hah! I need to find a spot for it. I'm totally in love with the color and the process - such fun!

Painting a la Freckled Laundry style

2010-10-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Remember the paint project I started after seeing Freckled Laundry's piece, in the last post? Well, here it is in progress and let me tell you - it was addictive. After I finished playing with this piece, I actually poked around the house to see what else I could paint. Lucky for Mr. Undead, I didn't find anything but there's always Craig's List.

Here is the piece after I finished the base coat. The darker color that you see here is the first part of the darker glazing. I loved how distressed it made the piece during application.

Here is the piece after it has had the medium and dark glazing applied.

And, here is the piece after I've completed all coats. Tomorrow, I hope to get the doors back on along with the knobs. Stay tuned!

Painting project

2010-10-04T08:49:00.001-07:00

At the end of the day - dishes done, laundry churning, the boy put to bed and all the other tasks done or put off to the next day (ahem), I either amuse myself by knitting or trolling through blogs. I admit it, I'm quite enraptured with blogs and have been reading many for several years.

Two weeks ago, I discovered Freckled Laundry. The author, Jami, has a paint technique that I've been mulling over and decided to duplicate. Her instructions are here. I didn't know it but Restoration Hardware has a line of zinc furniture which Jami had been envying. Having a good old fashioned obsessive craft nature, she duplicated the finish!

I just happened to have this cabinet laying around waiting for some attention. Originally, I had wanted to strip it down to its pine state. I quickly changed my mind once I saw Jami's tutorial. This weekend, I sanded the cabinet as much as possible and primed this morning. Now, I'm tracking down the supplies and hope to paint this weekend once I've got everything. Don't forget to check back for progress....

Made

2010-09-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

My mom and I bought two huge bunches of corn stalks and made these this weekend! I love them - cost $5 for one wreath. We followed Chickens in the Road's instructions.

Tips? I think I would use floral wire next time as you really had to keep the string/twin taught. You can see that my wreath, above, is a little lopsided on the right. Next time, I would intersperse the corn husks with the dried corn leaves to create a more even texture. Still, I love how it looks. Maybe, I'll do a little more "fluffing."

Bought!

2010-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

There were so many things I wanted to buy at the antique/flea market - but this is what came home with me!

Vintage, 1970s retro AM/FM radio that works!
Lovely crocheted edged, sunny yellow pillowcases
linen table runner
black curio cabinet (going to my sister)
pottery vase, autumnal yellow
one very large wooden candlestick (not pictured)

What did I want to buy? Well, I was looking for a library table and did find two. The first one was too much $$$$ for my pocketbook; I debated for a half hour or so and did go back. Luckily for me, someone else purchased it in the meantime. No biggie - I'll just keep looking.

Lost...

Antique/Flea Market (long post)

2010-09-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today was the last weekend of the season for the Elkhorn antique & flea market. It runs three times during the summer and fall and it is, in my opinion, one of the best markets. Not only do you have antiques and vintage goodies, but you also have vegetable stalls, and arts & crafts as well. It was pretty cold this morning - I neglected to take my gloves but the vendors were in high spirits and I had a great time!

I love these dishes.

What was my goal? I was actually looking for a table for the living room. This one looked interesting.

This serger makes mine look like a youngster.

This is the lovely stall of Tattered Tiques - a jazzy pair of ladies with a wonderful designer's touch. I absolutely swooned for these chairs with flour sack upholstery.

I loved these tags with the chocolate ribbon...

This staller had the most interesting collection of vintage kitchen ware - she had a lovely cake carrier that I was dying to purchase. She ran out of business cards but her store is: The Cottage in Coal Valley, IL. 309-799-3025. She said a road trip is totally worth the trip as she has an entire room dedicated to this type of retro-ware! Maybe I can talk my sister in going?

This lovely artist was at Kane County but I wasn't able to capture her artwork. She has amazing talent; here's her link.

My mother loves barn quilts - took this picture for her.

This is one item that I hauled home for my sister (who was in St. Louis for the weekend.) The women were wonderful at "Good Finds" they kept this purchase and all my others since I mistakenly did not bring my cart! What was I thinking? The Good Finds stall has an abundance of toile bulletin boards, black and white painted furniture and other beautiful things.

Two lovely gentlemen selling reclaimed, gorgeously made cabinets, check here for their shop. I love the dental molding on this one.

Halloween arts & crafts were sprinkled amongst the antiques - isn't he a witty, dapper man?

I wanted to scoop up a few of these tender little shoes.

Stay tuned for what did come home with me....

Good Morning

2010-09-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

We're off to the apple orchard today; I shopped for craft supplies yesterday - more paperclay and black tissue paper for Halloween display. I'm also percolating like mad about this paint technique! I love Freckled Laundry's website - her ideas are just wonderful.

We're hitting the Elkhorn Flea Market tomorrow, I am so excited - the possibilities!

The man is smoking today too! Turkey, yummy. More to follow!

What do you think?

2010-09-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was SO giddy when I finished the final bits of my snowmen! In all, I've made four (one had an unfortunate demise - eaten by the Golden Retriever.) I was so excited, I had to take pictures and send them to my sister, and two friends. (That's what I get for crafting alone.)

For my first try, I think they really came out super cute. I wasn't able to find antiquing spray - I'm still searching for that, so they were able to keep their fresh, bright colors.

You might ask, "now what?" Well, I have ideas as to where to get the antiquing spray and then I want to try a full figured snowman, a blue and red theme, and maybe ... an angel!

Heads Up

2010-09-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly making progress with the snowmen, previously mentioned here. The heads have been patiently waiting for some cosmetics and glue. J went to a friends house for most of the day and I was able to focus. The entire process has been done in fits and starts as I've waited for various stages to dry.

Moe, Larry and Curly.

In the red

2010-09-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

One of the things I wanted to do with this blog is share real-life stories, crafting in the trenches per se. I read many blogs - what an addict I am, but everyone's projects always turn out perfectly. My red toile quilt was an example of misadventure. First, my reds didn't quite jive with the pattern I was going to make. So, the fabric languished for a few months. Then, when I had inspiration, I didn't have enough yardage so I decided to make the quilt scrappy, playing with the layout of the squares for added visual impact.

Once the quilt was all done, my friend Jo had a great idea for "framing" the blocks which worked beautifully - thanks Jo.

After all the sewing, I proudly took the quilt outside to hand on the line for a celebrity quilt photo event. Ah, this is where the story turns.

A poor, unfortunate, sick bird managed to do some very nasty business on my quilt - it happened so fast! Also unfortunate, my stain removing agent by choice, did not take out the stain. So, I had to rip out the offending square - luckily, it was just one, and then cut and sew a new one in.

Here is the rescued quilt, not to be placed outside any time soon.

Has anyone else had such misadventures?

Adventures with zippers

2010-09-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Remember the cardigan that I've been working on? It's only been a year that I've toted this sweater around in my knitting bag mentioned here. Not to mention, since it was my first zipper experience, I custom ordered two zippers before I managed to find the correct length. I'm not sure why I had such a hard time getting the correct measurement. I had blocked the cardigan before I took the measurement but I think next time I will sew everything together first. It is very important not to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the knitting when measuring.

For guidance, I used this blog entry and this one too - both were extremely helpful!

So, after blocking and sewing together, I basted the opening of the cardigan.

Then, I basted the zipper into the cardigan and had to make a quick trip my local fabric store to get the right color thread. Trust me, it matters that you pick a thread that matches as closely as possible.

Here's the finished cardigan! Now, to get a picture of my niece in it - I'm only 2 weeks late since this was "supposed" to be a birthday present! Stay tuned.

Kane County Fair

2010-09-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

The wonderfully long Labor Day weekend bloomed ahead of us, so we decided to take a meandering journey to the Kane County Fair.

We hadn't been for quite a while, maybe since J was four? It had changed quite a bit from what I remembered. There were many wonderful craft elements amongst the antiques and flea market finds!

a delightfully frothy concoction in maueve ...

My sister didn't come with me but I had to take pictures of the metal art. The bright corn made me smile.

But, this goat, oh how I wanted to bring the bashful guy home! Maybe next time....

I love corningware, don't you?

The shabby elements were sometimes too wonderful to pass up.

These guys were a hoot and I really liked the smokey BBQ sauce.

This gal had a wonderfully creative side to her displays, I thought this was a great idea. I "will" improve and get shop names next time.

After walking around for several hours, I managed to find one item on my list. I bought this impressionist bouquet for the where? the sewing room of course!

My dog is a celebrity!

2010-08-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

I have a favorite blog that I love to read and sigh over - Desire to Inspire. While the two bloggers feature "mostly" contemporary design sometimes some romantic things sneak in. I love the featured gardens, featured designers and the real estate that is blogged about - so much fun and eye candy.

On Mondays, the blogsters feature Pets on Furniture and this past Monday, my golden retriever Rose made her Internet debut. The idea is that you feature your furniture and the "pet" is just an additional prop.

Here's the pictures that I didn't submit.

Here's the post with Rose.

Paper heads

2010-08-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

I love paperclay folk art. Through the years, I've picked up pieces here and there all the while wondering how they're made. I finally stumbled upon a magazine article and did some youtube searching and found the courage to take the leap. I also lurked around Etsy and found a few stores to ponder - my favorite shop to watch is Middleburg. Here's one I bought some years ago - sorry, I don't know the artist.

Here is the beginning of what I hope to be snowmen....

Loving Amy Butler [sigh]

2010-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Trolling around this past Saturday morning, I stumbled upon this blog post. Now, I LOVE Amy Butler, yes I do. But, I had no idea that she had a wallpaper collection.

I've lived in my house for about 10 years now and have been itching this past two years to start redecorating. I freshened up the master bedroom with a coat of paint and minor additions and deletions but the first floor is really what I'd like to focus on. As all big decorating projects around here, it'll be piece-meal, a little here, a little there.

I'm thinking that the Field Poppies - stone might look good in the powder room. What do you think?

Since the powder room has quite a bit of wainscoting finding something that goes with the oak stain will be the biggest hurdle. Pondering.....

Half in love with -

2010-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'm half-in-love with this photo at this etsy shop - isn't she beautiful? I'm thinking of getting it and (of course) putting it in the crafting room. The photo is at Buckscountyframes etsy shop - the rest of the shop is just as eye-catching.

What's doin?

2010-08-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

It'll be back to work next week. Shall we take a peak at what's been going on recently?

For my niece's birthday, Martha Stewart's pom poms were mutated into farm animals. The pigs were my favorite!

Then, I did a little thrifting and found this lovely lamp for my craft room, perfectly shabby.

I painted some dresses for the craft room walls. I'm not much of an artist but had a great couple of mornings playing with watercolors.

And, my latest quilt endeavor. Originally, I had been trying to recreate a quilt from an issue of American Patchwork & Quilting hence the red toile. However, once I started working on it, my combination of reds just wasn't working. So, I went through the stash and managed to find some working reds but not enough to do the kind of pattern I was hoping. Eureka! I settled on this mottled effect and it turned out quite nicely. I wanted to set the darker colors on the diagonal but used all my fabric - maybe I'll try again?

I'm still searching for the perfect red toile - which, for some reason, is extremely difficult to locate. Anyone have any ideas?

This is my first year of growing zinnias in the garden. After seeing my Aunt Cis' garden last year, I had to try and they were well worth the wait. They're so pretty, I cannot bare to cut them to bring them indoors. So, I admire them from afar (far, far away) since the mosquito population in the garden rivals Hong Kong.

Osseo (part 3)

2010-08-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

For the final stop in our Osseo tour, we stopped at the Quilt Yard. They have a great assortment of fabrics like Moda and quite a few Amy Butler patterns. The store is arranged in a lovely manner, winding around in an oval design and the staff are super friendly and helpful.

My niece (age 3) loved the buttons.

I loved this Amy Butler pouf.

They have a wide variety of quilts hanging in the shop. How could I resist this one?

My sister thought the book displays couldn't be passed.

Osseo (part 2)

2010-07-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Across the street from the Petit Jardin, is a lovely antique store, PACKED with all sorts of things - depression glass, vintage toys, milk glass, tools, the list goes on and on! The store is sectioned with stalls, each stall features collections of items.

I didn't notice at the time, but this owl looks positively angry.

If you visit, don't miss the basement. I found some lovely milk glass vases. The tools were varied and plentiful.

Osseo (part 1)

2010-07-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

For the next few posts, I'll be highlighting some of the spots I hit on vacation. The town of Osseo, in Wisconsin, has some great hidden gems. One is the Petit Jardin. The design elements found within their cubbyhole of a garden spot are truly inspiring. Enjoy!

J looking enthused about stopping to shop.

This cute guy found a spot in our crowded truck.

Adventure Camp

2010-07-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Jake attended Outdoor Adventure camp all last week in Crystal Lake through the McHenry Park District. A five-day adventure camp, campers hiked, fished, canoed, and did some crafts. All of which he enjoyed tremendously. So much so, it will be a checkmark on next summer's time.

At the closing ceremony on Friday, campers wore their tie-dye t-shirts and received camp awards based on their personal achievements.

Jake won the "Best Angler" award; it seems he caught the most fish on fishing day!

Weekend Outing

2010-07-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Nicki, Mom, Sophia and I went to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art show held at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Here's their link. The show - vendors and merchandise were all wonderful and beautiful. So many ideas, so many projects! I did walk away with some yarn to start Cactus Blossom. Note to self: next time though, I will take notes of where I took pictures at.

Felting was everwhere!

As a craft show vendor, the displays were eye-catching!

Nicki and I both coveted this sweater but the stitches were small, maybe a 3 or 4 needle?

Nicki tried on this shawl, what a beautiful color.

Finished!

2010-07-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

My Anne Maria Horner zig-zag quilt is finished and let me tell you, I'm just obsessed with it! I love, love, love it!

Scraps for the back, of course.

Summer Plate #3

2010-07-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here she is! My Mother's Day present. It took me this long to figure out what kind of bike I wanted. Basically, I needed a girl's bike (hah! trying to swing my leg over a boy's bike is comical at best), comfy seat - check, and something that I could ride to the grocery store (a mile) and to the library (6 miles) - when I work up to it.

Trek Pure Sport - the bad part was, once I figured out what I wanted, my local bike shop was sold out. But, a librarian's perserverance paid off and I found it a few towns away. Now, I need a basket. Checking out this one although it'll probably wait til Christmas.

Summer Plate #2

2010-07-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

My quilt group and I are making market bags for ourselves, as Christmas presents, and to use up scraps. Here's my cutting mess during progress. For the pattern, click here.

Earlier this summer, we had quite a storm! Luckily, no one was hurt but many neighbors had terrible damage. We made it through unscathed except for our poor birch tree and our trampoline. Luckily, the birch tree was there, otherwise the trampoline would have crashed into the sewing room window. When we drove around the next day, there were trampolines in ditches and in the middle of farm fields.

Summer Plate #1

2010-07-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well dear cousin, I know what you're doing this summer so I thought I would share what I've been up to.

I seem to be in a reading slump. I've tried quite a few books in the past weeks and haven't been able to find anything that really grabbed me. I did take a peak at Rachel Ashwell's latest book - I just love her and her style but found that she's gotten a little too minimalist for me.

On the recommendation of a neighbor's sister-in-law, I'm trying the series by P.C. Cast and her daughter. The first chapter snagged me and now I'm hooked. I've read many of P.C.'s novels and really liked them. This one is from a young-adult perspective but very mesmerizing. Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

When I'm not reading, I'm managing to work on Sophia's birthday sweater. Sadly, this project has taken me almost a year to get this far. I'm not sure why its taking me so long, I really like the pattern - perhaps its not challenging enough? This is the Silver Splash Jacket by Louisa Harding. Here's the ravelry link. More to come on this one.

Jacob has taken up lacrosse! And, he really likes it. Yesterday, in 90 degree heat, he happily suited up.

Looks like we'll be signing up for lacrosse this fall! I better brush-up on my rules of the game.

Garden Tour

2010-06-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, I've watched the paper for news of the Woodstock Garden tour. For the last two summers, I haven't been able to go due to working, vacationing, or missing the dates. This year though, I made an effort, and for the first time was able to make it.

It was a glorious day, spent with my mom and Holly. Six lovely gardeners opened their gardens for viewing - what a delight it was. Woodstock is full of hidden gardens and whimsical, creative gardeners.

This guy just made me smile!

These roses were just magnificent!

I'm not sure what types of coneflowers these are but the center pom pom was entrancing.

Lovely gazebo outside of the B&B used in the Groundhog's Day movie.

This home features a garden art tour in July. This is the stage where the musicians play.

The Groundhog's Day B&B.

Ahhh, hostas.

While it was hot, the gardens were worth the journey and we had a great time.

Pom Poms

2010-06-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

For a recent baby shower, I became slightly [cough] obsessed with making the Martha Stewart pom poms. I made these, above, to go in the sewing room, made from full sheets of tissue paper. We also made smaller ones, 6 inches wide, to work as flowers for the tablescape in aqua and orange. Brilliant. The mom-to-be was delighted. I think they would look great in O's room too!

GOOP

2010-06-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've just rediscovered Gywneth Paltrow's site, GOOP - a weekly newsletter focusing on food, travels and meanderings from Gywneth. I had such a great time touring around. I especially liked this article on the redesign of living space for GP when she was on location in Nashville.

Her book section was equally interesting, my Amazon wishlist is overflowing.

Packing the projects

2010-06-08T07:48:00.001-07:00

We're going on vacation soon and I'm getting my assortment of car projects ready. Long car ride, you know? What, you might ask, is that item above? It's a teddy hat from Amanda Keeyes' Beanie Babies.

I love this book, it really has some wonderful hats - very easy to knit but with high visual and design impact. The author's journey to knitting is interesting too - she's a photographer who needed cute hats for her models. I can totally see you doing something like this T!

On a side note, I've started working on this koigu scarf - 648 stitches, cast on! Whew. I'm not sure if it will be a good car ride project though. The pattern is from Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island in Seattle. I visited last year when I was at the ACRL conference and it is a MUST visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Hungry?

2010-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last night, I made the most wonderful dinner - alas, no pictures. Broiled salmon with baby potatoes including butter and parsley - oh, it just melted in our mouths.

So, today when I'm thinking, what to blog about? knowing that I haven't sewn a stitch, but I have finished two baby hats for Miss Holly (pictures to come later), I decided I was hungry and would blog about things I'd like to eat right now.

From the Pioneer Woman's kitchen...

From the kitchen of Posie Gets Cozy...

and from Craftzine...

Enjoy!

Crafting with Children

2010-05-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

T - Have you taken a look at the blog, Crafty Crow? I use it quite a bit, mind you, Jake is not the least bit interested in any type of crafting unless it involves some sort of dangerous equipment - glue gun, staplers, needles, etc. The Crafty Crow collects crafts by holiday and by age of the children so you get crafts for all levels.

I've used the ideas many times in the role of Jake's room mom and Nicki uses it for her kids in school too. My goal this summer is for Jake to keep a journal of all the summer activities that we do - once I'm on vacation that is.

Little Birds

2010-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

We had a baby shower last week at work and the mom-to-be is doing a nature theme in the nursery. She was inspired and wanted to make this bird mobile but was running out of time.

To the rescue came my work quilt group, who secretly conspired to create the flock of birds you see below.

Quilters were asked to make just one bird but if you try the pattern, you'll see, it soon becomes addictive! What will the next combination of fabric look like? How can I personalize it best?

The mom-to-be was surprised and delighted and the little baby she will soon have, I'm sure will be enchanted as well with the cotton flock.

If you make the birds, here's a few points I would add:

machine or hand sewing works fine, but at the top of the neck, sew just a little further along the head for a smooth line.
turn under the tail seam before stuffing for a smoother finished look.

Julie has an awesome baby blog too. I absoujtely love her tree decals.

Did you see?

2010-05-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

T - have you seen anything cuter? I think your new babe needs a pair of these! Information is over at the Purlbee.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Let's take part in the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

I've been quilting for about fifteen years with stops and starts along the way. I've shared my love of quilting and sewing with my co-workers - bringing in quilts and talking about projects. Last summer, I took part in the Old Red Barn quilt-a-long and thought - wouldn't it be fun to do a quilt-a-long at work?

The seed was sewn and our little group started out - we made our first quilt and started a blog. The quilt above, is the second in our series. Inspiration came from another blog, Crazy Mom Quilts.

The quilt above is a reminder to me of how proud I am of the sewers that form our group. They cover a wide variety of ages and experiences, new sewers among them. The group is like a child - I worry about their set-backs, and laugh with delight when they overcome an obstacle. As they teeter towards quilting maturity, I see their confidence grow; they are an inspiration to me. It reminds me of how quilting has inspired creativity in others along with kinship ... friendship.

The group is entering their teen years now, they've brushed off the toddler and elementary stages - they're sewing baby bibs, stuffed birds and owls, and even hand quilting! This fall, we'll be taking on our first color experiment this fall. I can't wait to see what they turn out.

Big Sister Gift

2010-05-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine told me she had her new baby give his big brother a gift when they came home from the hospital and it really helped minimize jealousy, etc. I was inspired to knit a gift for Baby D to give to Olivia. O's really into buttons, snaps, zippers, and tying shoes right now, so I modified a pattern from "The Best Dressed Knitted Bear" by Emma King (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Dressed-Knitted-Bear-Patterns-Accessories/dp/0307453820)

I'll let you know if it does the trick or not!

How does my garden grow?

2010-05-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, gardening work was in high gear. Jacob helped me string lights....

The husband helped build two beds based on Uncle Joe's garden domain...

We moved mulch and dirt...

And, the boy discovered that he finally weighed enough to drive the tractor! He drove the entire weekend project list; every time we wanted to rest, he would say "c'mon mom, let's go" all for the love of tractor driving.

We finished the major projects we had outlined but alas, the sun is not shining for pictures. More to come!

I Finally Did It!

2010-05-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

Do you remember me telling you about this shawl when it first appeared in the Knit Picks catalog eons ago? Well, I have been lusting after it for months. I finally got the courage to order it. I may be in way over my head, though! I'm not a shawl person, so I'm planning to frame it and hang it over the fire place. BTW, I have plans for the fire place too. I'm going to paint those awful granite stones and pink grout...white.

Oh, I don't get to start this project until January 1, 2011 and hope to be done with it by December 31, 2011.

First Blog Post EVAH

2010-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Michelle,

I have finally figured out how to log on and, hopefully, post. So sorry for taking so long. This is what has been preventing me from doing my "blogging duty":

1) I am frantically trying to get my flower beds in order and planted with varieties that will be somewhat able to take care of themselves. I simply refuse to put the baby down to pull a weed!

2) I am frantically trying to get all the baby gear ready for Baby D's arrival. 4.5 weeks to go!

3) I finally finished the "Big Sister Gift" Baby D is going to give his/her big sister when we come home from the hospital. Oops, I guess it technically isn't finished. I'm heading to the store tomorrow to get the last embellishment and then I will be posting photos.

4) I am trying to get caught up with my scrapbooking before Baby D's arrival. I'm up to Easter!

5) AND I'm trying to finish up some knitting WIPs that have been haunting me.

Plus, clean, cook, exercise, play, walk the dog, and go to garage sales! I SO WISH I didn't need to sleep.

Some knitting inspiration...

2010-05-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Distracted

2010-05-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

My garden is distracting me. Or should I say the totally immense job of ripping out and mutilating all the dandelions that have somehow grown themselves into gigantic, prehistoric, man-eating giants is taking all my time and energy. Did you know that I have this schedule [obsession] with getting Stage 1 of gardening completed by Memorial Day?

Stage 1: This first stage consists of the gardener [me] wildly galloping around the yard desperately trying to stop the wild invasion of dandelions, crab grass, and thistles that suddenly appear in the flower beds.

Stage 2: After taking a breather in the month of June, the gardener now finds that those crazy weeds that look like carrots, the crabgrass, the dandelions and thistles have risen up and multiplied like the love children at Woodstock.

Stage 2.5: Before the next stage arrives, the gardener visits one too many garden shops and plucks virgin perennials into available spaces - hoping that the tender perennials can battle it out and win over the nasty weeds.

Stage 3: It's July and too hot to do anything.

Stage 4: August finds the gardener enjoying summer. Due to the lack of rain, there is no way to rip out the weeds without suffering intense carpal tunnel pains in the hands and wrists. Basically, its too hot to do anything.

Stage 5: Fall is coming and in a fit of desperation, the gardener once again wildly dashes about the garden trying to fight the weeds before the beds are put to sleep for the winter.

Today, instead of looking at a picture of weeds, please find enjoyment in the pretty lilacs that I cut for the sewing room.

If I could live somewhere else....

2010-05-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

As a crafter who would like to be immortal - the best reason of course is that I would have so much more time to devote to projects - I would have to decide where I would live. Immortals, for the most part, choose bustling areas filled with humanity in order to blend, to meld with regular humanity.

Anyway, if I could live anywhere else, right now I'd like to live in New York City, specifically somewhere near Broome Street so that I could visit Purl in person! The above linen baskets are from the Purl blog which always has wonderfully creative ideas, fabulous photography and all the smashing materials to make them with!

Pincushions

2010-05-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've had an itch to make some pincushions for quite some time and finally got around to it. (Yes, I was distracted and the dress is not cut out yet.) These are filled with lavender and they smell so good! Have I shared with you my lavender obsession? I LOVE lavender. Can't you just imagine living on a lavender farm - ah Provence, to be there now surrounded by lavender. Sigh. This lavender which was simply divine if I do say so, I found on etsy at Popko. She sells jewelry too.

The patterns for the pincushions can be found here. I want to make the cubed one next. Instead of using the quilting thread to segment the cushion, I sewed two antique buttons both front and back to indent the middle. I had just as much fun picking out the buttons as I did the fabric.

Daydreaming about a dress

2010-04-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

I've been dreaming of a dress - floaty, romantic, softly rippling in a summer breeze. Of course, I would look like something from a Bronte novel - soft light, reclining beneath a giant oak, reading, nibbling on the contents of a picnic basket.

That aside, I actually found a dress pattern for something that fit my mental image - its the pink dress in the upper right frame that I'm looking for. The man is going fishing this weekend so I'm hoping I have some time to spend plotting out my newest project. Simplicity 5189

IBC

2010-04-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Following the directions at u-handbag, I began the IBC project. I would recommend that instead of adding an additional 2 inches to the outline of the top of the IBC cover, I would add maybe 2 - 3 inches instead.

A finished IBC:

Inspiration Board

2010-04-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I had this great idea. Yes, I did. It was a wonderful idea until it began to fall apart.

First, I thought: wouldn't it be cool to find an old frame, distress it, and make it into an inspiration board? I began the hunt and actually, it went very quickly. I found a perfect (empty) black frame at A Little of This & That in McHenry. check

I distressed the frame, painted it blue, then white. Sanded it down in parts and then the creme de la creme - I added silver paint to it. Oh, it's so wonderful. check

Then I started the very long hunt for a bulletin board to go "inside" of my frame. Ahh, this was the hitch in my plan. Custom made bulletin boards are "very" expensive. After two weeks of searching a helpful hardware person pointed me to Hobby Lobby where I purchased a "roll" of cork. check, check.

This morning, I began to put everything together. I pulled out my handy-dandy utility knife (isn't this one great? I bought it at Papersource last year.)

I trimmed the corkboard and sprayed the adhesive.

One thing to note: The corkboard shreds a little bit so my edges are not perfect. (This is not a "perfect" crafting blog - rather, learn from these mistakes.) A friend suggested cutting it with my rotary cutter which probably would have worked much better. Point for future consideration, check.

The first piece went fine but alas, the second met a terrible accident and now I have to go back to Hobby Lobby and buy another roll of corkboard. No biggie. Doesn't it look good though?

BTW - using a rotary cutter to trim the corkboard worked really well.

The Blind Side

2010-04-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

T -

Watched the Blind Side last night and cried through the entire movie - hormones?

What an inspiring story, the life of Michael Ohre and how his life was changed by a school and family. Here's a youtube clip you may want to watch.

I haven't read the book yet, put in a request at the library. But, Michael Lewis the author has a new one coming out - The Big Short which focuses on recent events within the U.S. economy.

Not sure if you're up to reading about vampires but it goes with the theme of the blog - Dad read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and really liked it. Check - added to the library list as well!

International Quilt Show

2010-04-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

T - Went to the quilt show with Mom, Sue and Nicki yesterday - totally wiped out by the time we were done. I couldn't believe how crowded it was! The "talk" was - this is the last show in Chicago I guess its gotten too expensive and the show is moving to Ohio next year.

I've gone to this show before but I thought it was more "artsy" this year - very fun. Boiled wool was everywhere, lots of felted projects. My biggest temptations were the Moda A La Home booths (they were two!), the French company selling needles and scissors (I wanted so much but bought nothing there), and the embroidery/quilt shop based in Arlington Heights - look for the witch's hat picture below.

Enjoy the eye candy!

Ironing Boards

2010-04-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

T- I've been looking for a new ironing board cover, do you know how hard they are to find? The key piece of equipment in my sewing room apart from the machine and it looks so dowdy. Since the rest of the room looks pretty good now (now that the tool box I bought Chris for Christmas has moved out to the garage) I have room to iron and press to my heart's content.

Certainly, I looked at all the regular places but none seemed to have much character. Then, I thought about searching Etsy and yes, there were many that I liked but none that I loved.

I stumbled upon this pattern to make my own, so I think I'm going to try it out of the fabric above. Michael Miller - Paris ville. I just found another pattern at u*handbags. Going to go off and mull this over.

What did I do on Sunday?

2010-04-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of future gardening projects, I spent today putting the finishing touches on the back for this quilt. This one was our latest project from the quilt group at the college mentioned here.

I'm going to back it in a bleached muslin. Muslin is just my favorite to work with, crisp, clean, so summery. The quilt group used a pattern, available free at Crazy Mom quilts. Sadly, she's not blogging anymore but the pattern is on her website.

It just occured to me that this entire quilt has a majority of white in it. What was I thinking? Well, this mom has a predominantly white house with five kids so one kid and two dogs shouldn't be a bother should it?

Blocking

2010-04-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the moongarden wrap, finally photographed in sunlight. I love how the cables come hither and fro.

Here is the moongarden wrap submerged in cold water (i.e. wool), a very, very scarey thing for a first time blocker.

I carefully squeezed (no wringing) out the water, laid it out on towels, and pinned the [heck] out of it. Just likes its supposed to - the yarn calmed down and found symmetry in its form. The suds are from this wonderful lavender soap, especially for knits, that you don't need to rinse out. It's called Eucalan.

Now, to wait for it to dry. You know, the waiting is the hardest part. hee hee

New purchases

2010-04-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Chocolate and strawberry - what could be better for the new projects percolating in my head? Can't say much, possibility someone could see this. The yarn is from Prairie Arts & Fibers in Grayslake, Illinois. I ran over on my lunch break today and was so wonderfully surprised, the shop was hopping. My friend Jo and I visit there every once in a while, we want the shop to do well and boy-hooee, it was doing great today. Kudos to the owner for sure.

The yarn is Jil Eaton, merino from Classic Elite Yarns - washable, and so, so soft. Its just delectable like the real deal of chocolate and strawberries. I can't wait to share with you what this will become.

Current Obsession

2010-04-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Theresa,

I have a confession. This quilt. It's called the Folk Dance quilt. I'm sorry to say, when I need to be doing laundry, focusing on my online classes, or merely interacting with people (my family), this current project draws me like a menopausal woman to dark chocolate.

The fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner (who has a little boy, maybe a year old now?) and who blogs beautifully here. I admit, the points were a little tricky at the beginning but I've got the hang for the most part, and I'm having so much fun with the fabrics, seeing how they all mesh together. The pattern is free if you're interested, click here.

For the most part, I was able to purchase a majority of the fabrics from etsy, from Afabricoutlet. Anna Maria has a new book coming out called Handmade Beginnings. Somewhere, I saw a snippet from the book and one of the projects she had made a lampshade and somehow adhered cut-outs to it, birds, flowers, leaves and such. Very interesting! Can't wait to see what we can do with that!

MoonGarden Wrap

2010-04-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

After 2, 3, or 4 months of knitting, (who's really counting), I'm finally finished with the MoonGarden Wrap. Here's the ravelry link. I really like it. Actually, I LOVE it, I want to roll around and wrap myself in it. I love the texture, and the color, and well, everything about it. Yarn: Blackberry Ridge, dk weight, Northern Lights Icy Blue. I've had this yarn in my stash for a few years so I'm not sure if its still around or not.

A friend from work lent me her blocking wires, they look like giant, pick-up-sticks. She assures me they're easy to do, so, on my to-do for next weekend, blocking 101 or in my case, 98.2.

iphoto

2010-04-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

T - you may have wondered why its taken me so long to write....

It all started with my birthday, I have a fondness for creme brulee. All said and done, I had a wonderful birthday and ate my favorite dessert. Fast forward - next day, I get the last remaining CB and while sitting in front of my laptop, reading my fave craft blogs, I leaned forward, and my creme slid onto the keyboard. I gasped in horror - truly. And quickly wiped the brulee of the keys. Alas, the "u" would not work. Off to the store we went, warranty in hand. To make a long story, a little shorter, I now am the proud owner of a macbook. And, look what I can do with photos!

In the beginning....

2010-04-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

It is the first official blog post of "Crafting with the Undead."

Recently, in a flurry of emails, Theresa and I longed to be vampires. Why might you ask? What is the attraction apart from sexy, ruggedly handsome male vampires? The attraction (ahem, apart from the sexy, aforementioned male vampires) is that we'd have endless amounts of time to finish our crafts, contemplate new ones, design crafts, live and breathe crafts, yes! Becoming vampires is our answer to our crafting problems which mainly involve time!

So, welcome dear readers. Our plan is this:

Much in the style of Mason-Dixon Knitting, Theresa and I will blog (she lives in another state) together, in this space. We'll share our daily lives, our crafting dilemmas and successes and whatever else pops up into our heads. And, every now and then, we'll give you a chapter of our endearing heroine who seeks a vampire to become one of the undead - so she can expand her alpaca farm!

[photo: Eric from True Blood]