Le Petit Cadeau

The Afghan So Far...

A few weeks ago, I took up crochet to fill in the sort of weird limbo time that I experience between quitting work and eating dinner/hardcore disc watching.

Well, it hasn't worked out quite that smoothly - Longer daylight hours = longer working hours = less weird limbo time. I actually really like the longer daylight hours, but it means I have had to work the crochet time in to an alternate chunk of time.

 

My big discovery - crochet as a sleeping aid/farewell-to-the-day ritual. Instead of reading before going to sleep, I listen to a book on tape and crochet for a bit before turning out the light. Getting drowsy while actually doing something is a very strange sensation. 

But I'm making progress - and I'm determined to finish this project. I told myself I couldn't move on to any other "fun" projects until this one was finished. There are so many colors and textures I want to work with, so I'm eager to move on - why-oh-why is my attention span so short?

Here's the Plan....

A couple of months ago, I saw this afghan and since then, I have become a little obsessed.

For the first time in my life, I think an afghan could be appealing, and that I might actually try making one. My grandmother use to make them, but alas, she was a victim of her times. She made them in the '70's when the world was rife with hideous color combo's and petroleum based fibers, thus forever condemning her beautiful handiwork to the realm of kitsch.Today I indulged in a little "me" time - meaning after an absolutely hellish time in the post office (over 1/2 hour just standing in line - I kid you not) and after a trip to the ATM (my bank has a super cool new one that doesn't require you to use envelopes and deposit slips - very space-age), I spent longer than I should have in the craft store. I bought some useful stuff but then got sucked into the magazine section - and yes, magazines can be useful, but in my case, I think it would behoove me to curb my consumption somewhat.Anyway, I flipped through this magazine and saw a pattern for an afghan I liked, so of course I had to buy it - and a crochet hook - and some yarn.... What I'm figuring with this project is this - I've noticed that I have a bit of down time in the evening between when the sun goes down and when the Fred and I eat and watch (yes, we commit the sin of eating our evening meal in front of the TV). Unlike other crafty things, it doesn't bother me to knit or crochet under artificial light, so I figured making an afghan may just be the ticket for filling my early evenings.This is the pattern I plan to follow (sort of) - 

The pattern calls out for acrylic yarn, but I just can't do it! The yarn I bought is wool. The choices were very limited so I bought just enough to get me started. I plan to supplement with other colors. There is a yarn store in my neighborhood that has a beautiful selection, so I see myself there in the near future. I would also like to find a good source for humanely made (not quite sure of the correct term) yarn - domestic, if possible - before I stock up. Anyone know of any?

Oh, and this project has a bonus built in - If I get bored before crocheting all the pieces, I can make a scarf instead ;-) .Sorry for the weird font size changes - I've tried and tried to correct the problem to no avail, so now I give up. It's eating away at me but I'm trying to let it go....

Inspiration Board

I've always liked inspiration boards (and been inspired by some), but have never made one - not consciously anyway. In college, my dorm room wall was an inspiration board of sorts, and I've had bulletin boards off and on, but I've never set out to make an actual inspiration board. Well, now I had to for a class (taught by Holly Becker who authors decor8) and it turned out to be one of the most fun assignments ever.

As you can see, I'm not a minimalist - though sometimes I wish I were.

 

 

 

Right around November of last year, I hit a really rough spot blogging-wise. I was just so uninspired and felt really blank. I actually had nothing to say - at all. I read decor8 on a fairly regular basis and read about Holly's class. I signed up kind of on impulse. Usually I have to ponder about things like taking classes for far longer than any human should, but this time I made a pretty quick decision - and I'm so glad I did! I'm really enjoying this class and learning a lot. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about blogging and/or become a more conscious blogger.

But wait - there's more!

Leslie, of A Creative Mint, is also contributing to this class - tackling some of the aesthetic aspects of blogging and giving photo tips, etc. She has a great way of explaining how to take better photos without losing those of us whose eyes start to glaze over when f-stops and other technical aspects of photography are mentioned.

I have to say, Holly and Leslie have been so helpful and inspiring - and students in this class are pretty great, too.

Cheap Thrills - Random Gift Tags

Sometimes (quite often) I tend to over think when making things and get myself stuck. I think I get a bit uptight when making things because of my work background and because of some basic personality traits. So, as an exercise to get myself un-stuck, I decided to try making something that because of the very nature of the project, I have little control of the final product.

Random Gift Tags - They're simple, kind of useful, fun to make in that crafty "Look-at-what-I-made-in-5-seconds" way, and I can't possibly get too attached to the end result. I made them by making an 8.5" x 11" digital collage, printing it onto "aged" card stock, and then cutting out the tags with one of those crafty tag dies that has three sizes all in the same die. I have to admit, I couldn't surrender complete control. I did try to strategically place the die sometimes - with limited success. Most of the time the tags ended up completely random - no perfect composition, rarely a complete image - just visual nonsense.

Some finished tags -

Working on the To Do List

Yesterday I decided to get some things done that I wanted to get done, but didn't really expect to get done. I made some molds. I don't know if they were successful or not - still waiting for the silicone to harden. I do know that I have to brush up on my estimating skills. It took me three times to mix up enough silicone for all of the molds. On the bright side, I didn't end up with any extra, which equals no wastage (except for time, which I probably should be more concerned with).

Today, I may try to make something out of the lovely organic wool roving I bought from Spin Span Spun. I've been eager to try wet felting. The shoes I've been intending to make are also asserting themselves and trying to move up in my queue of things to do....

Another Blog Event

So, I'm participating in another Halloween-y blog event - This one is being hosted by Cassandra who writes a blog called "My Artful Adventures." I've never participated in a blog event before, so I don't quite know what to expect, and I also hope I'm not over-extending myself by committing to two in one month. But, I couldn't resist - I stumbled upon Cassandra's blog today, and I really liked the look of her "poster." I'm such a sucker for vintage/antique illustration. I'm also looking forward to rediscovering my Halloween ridiculousness.

Doll Book

I found this charming old book on the library shelves the other day. It's called "The Complete Book of Doll Making and Collecting" by Catherine Christopher. It was first published in 1949 and has some great information in it. The photos aren't all that great, but it gives directions for some techniques that have been all but lost recently - like directions for making dolls out of wax, soap, and this technique that particularly interested me - making a molded cloth face.

One of my all-time favorite books is "The Lonely Doll" and this little book gives directions on how to make an Edith type doll.

It also gives instructions on how to make ballerinas, dolls with various ethnic/traditional costumes, and 2-headed flip dolls - all very much of the period. And, since I get such a kick out of period things, I found this book to be quite the treasure.

 

Preparing for Halloween

I've never participated in a blog party before, but I thought I'd give it a try. Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist hosts a Halloween party, and it looks like fun. Her blog is the very embodiment of "fanciful" and she seems like a whirling dervish of whimsical creativity.

 

Halloween was always my favorite holiday (I looove an excuse to put on a costume - yeah, I'm a geek that way). The past few years have been sorely lacking in Halloween-y type celebrations so I'm looking forward to this online masquerade. If you would like to participate, here is the link with instructions, etc.

Still Obsessed With Millinery Flowers

I'm still deeply obsessed with millinery flowers. I'm hoping the obsession will ease a bit as I force myself to move on to other projects. I'll show some things I've made - not all successful - as soon as I take some photos (still have to remind myself to document!). Until then, I thought I would share this book. It's one of my favorite craft books - even though I can't read it.

I don't even know the title, but the isbn # is - ISBN978-4-579-11152-7 - and I bought it at yesasia.com. I like most all of the flower projects in it - though I do tend to modify and go off on my own tangent rather than follow what directions I can make out. Maybe that's why my success rate is less than 100%, but I can't help myself. For good or bad, I've always had this need to mix things up a bit to make them "my own."

The photographs inside the front part of the book are clean and lovely (though, my photos of the photos are less than satisfactory -  Note to self - Light does matter. Remember to document when there is adequate light). The directions are clear for the most part (even without knowledge of Japanese), but I suspect some of the directions are clear to me because I have read other books about fake flower fabrication. I also suspect I am missing out on some of the subtler points, but all in all, this is a great inspiring book for those who are interested in making a silk flower or 500, and I love it.

Here's a rather paltry peek inside:

There are instructions and patterns for every flower pictured in the front part of the book.

And there is a photo of all the tools needed. I had a hard time finding flower making tools. I ended up buying my iron at JoAnn (it came with several tips, but the only one I find useful is the ball-end tip) and then making a rat tail tip and a knife tip. I would love to have several sizes of the ball-end tips, but I haven't figured out how to make them yet.

Felt Book

One of my goals for August is to make prototypes for five new items for my Etsy store. One of my favorite materials to work with is wool, so I ordered this book (not from Amazon) and it arrived yesterday.

I'm having a great time reading it - it has a bunch of useful information - though I wish it had more "how-to" pictures. I also have a very different color sense than most "felters" do. I can appreciate super saturated colors, earthy colors, bright colors - but they usually don't set my heart aflutter. I definitely respond more to soft muted colors, preferable with some age (real or manufactured) to them. I also really appreciate all the natural colors of wool.

So, I'm trying to wean myself from my silk millinery flower obsession and get inspired to make winter-y type things. I think by the time I finish this book, I may be ready to try my hand at some wool slippers, scarves, and of course, some flowers. I don't think I'll be able to give up my flower obsession entirely.