yARR

Yarr.  So I’ve been looking for a new pair of flats latey (well you know, in a very half-assed online sort of way) and finally came across the ones that were perfect today!  Oh, except for the fact that they were $180.  Guess I’ll keep looking.

I have the next two days off….reading, knitting, bike riding, gardening, art show visiting, party going, friend seeing, sleeping, music listening and kitty playing to commence now!

Summertime

Lest you think it is all crafts and gardens, gardens and crafts around here, I did go and watch Tim’s softball team tonight.  It was a lovely night to be out though they did lose.  And lest you think I would waste an opportunity to work on some handcrafts, I brought some knitting.

I also love the Big Picture section from boston.com (you can subscribe to their rss), but I ESPECIALLY love this set from the Cheese Rolling Tournament.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 20

I decided to make a flash tattoo t-shirt after being inspired by someone at work.  I originally had other plans in my head, but I am happy with the results and would like to play around with this a little more.  I didn’t have tracing paper (my favorite marking tool wouldn’t show up on the black) or stabilizer for embroidering on a tshirt, but think the “winging it” method actually worked best. Swallow tattoos are traditional for sailors (no really!) indicating both long voyages and returning home.

Memorial Day weekend starts early for me, but I will be interrupted with work on Sunday.  Tomorrow, though it is off to Bedford!  Yes, because we are fancy.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 19

From the book Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household by Therese Laskey, Chika Mori, and Yoko Inoue, a Christmas gift from Thiên.  Due to space constraints, we don’t have night stands, but some cube shelves that do hold books, alarms, water glasses and whatnot.  It is the whatnot that was looking a little messy.  This fabric basket came together in about an hour and was really easy to make.  It is really deep, so I may play around with the dimensions in the future, but is just right for my little space!

Tim and I bought plants today to fill in the rest of the garden.  Sunshine is in the forecast for tomorrow!

Le jardin des fleurs

Lest I complain about the rain too much, color is bursting all over our yard.  Dutch Irises, which are tiny, grow in large groups and are brilliantly colored and Peonys are the recent bloomers.  Inspired, I took some macro photos this morning.

This spring has been cool, but that means perfect bike riding weather!  I got to ride this morning before work.  I also hope the rain can hold off some this weekend so I can get some more veggies in my garden.  Its about time to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and maybe some peppers.  I would also like to plant some cilantro out there, but have trouble with it just sending up the long woody shoots and not really becoming full.  Time to research…

Reflection

Me in sunnier days last weekend in Louisville.

I am thrilled with the amount of lush greenery around these parts, but really?  With all the rain?  I could use some sunshine.  I don’t want to use the phrase brick wall, but I am needing some inspiration for new things for the Year of Making Stuff.  Maybe its time to pull out the craft books and the post-its.  Or maybe I should make a list of things I want to make.  I also have a hard time sometimes thinking that people want handmade stuff.  Anyone want anything?  (well, you know within reason)

Year of Making Stuff: Week 18

I was probably 10 when I read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes and wanted to make my own origami paper cranes.  I never learned.  Fast forward 20+ years, I finally founds some instructions that made sense in a book (go figure!) and now I am a wicked paper crane maker.  These doorways lead to my sewing room and Tim’s office and until earlier today still had a snowflake garland hanging up.  Spring is here, and it was time for new decor.  It took a few tries to figure out best how to hang these suckers (fishing line, finally), but they look colorful and well, spring like.  Week 18: Paper Crane garland.

Also, for week 16:  A bookmark for Regina, complete with her favorite Simpson’s quote.

Tim and I also got to visit Ashley and  her sister in Louisville on Saturday which was a great little road trip after Tim finished his finals on Friday.  The students have (mostly) left and I am in love with Bloomington all over again.  I think it was that first summer I lived here that I truly loved this town.  And tonight a meeting about a new craft group…details to come, but I am really excited!

Also?  My sewing machine cozy ended up on the Sublime Stitching blog…check me out!

Happy Mother’s Day too!

Community Kids Quilts

Wow.  Last night over 30 quilts were donated to the Bloomington Quilters’ Guild for organizations throughout the community.  This is in addition to larger quilts for Jill’s House (for cancer treatment recovery patients and their families) and the dozen or so hats donated for the Olcott Cancer Center.  What a generous bunch.

I have an idea in my head of what to make this week, but not sure of how exactly it will work out in the end.  Off to experiment!

Year of Making Stuff: Week 17

I have a great sewing desk, and leave my sewing machine out all of the time.  Unfortunately when I do sew, the bulky plastic cover gets in the way in my small little space.  The room is really dusty what with all the fiber and kitty fluff flying around, so some sort of cover is necessary.  Enter Sewing Maching Cozy!  I found this pattern in Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan that I checked out from the library. The embroidery patterns are Kurt Halsey’s artist series from Sublime Stitching, a xmas gift from Thiên.  The old plastic cover is now going to live in the basement and I am happy with how this turned out.  Its something I’ve been meaning to make for awhile!

Gardening Update

So far planted in my garden are lettuce (2 kinds), thyme, basil, parsley, arugula, spinach, radishes, cabbages, snow peas, swiss chard and two tomato plants.  I think by next week there will be strawberries ready to eat and the lettuce is getting close to being ready.  I was going to hold off on the tomatoes, but today was so beautiful I bought two at the market and stuck them in the ground.  If I stagger the planting of tomatoes, I hope that they ripen at different times.   Just a thought.  Only thing eaten so far is rhubarb, which will still come up next week.  The tulips are done blooming, but the wisteria and azaleas look beautiful.  Irises are almost ready.  I’ve bitched about the rain, but everything is so green.  What a difference it makes to have leaves on the trees.  My mood increases just by looking outside and seeing color.

Tim now has less than a week to go!  Yay.  Now off to finish Week 17….