Saturday, December 31, 2011
my CRAFT year in review
wowzers! i had no idea i put together this many tutorials for Craft. pretty cool.
(nifty organizer to be shown in 2012)
the rest is filler...Happy 2012!
Labels:
2011,
crafting for craft,
tutorials,
yir,
yir2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
crafting for craft: caddy cocktail a-go-go
If you like yer boozy drinks to be more desserty than not, hop on over to Craft for my take on a Gold Cadillac. It's perfect for the New Year! Pluys, I show you how to turn a jam jar into a cocktail shaker. Too cute!
Labels:
crafting for craft,
craftzine,
new years
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
the a-go-go tradition continues
i made the mister his Bert & Ernie this year...
and he made me a Sock Thinker monkey! aack, I lurve it!
Monday, December 26, 2011
scenes from christmas
there was fancy wine, cheese and crackers and oodles of butter fudge (i got three boxes of it...heehee)...and quiche and cookies and so much food!
there was Rudolph and card playing and the popping of holiday crackers.
there were half-way naps and video games played and robot fights galore. there was also mucho time spent with family simply hanging out. all in all a very nice holiday save for our no longer working car and my sick, sick, sickiness. happy boxing day folks!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
merry mustachemass!
Friday, December 23, 2011
today was a doozy
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the extend of the holiday decor, it just didn't happen. |
This needs to stop. I need an intervention. I managed to throw away actual trash and fill a box for donation. I teared up in frustration at my codependency with crafting supplies. I apologized to the mister so many times he blew his top and rode off on his bike to pick up a sandwich for us to share. I need to live near other crafty people so that they can come over and use up my supplies. I need to learn how to socialize so that I am not buried by buttons and itty bitty fraying fabric scraps. I need a new me. A better me. A me who is still me but can clear her noggin and create nifty creations and not hold on to things. Seriously folks, I threw away business cards from old crafty friends of years gone by and I felt guilty. I found old pX postcards and liberated them to the recycling bin with an apology to their sender. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading and revisiting so much of this and I was and am excited to have rediscovered crafty bits I thought had run away but I also felt weighed down, I DO feel weighed down so I need to think, think, think of how to move forward.
Of course, during this whole day, whilst greeting old forgotten fabric scraps with giggles and hellos, wanting to tear my hair out over the enormity of it all, my mind started to wander to my closet and the clothing I am holding onto and an idea to start anew and...and...and...
Slaperooni! Hold on a sec while I shake my head vigorously. Maybe THAT will clear it out. Drats...it didn't work. I will try again tomorrow. How ridiculous is it that I titled this post to write about the super nifty rummage/antique store I finally visited but instead documented the mundane day I and the mister had. If you are wondering, things are calmer. He made dinner and I sorted stationery and then we watched a little netflix. He's here on the sofa next to me as I tip-type away. He, huddled under a gray blanket and me in a polka-dotted bathrobe and mis-matching socks. I'm still ick with sick (it has morphed from cold to chest ick) and hack, hacking up a storm. We've got all our holiday stuff finished and a plan for tomorrow. So other than my magpie tendencies and his lack of magpie-ishness we're good. Tired and cranky, but good.
Hopefully tonight will not be as cold as last night (it was COLD) and tomorrow I will actually get the butter softened enough to bake gingerbread and some wonder cookies. Merry Christmas Eve Eve friends and Happy Hanukkah. Smooches from me to you!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
christmas wrapping
I have a thing for gift wrap. A major THING. But knowing that the pretty only lasts for a few moments and then it is tossed into the trash makes me feel all ickified inside. I have a few rolls I purchased moons ago that have carried me over for a while and other than that I stick to pattern tissue (thrifted), brown paper (from packing materials, etc.) and other bits of pieces that float about the casa. This year, I purchased two skeins of yarn and broke out some of my coffee filters as well...it's pretty nifty how pretty you can make gifts with a few snips here and a few snips there...
Labels:
christmas pretty,
it's a wrap,
reusing,
upcycling,
xmas2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
making snowflakes
It's a good thing that I know where my scissors are. not only did I find my scissors, I found my coffee filters and some nifty cupcake liners. Using my tutorial from last year I went to work. This time, I added a few paper punches to the mix.
H a p p y H o l i d a y s!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
{mis}adventures
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always love an arrow |
![]() | |
surprise pinecone |
![]() | |
on Garden St. |
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at Nautical Bean |
![]() |
the holiday carousel |
![]() |
christmas carp |
We wandered around and passed by the mission where I admitted I still needed to visit. Looks like the mama a-go-go and I will have a date soon as she hasn't been either. We live in a pretty nifty town. Wandering is always pretty and parking is a deal. I need to wander more often.
And, because I rode my bike from the tiny casa to the homestead, the mister tied my new shoes down for me and I pedaled back home to wrap gifts and work on projects (and let the mister get back to monkey making) before the light faded away.
Monday, December 19, 2011
make a stocking in a bag
Not having any kiddos to play Santa for I felt bereft until I learned of a common phenomenon amongst my mama friends. Most of my mama friends act as Santa's helpers and so on Christmas morning, when it is time to dive into the holiday socks, they are left with a limp stocking, partially filled with items they bought for themselves and a candy cane or two from Santa. Combine that with my tiny kidless casa and some lackluster holiday socks as well and hopefully, you can get the picture. A few years ago, Ms. Za and I started exchanging stockings. From using and reusing pretty stocking stockings to filling tiny suitcases and/or vintage tins, we've gotten our creative fiend out and filled up all sorts of happy. This year, I am adding a new mama to the mix and because she isn't really expecting it and probably already has her own stocking, I am sending her a bag filled with goodness. This is also a nifty way to send a series of tiny gifts to a friend far away who may already have a traditional sock to hang. I suppose we only really need one stocking, right? I still have and use the one my Mamos made for me when I was born. I even made one for the mister in the same style so we could match. Mine is bit more motheaten than his bu I love it all the same .
So. grab some burlap, felt or other fat quarter sized fabric you may have on hand and let's get to sewing, shall we?
Materials
*fat quarter sized (mine was actually larger) piece of felt, burlap or other fabric
*1 large rectangular doily, 1 medium round doily and 1 small round doily
*small patch of red fabric (I used a t-shirt scrap)
*sewing machine
*large button
Cut your fabric into a large rectangular shape using your non-happy fabric scissors if you are cutting burlap. My burlap piece is about 25"X15". Press with a hot iron to flatten it out. Fold over the edge of a short end about 1" and press to hold shape. Repeat for the other side. These will be your hemmed edges. Bring the fabric to the machine and stitch those hems down, trim threads.
About 5" down from one hemmed edge, pin a row of pins to mark where the other hemmed edge will come up to create the pouch. Think of it as a large envelope.
Estimate where you want your rectangular doily and super pin into place (hemmed sides facing down). Doilies can be tricky to stitch on with a machine as they are wont to dance. You can do this by hand as well but the machine makes the stitching happen a wee bit faster, so make sure you get all pin-happy with that lace. Of course, you can use any shape doily you like.
Pin your medium sized doily over the top of one of your hemmed edges so that half is on the burlap and half hangs over the edge. Introduce this new bundle of happy to your machine and stitch the doilies to the burlap using a small zig-zig stitch. Take your time and unpin as you go if you find yer pins butting heads with the foot of your machine. Trim thread. when you stitch the round doily to the burlap, you will only be stitching half of it on, so yep, that's correct, the other half will hang over the edge.
Cut your small piece of red fabric (or other color) and pin to your almost-stocking. Pin the smaller doily on top and use your machine to anchor all that happy on.
Flip the doily top over and estimate where a good place for a button would be and hand-stitch your button on. If your doily has a loose lace you will not need to create a buttonhole. If you do need to create a button hole...have fun!
Fill your happy pouch with wrapped stocking stuffers (click here for suggestions on how to stuff a stocking for under $25), close the top and wrap with a contrasting yarn or rick-rack for added pizazz. Pop it in a box and mail it off to your very lucky friend.
Not up for stuffing a stocking or two but still want to give? You can pick up a few new-in-box toys, games, or kits and donate them to your local toy drive such as Toys for Tots or perhaps pick up some canned goods for a local food drive, our local markets sell coupons for meals so that you may pick up a few and your dollar donation will help feed those during the holiday season. Happy giving!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
pinterest pretty: whiskey marshmallow bacon bark
I have quite a pretty Pinterest collection (at least, I like to think so). It's not hard really what with all the pretty that is out there. From crafty bits to home decor to happy recipes, there is an overflow of fun floating about (with proper credits, of course). This week, rather than tackle the mondo pile of boxes full of fabric and bits, I thought I would bake up goodies bags for my co-workers at job-o number one. Not wanting to bake up cookies (even though I am a master cookie baker) I thought I would go for something a bit more fancy when I spotted this pin on Pinterest and immediately added it to my holiday list. I had all the ingredients save for the whiskey and since I think whiskey is a good bit o' booze to have on hand, I hit up the market for a bottle of Honey Jack (so good!) and got to work.
This crazy bark is amazing. Addicting amazing, but the effort results in such little yield I'm not sure I will make it again, anytime soon. Nest time I make it though, I am going to skip the meringue part and just add the crumpled bacon to the top, no sugar glaze, just salty bacon. Recipe can be found here at Endless Simmer. Enjoy!
This crazy bark is amazing. Addicting amazing, but the effort results in such little yield I'm not sure I will make it again, anytime soon. Nest time I make it though, I am going to skip the meringue part and just add the crumpled bacon to the top, no sugar glaze, just salty bacon. Recipe can be found here at Endless Simmer. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
might i recommend...a wee bit o sweetness
There's a gal I know who is a bit of a dabbler. She's one of those who dabbles a little here and a little there and does it so well that you find a wee bit of envy creeping into yer noggin. Her newest bit of dabbling, methinks, is here to stay and like everything else, she's mighty good at it. What is it you ask? Why, it's Confounding Confections, Boiled Sweets for Singers of Shanties and Perusers of Tomes, handmade vegan hard candies made in California with natural ingredients.
Each little bit of wrapped goodness is full of flavor and staying power (trust me, I sampled a few). With sweet collections such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Seafaring collection (the scurvy sea dog is quite tasty) there are all sorts of nifty flavors to choose from. Now, for the holidays your happy order can be wrapped up in a nifty tin and they are vegan (the candies, not the tin)! A perfect gift for oodles of folks in yer life. Don't miss out!
**and just so ya know, I am not affiliated with Confounding Confections. While I do know the candy mistress in charge, I was not contacted to feast these sweets upon you, it is all my own doing. Lookie how pretty they are, how could I not? I simply find their product delightful.
Each little bit of wrapped goodness is full of flavor and staying power (trust me, I sampled a few). With sweet collections such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Seafaring collection (the scurvy sea dog is quite tasty) there are all sorts of nifty flavors to choose from. Now, for the holidays your happy order can be wrapped up in a nifty tin and they are vegan (the candies, not the tin)! A perfect gift for oodles of folks in yer life. Don't miss out!
**and just so ya know, I am not affiliated with Confounding Confections. While I do know the candy mistress in charge, I was not contacted to feast these sweets upon you, it is all my own doing. Lookie how pretty they are, how could I not? I simply find their product delightful.
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