In The Blue House

Hearts

M.E. and I worked on Valentines for co-op last night. I thought it was going to be simple paper cutting and a little glue, but she had other ideas. She saw these felt fortune cookies in Martha Stewart and had her heart set on making them for her friends. Even though it took a lot more time than I wanted and was a bit of a gluey mess, I'm glad we did it because she loved making them. We were able to use scraps we had from other projects, so they didn't cost a thing to make (which is my favorite kind of craft). We both loved how they turned out. I like how they look like fortune cookies, but also sort of like hearts too.

I used more scraps to make M. a Valentine pin to wear today.

Here's the great big mess we made while doing all this

and here's a Valentine for you!

Almost grown

Lee will be fifteen tomorrow. He's getting a laptop, which he  already knows about. This is a present for me too, because now I don't have to share my laptop with him anymore. No longer will my unsuspecting ears bleed when surprised by some horrible screaming music he's added to my iTunes. No more kid hopping around behind me asking when I'll be off so he can have a turn.  He can take his kabillion manga pics and put them on his own computer.  I am so happy for him that he will have his very own laptop!

I made a little something for him too. Lee loves a lot of the cute things Wee Wonderfuls makes. He saw her little felt insects when he was 13 and asked me to make him one. I promised I would if she ever sold the pattern. She does sell them at her site now, and I've been working on some butterflies for some little girls I know. Here's one:

Isn't she sweet? A little too sweet for my punk loving drummer boy. So I for him I made this guy:

I tried to give him a angry little manga face, but I think he just ended-up looking like Cartman from South Park.

And because, even though he's not a kid  anymore, I'm still his mama and will always see a little bit of that baby boy who captured my heart, I added a little something on the back:

I still make things

I've spun up a bunch of wool.

First I turned this lovely, one pound of hand painted wool from the Barefoot Spinner (no website)                                                                                                                                                      

into this pound of thick singles

I'm not sure what to make with it. That's a lot of yarn and as much as I love those fall leaf colors, I don't usually wear them.

Then I spun up this fun stuff Mom got for me at the Fall Fiber Fest of Virginia. I don't know what it's all made up of, but it looks like Muppet monster hair to me. It's from Pucker Brush Farm (no website)  and they call it "Party in a Bag"

I'd left it squashed in a bag since October and it got a little felted, so it wasn't nearly as fun to spin as it looked, but it sure was pretty soaking in our bathtub. Looked like some sort of exotic seaweed

Now I have another big pile of yarn, but this one I think I'll weave into a scarf for myself.  I like green.

Currently I'm working on this bright Muppet hair and I think it's my favorite.

It's so loud and happy  -it looks like Mardi Gras!

I'm also working on a little Wee Wonderfuls  hand sewing project for some girls who just became big sisters.

I borrowed that pink basket from M.  so I could take a tidier picture of my handwork. I wish I was neat enough to work like that- all my supplies in one convenient basket, ready to pick-up and take around the room with me. This is what my workspace really looked like:

M.'s been sick all week (strep and a bad cold). By Friday I had her cold followed by a nasty migraine all day Saturday, so now our whole house looks pretty much like that.

 

Poor M., who thrives on socializing, has been miserable and bored, bored, bored. When she wasn't coughing or on forced rest, she tried to keep busy.

She made herself a top

as well as some underwear out of a large freezer bag. "They're special because when you sweat in them, they hold all your sweat and keep you cool!"  She was so proud of her sweaty drawers! She modeled them for me, but  I refrained from snapping any photos of her plastic clad heiner. She also booby trapped the couch, hallway and various entry ways with tape and a never ending skein of bright pink, acrylic yarn. She could have done that for days, but it got old for the rest of us pretty fast.

We used her alluvial plain biome experiment as a setting for pictures with Lee's new Mouse Guard figures

And on one especially cold day, M. entertained herself by taking pictures of our pups trying to stay warm.

Alley bundled up on the couch

Petey nesting in a chair

Petey sure is lucky he's so cute, because he has the personality of a gross old drunk guy at a bar who won't leave you alone and doesn't notice your disgust when he breathes his horrifyingly stinky breath in your face and then, when he gets kicked-out of the place, his pickled brain decides the only appropriate response is to pee on the front door. Plus, that dog likes to get right next to people and then fart a lot. But so cute! Lookit him all warm and cozy up there!

A little bit of snow today

So M.E. made a little bitty snowman

I've been spending too much time browsing Etsy lately wanting things- which is just shameful this soon after Christmas.  You can't walk through my house without tripping over roving or yarn, but still I'd love to have this skein spun by Miss Hawklette and I can't stop going back to peek at this little bird at jessicajane . So round and sweet! And lookit this wallet in petal's shop. Oh man, I want it!

I also want to good night's sleep, so I'm getting off this computer now.

Merry and Bright and Yummy!

Since it was coming down this weekend, M.E. decided to take photos of  our Solstice/Christmas tree.  

this one's my favorite

Bee spent time creating today too.

homemade corn tortillas (gluten free) topped with chicken, guacamole and peach salsa

Saturday Evening

Today was a lovely day of breakfast in bed (thanks Bee!), an outing to our favorite giant library, some good news in the mail and finally a walk (or scoot, in M.'s case) around the neighborhood with friends.  The weather has cooled off so my head didn't hurt, and for that I am deeply grateful.

My Man Sure Does Love Me!

Bee brought treats home.

Vanilla spice  cupcakes (vegan but still yummy)

2007 wasn't my year

For one whole year after M.'s birth I was headache free. When they came back it was about once a month. Not bad for me. But they've increased every year since and now it's a stand out day when I don't have one. At this point,  it seems like I've had a headache every day for three months and no energy at all. I'm glad we don't have plans tonight and I'm sure not sorry to see 2007 go.

I shouldn't complain. I have Bee and my wonderful babies and I have a feeling 2008 is going to be a great year for us. I hope it is for you and yours too.

What M. and I did on Christmas Day

I gave M. a sewing kit and some fabric for Christmas. She's really been enjoying it.  I'm not so sure Petey feels the same way.

This is so a last year or so ago

I'm sure am late jumping on to this bandwagon. Everyone was making these for their kids last year ( or was it the year before?) and it took me this long to get around to it.  I did embroider a couple of M.'s t-shirts, but this is much easier and faster. I can't believe I didn't try it sooner. It's instant crafting gratification and all the skill you need is the ability to cut and iron.

M. was so fidgety when I was trying to take her picture that I finally just told her to go ahead and move all she wanted. That's why she's doing that little shimmy.

This morning I made another one (I'd already cut out the fabric awhile back). A little green tree to iron over a stain on her blue-green t-shirt. It took all of ten minutes (which is still quite a bit longer than the only 8 seconds of pressing  promised in the directions for the HeatnBond Ultra Hold iron on adhesive).

Next I want to try freezer paper stencils.