lookie! lookie! listen!

mr. a-go-go has been making music...and instruments. he hand carves the necks from recycled wood and then spends a fair amount of time burning off the necks of wine bottles and such. we're now known as that weird couple who keeps asking for our neighbor's trash. either way, these two-stringed instruments are awesome and can be yours! we've got one in the shop and if you're local to los angeles, check out Reform School in Silverlake.

tune-a-fish special , originally uploaded by jek in the box.

he's quite nifty, that mr. a-go-go.

fun with pixy stix: the sequel

Make a paper chandelier also known as a pajaki. You can also check out my mini pajaki over at Craft. The mini pajaki would make a really nice holiday gift to decorate any corner or your rearview mirror.

Materials:
*pixy stix wrappers
*scissors
*sturdy thread 
*small to medium embroidery hoop
*plain white cupcake liners in two sizes
*needle
*small pom-poms
*tacky glue and/or invisible tape
*button with four holes

Liberate the sweetness inside your pixy stix and do what you want with it. Set up all your supplies and pop on some happy holiday tunes. With your scissors, cut each paper pixy straw into smaller pieces, making sure both ends have been liberated as well. Set them up within reach and prepare your cupcake liners.

Open up cupcake liner packages and flatten out about half from each package. Set these withing reach as well. Get your pom-poms ready.

Begin by cutting length of strong thread about 18" long. Knot one end and thread the other with your needle. Poke needle and thread through a pom-pom and drag it down to the knot. Continue threading liners and cut pixy straws (or regular straws if you choose) and alternating with pom-poms and such if you feel so delighted. Once your have about four inches at the beginning end, knot it off and set aside and do the whole shebang with another length of thread. Repeat three times mimicking your first strand if using a small hoop, six or more if your hoop is larger.

Cut four (or more if using larger hoop) more lengths of thread and repeat threading process ofr your lower layer. This time, make sure to leave eight to ten inches of thread at the top clear of any goodness. This is so your second layer hangs below the first.

Once all your lengths are finished, you will need to attach them to your emboidery hoop. Invisble tape is a master here but you can also use little dabs of tacky glue. My lengths are attached about a quarter of the way down from the top with a dab of glue and a smoosh of pixy stix. I found that the longer stretch of straw threading allowed for a cleaner hang on the hoop. Oh and don't be a total dork like me who used the hoop as a whole. All you need is the inside hoop which is free of metal ookiness. I used clothespins to anchor the strands to the glue until secure.  Once your first four strands are on the hoop, tie the next four in between the first and so the top of the strand hits just below the bottom of the first batch. I hope that makes sense. Don't forget to knot your thread securely and trim any excess thread.

Once your strands are all glued and affixed, thread the top strands each through a hole in a four holed button and knot. If you are extra crafty do it in a way that creates a loop for hanging, if you're like me, remember after the fact and make do. This awesome project may take you a couple of hours to complete. It is slow going but the end result is so pretty. I think I would LOVE to receive a gift as beautiful as this!

fun with pixy stix: an introduction

What is it about paper straws that is so lovely? Is it the stripes? The matte texture, the way the light doesn't bounce off of them? Is it that they look old fashioned or is it just because they are not something you see everyday? I'm not sure, I think it may be a little of all of the above, all I know is that i have been bitten by the paper straw bug as well and let me tell you, them pretty things are not so inexpensive. They aren't terribly pricey either but sometimes they are just too darn hard to locate at a deal (the nearest shop I can pick them up sells them for too much but you can order a perfectly priced set, save for the shipping, from Bake it Pretty.) More than drinking with them, I especially like to make pretty with them. So follow along and see how I cheated on the feel of the paper straw without breaking the bank...you guessed it...Pixy Stix!

I see bags of Pixy Stix at the dollar store all the time. So, in a pinch, you can use this nifty little sweet treat instead of the humble paper straw if you desperately need to make something that utilizes them little bits of paper whimsy. One pack from your local dollar spot should set you up with forty of the happy vessels. So for starters...make something happy to drink, throw a party and invite yer friends! Hop on over to scrumdilly-do for a nifty holiday potion for your wee ones.

today: dec 14

mister is in the kitchen making leek & potato soup. something has gone awry with the making of the garlic bread and he is in a tizzy running about, dashing here and there, mumbling to himself. he is very close to tizzidom but i think he'll pull through. earlier today he biked on over to the post to send off a couple of packages that i had ready.

yep, that's my man.

before he left for the post office. we all took a walk around the neighborhood to look at leaves and stretch our legs. there was fog over the hills and blue skies up above. totally surreal.

i made it through the weekend and the anniversary of my mamos' passing. my heart was light and i felt good. i miss her always and pushed past reliving that awful day that still makes its home in my memory. instead of wallowing, i bought a christmas tree in her honor. it is a little tree but decidedly adorable. we've managed to put lights on it but are all so busy the ornaments are still in their boxes.

this morning we received sad news of another family member that has passed. why oh why is december such a trying month? all sorts of happy and all sorts of sad all jumbled in the mix. i guess that is just how life is. ups. downs. and all arounds. sigh.

the witch-baby is more active but her jaundice is disturbingly neon. we take her back in tomorrow and hope for good things. last week when i was a messy mess it was less that she was near her end and more that we coudln't tell what to do. does that make any sense? i kept telling the mister i wish she would take a turn, any turn. better or worse would be okay as long as we didn't have to wonder what the right thing to do was.

my asthma is awful right now and i have no idea why. the wheeze, wheeze, wheeze has settled in and none of my meds are working. i also got a rejection letter for a job i was excited to go for. in my obstinance i am crankier than cranky that they rejected me. really, i have everything they need and this town is so tiny, i can't imagine anyone else having ALL the qualifications they wanted. i didn't even get to interview at least i could have had an interview and then they could have rejected me. i am much better on paper sometimes. heeee.

dinner is almost ready, the sky is dark, the holiday lights are on and the homestead here smells of onion. i have two netflix dvds to view, holiday cards to write out and more giftiness to wrap. at least there is busy, even if there is ick.

have a wonderful tomorrow friends.

make a christmas garland

i'm revisiting the junk mail garland for this holiday season. this time i used newspaper with a couple of coats of white paint. i used a small circle punch after cutting scallops into the painted paper and used a ziz-zag on the machine to stitch all the happy to a long length of vintage trim. then, because i sometimes forget when to stop, i added a few more stitches to each flag.

i love the way it turned out and quite like painted newspaper. such a happy medium. stay tuned for a fun snowflake tutorial.

the week in review: dec 6-12

last week i felt so tapped out and stressed. i wasn't sleeping, there were and still are dark circles under my eyes. the wind has been blowing and combined with my stress i am a wheezy, wheezy girl. i have felt anxious and tear-filled and more than overwhelmed. i was convinced that i would have nothing to show for the week other than a handful of weepy posts and a sad, sad, sad picture of the witch-baby. thankfully, even with all the stress i did my best to bounce back and soldier on. i worked on projects and we traveled out as a family and i took my camera and photographed the good that caught my eye. when i sat down to compile pictures from the week i found all sorts of prompts for good thoughts and memories. such happy fun that i think i need to back post some days as i was in no position to write last week. so for now, here you go, a week in review that surprised me...

there was cookie baking and puppet making, project working and shop listing. we saw lights and went tree shopping and even began work on our own recycled tree. we saw sites, we watched flicks and we spent time together. we also fretted over the witch-baby, took her to the vet twice, got her hydrated and put together our thoughts on future. for now she is being pilled to bits but if it works then she will recover, if it doesn't then it is cancer and we will move on with much sadness. thank you for sticking with me, your words of warmth really helped.