Some Progress

So, the end of the year is nigh and I have to review my "Craft Resolutions List" for the year...

Craft Resolutions List-
1. Finish this shawl - DONE

2. Finish Lily's baby blanket... not done
3. Finish a crochet motif baby blanket ... not done
4. Make knit boots ... not done
5. Design and make a slew of felt crowns (birthday gifts) for the birthdays this year ... not done
6. Design and make an advent calendar ... DONE!!! of note, I intended to sew a calendar that we could use yearly. This one is fun but I doubt it will last till next year.
7. Learn to wash, card, spin and dye fleece, roving, yarn ... I washed yarn and I learned to drop spindle so I'm going to say this is a 50% done.
8. Make something (tea wallet, bag, whatever) with reverse applique ... not done
9. Design and post at least one knitting or crochet pattern - DONE my patterns may have been simple but, darbginit, I did it!


10. Design and make Nora a new, smaller, softer baby doll ... not done
11. Make fabric houses/carry-alongs I made some progress on this! I have the plastic pieces ready to cover. I just have to do the actual sewing part. Oi!

12. Make a real quilt square ... not done

So, that's not terrible. It's not good but it's not terrible.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Calendar Awesomeness

I've been wanting to make an advent calendar for a really long time.


The kids painted the background (cork board), helped create the designs on and dictated the layout of the boxes.

Materials used:
1. Left over favor boxes from my wedding (10 years ago! this proves that you should never throw anything away...)
2. Bling (plastic jewels) which seem to have lasted forever (and we still have more)
3. Glitter glue that Nora received for her birthday
4. Misc buttons
5. Plain markers
6. Elmer's glue
7. Cork board
8. Velcro
9. Soy paint

I... er, the Christmas Angels put little wooden ornaments in each box. The kids open one every night after dinner and hang the ornament on the tree.

Jonah was disappointed there was no candy in the first few boxes opened; little did he know that the Christmas Angels had put his Halloween candy in a select number of the packages... did I say Halloween candy?

We had fun making it and I love how it turned out.

Merry Christmas!!

Shirt Upgrades: Fabric and Duct Tape

My method: I purchased some plain t-shirts from amazon, picked a favorite scrap fabric piece, added fusible stabilizer, cut out a heart, and satin stitched it to the shirt.
Total time: 20 minutes
Total cost: $4.20
Total smiles: lots

The husband's method was slightly different:


Duct tape is magic.

1900 hours is 7pm... in case you were wondering

Did you know that you need a visa (not the credit card) to get into Australia? I did not know this. Any way, I went to the airport what I thought was 2 hours early for my flight to AU; when I checked in for my flight the attendant asks me if I have my visa. I looked at her in confusion. She explained that travelers need a visa to get into Australia and remarked how good it was that I was early.
I said, "How long does it take?"
She says, "About 45 minutes."
I said, "Won't I miss my flight?"
She says, "No. Your flight leaves at 7pm; right now it's 2:15."

Niiiiiiiiice. I was thinking my flight left at 4.

So, now I am at the mall food court. I have my visa and over 3 hours till my flight.

A Great Day

Birthday Prep!

Sketching It Out

My husband has been complaining because he found several random pieces of paper (with sketches on them) strewn around the house which- as he put it- are suspicious looking.

What my husband calls "the drawings of a mad-woman" I call "Project Sketches." The sketch above is for some fabric-dollhouses I'm about to make for gifts using UK Lass's tutorial. Whenever I start a project (any kind of craft) I find that I have to sketch it out in order for the project to make sense in my brain.

I'm also working on finishing up my first attempt at a knit sweater (Rosamund's Cardigan); I can follow any knitting pattern much better if I sketch it out ahead of time (visual representation of the text). The project sketch below is of the sleeves (long sleeves are not detailed in the pattern, I sketched out the sleeves- as below- before I started to knit them).

I wonder how many other people feel the need to sketch out projects prior to starting; I'm sure I can't be the only one...