crafting for craft: vintage linen tablesetting

Click here to see how I turned one vintage pillowcase into a placemat, coaster and napkin. It's super easy and makes for a nifty gift, methinks. Hop on over to craftzine and give it a looksie. Share it on facebook and twitter if you like...please?

yesterday was a wednesday

I have to keep reminding myself which days are which. This whole sick thing put me in a fog of forgetfulness. I like to think it was my first cold of the kiddo season and that I survived. Here's knocking the lucky knock that this will be the worst of it (no jinxes, no whammies...STOP!)

Yesterday was my first day back at work since last week. It was a whirlwind of busy, sobbing kiddos, and sweet observations. I splurged on a massive coke and didn't feel one ounce of bad slurping it all up. It was hot, I still have a cough and man do I love the fizz.

 Yesterday, I was bound and determined to look the part of a grown up at work. I'm still one wonky mess of a raccoon inside (I think I always will be) but I did my best. I slapped two loops of masking tape onto my brassier in an attempt to wrangle the neckline of my scooped neck top into place. Either I am shrinking the smidgiest of smidges or my top is far too old and stretched out for this wannabe grown-up to be wearing. As for the tape, it kinda sorta worked. If you saw me, you may have thought otherwise but after I removed the loops of tack I was a walking peepshow of the brassier-kind.

At home I fell into the rabbit hole that is the internet but did manage to whip up a dandy dinner salad. Mister and I did a quick run to the homestead to gather up fragrant herbs and the shelf dealie he just finished. I grabbed the instax in anticipation of the awesome dodgey-old Winnebago parked on one of the streets in between. It was perfect. The magic hour had it, the Winnebago was there with no other cars parked anywhere near it. Perfect! I parked half a block away and walkity walked to the beast, made a hullabaloo of myself, squatting in the street to get my shot only to find my camera out of film. Aack! Good thing I brought the rebelRebel, but shucks, it would make for an awesome instant photo. When mister asked how I could not have noticed I was out of film I reminded him that this was my second Instax** since my first one simply up and keeled over for no reason. In an effort to not waste film, I transferred the film pack from camera one to camera two which resets the picture count. Foiled!

Since the mister and I have both succumbed to the sick, there have been some crank moments. Crankier than usual which can be amusing after the fact but during? Not so much. We've been a bit ssquawkie with each other. Squawkity-squawk, squawk. It doesn't last but it sure makes you want the sick to leave already. To alleviate the squawk-squawkiness, I returned to the homestead to hunt out fabric for a project I need to do today and lingered about enjoying a chatter with the ladies of the homestead. I also may have stayed to watch AMNT but maybe not (cough, cough).

So that, my friends, was yesterday in a nutshell. Thrilling, no? Today I have already mopped most of the moppable floor in the tiny casa, cleared off the table for today's project, made the bed and organized the massive heap of clothing that is still in need of drawers to settle in and I did it all before 9:30.  Now, it is time for tea.


** What is up with this Instax Wide business? The wide camera has been out for quite sometime under a different name. Sure, it was less stylish and all mickey-mouse looking but the wide format is hardly new. I got my first Instax for $45 new WITH film and now they're twice as much? Phooey!

It's not you, it's me.

Dear Dixie,

I'm afraid the honeymoon is over. I know. I'm sad  too. You are quite the looker and while I'm aware of our age difference, it never mattered to me really. I simply adored you.

I still do. Sure, you are a little cranky and temperamental and I have to use my sparky gadget to get you going. I'm okay with that. I'm even okay with only one of your burners heating up. I know you try. Your other three do light up, kinda but they just don't get all flashy and hot like little miss dandy in the front...on the right. Baby, that burner can really burn!

I adore your generous surface area. The bigger the better. It's perfect for perching a tin pot of toy rolling pins, the salt and pepper shakers and the honey-hued owl spoon-rest. I love how I can even brew a cuppa directly on your expanse. You have been most generous in that area. It's been quite swell.

Oh and Dixie, my dear? I was...am, over the moon with your storage capabilities. Two drawers. Two. Large enough for the shiny red colander and speckley-deckled enamelware pot to camp out together in with the occasional lid over for a nightcap. Sure one of your drawers had seen better days and has developed a bad case of rust and sure the was wheeze you gave everytime I pulled our drawer open was slightly alarming but hey, that simply adds to your charm. It gives you history and even dare I say...a little mystery?

But Dixie, my dearest, darling, sadly, you've been holding out on me. I know we all have baggage and skeletons in our closets but sweetie, really? Your refusal to heat up enough so that I may bake something? Baking anything would shoot me back up and over the moon and I am sure we could have many happy years together. I keep you clean and sparkling and I work very hard at lighting your fire, even when you huff and puff in anger and scare the pants off me when you flare up. Why are you so stubborn? I'm not asking you to do something against your nature. At least I sincerely hope not. I know you've had your wilder days and you are not a young oven anymore but baking is not old fashioned. Not the slightest. it's still hip, it's super hip. All the cool ovens are redoing it. Cross my heart.  Sweetie, I'm afraid that no matter how quaint and quirky and vintage you are, if I cannot whip up a batch of magic cookies, bake mister some gingerbread, roast up some awesome cauliflower or rely on a frittata for dinner; you simply have to go.  I'm over you. I am filled with kitchen sadness and am crossing my fingers you can get over yourself but Dixie, my dear, if you can't bake me a pie, I'm not sure our relationship can get past this.

dilly it up: spool garland

When the ander-boy turned ten and decided to have a  Mad Tea Party, I knew I had to make something if only to get my craft on and be a part of the fun without actually being there since I couldn't get down for a visit. In my head I wanted to create stunningly gorgeous garlands using vintage spools and other pretty bobbs but the reality was that I did not have enough vintage spools and it was a party for ten-year-olds who would probably more enjoy a healthy dose of color!

More than a year ago, I purchased a bag of thread from the magic thrift for the happy handful of wooden spools that lurked about the bottom of the bag. The remaining thread went into my thread drawers ready to be used up. Sadly, most of it was old and kept snapping in my machine so I felt not a stitch of guilt stringing them up for this happy bit of love.

Bright golden yellow yarn was used for the stringing and tiny dollar store spools popped in for variety. To balance it all out, in between spools, I glue-sticked on happy punched circles. These helped keep the spools in place and added a bit more liveliness to the whole deal. After looping up the ends, the garlands were ready to be mailed off. But how?

Thank goodness for my pack-rat tendencies and a penchant for keeping egg cartons. The spools nestled nicely, each in their own cup while the yarn bits were tucked away on top with no worries for tangling. They arrived just in time and added a happy dose of color to the outdoor festivities. I'm still bummed I wasn't able to be there but at least I was in spirit, right?

still under the weather

At least we now have internet, this sick has been a doozy. feeling a bit better, at least enough to feel cabin fever but not well enough to DO anything. There is an evil cough lingering about and the snurfles are the snurfliest ever. Haven't slept too soundly in days. Good thing naps have been invented. I had to call out for tomorrow's job-o number two shift and I'm not fond of calling out. Mister has been delightful...unpacking boxes, brewing me tea and putting up with the snurfles and bits and Gilmore Girls. I sure hope he doesn't get knocked over the head with this.

It's crazy warm today and still. Usually we have a nice breezey breeze blowing about but not today. The light in the new casa is lovely and our new upstairs neighbor may be invisible but we can here them lurking about with each creaky step they take. Mister has hied off to the homestead for more shelf building and painting whilst I read, nap and partake of said brewed tea. I'm itching to hit normal (for me) so that I can clear all these boxes out for good. Slow and steady may win the race but it also makes for semi-cranky eyesores what with all the piles and boxes keeling over.

Just so I haven't completely and utterly lost my noggin, I did manage to do a smidge of organizing. I organized my saved magazines by title and date and then the paints found a new home in a lovely hot pink "hat box". Not bad for this icky-sick, cabin fevered, master cougher. Not bad at all.

time out at the confessional

I would have a confessional for ya if my brain weren't mush from all the chills, sore throatiness and nose runniness of my first sick of the season. I suppose it was inevitable working with kiddos and all but man, I've been whallopped BIG time. It's been a long while since I've been really sickity sick and I am not a fan. I've been loading up on ginger ale and hot tea and the mister hied off to the store for a new bottle o' rum and the softest tissues he could muster. I slept quite poorly last night and now I am quite cranky and above average bored. I feel too poorly to even wrap my head around a clever post or fill in the happy new yellow shelves mister built for behind the sofa. I'm even cranky enough to NOT wanna watch anymore Gilmore Girls and since we don't have a television, I'm stuck with Gilmore Girls or Jillian Mitchell's 30 Day Shred and I'm not sure I can handle any shredding at this juncture.

Back to the sofa I shall go (our internet cable dealio is only two feet long, keeping us tethered to a very lackluster part of the new tiny casa). Seriously, I am sitting in a thrifted chair using an old orange crate as a laptop table, elbows digging into my knees and shoulders all scrunchy scrunched for a fix. I think I need a nap, or some pie. Drats. Nap it is...happy friday folks!