Category : Crafts

147 posts

Welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday.  Since it has been two weeks since my last T Tuesday post, I thought I’d give a few updates on what I’ve been up to.

Let’s dive right in…

I figured I’d start with a garden update since this photo was just so pretty. Whoever thought a potato plant would be pretty. The galvanized planter holds nasturtiums and a volunteer of some sort.

Everything is growing…looking good. It is starting to make me nervous. Every time I have a beautiful garden, some sort of damage happens in the blink of an eye. Hail and pesky deer are the most likely cluprits.

At least this garden should be safe from the deer.

With the addition of the full height gate.

I can’t get over how big the tomatoes have gotten. They all have blossomed with the promise of fruit.

I got outside to water early since the heat and humidity are sky-high for today and tomorrow.

I made a bamboo trellis with little a bunting for each of the large flower pots out front. I decided to plant morning glories and cardinal climbers in the pots this year for something different. I like the height it gives the pots.

I am finally done with school. Distance learning is not fun for anyone…  Since the decision to move to distance learning was made unexpectedly over a weekend, lockers were left untouched. A group of us, over two days, emptied 1600 lockers.

It was a big task but it was awesome to be back in the building. With familiar faces. Talking to people in person.

This locker was empty save the stacks of unused condiment cups. Middle schoolers are weird.

Back at home, I decided to try my hand at pickling eggs. I’m not even sure we’ll like them but time will tell. They need to sit for at 2-4 weeks in the fridge to absorb the flavors.

On Friday, Mini-me had her wisdom teeth removed. She was supposed to get them out 2.5 months ago but…COVID-19 happened, lockdown happened…

She was having a hard time on Saturday so I picked up this beautiful bouquet at the local farmers market to brighten her day. It brightened her spirits but didn’t lessen the swelling. Poor baby…her face was a square. It is still fairly swollen but the pain is lessening.

I’ve been working on some more art journal pages for Art Journal Journey. Did you know I am guest hosting this month? The theme I have chosen is A Stitch in Time.

I’m going to be spending as much time as possible indoors over the next 48 hrs to avoid the heat and humidity. There certainly is plenty to keep me busy.

What are you doing today?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been sending more cards. This, in turn, depletes my stash. Over the past week, I’ve been having fun creating some new designs using some scraps as well as previously created card bases.

I have an index card box full of precut layering pieces for cards. This comes in handy for quick card making. I also have a wooden cigar box filled with mini collages for cards or journal pages. Doing some of the mindless prep work ahead of time leaves more time for the creative process and doesn’t interrupt the flow of ideas.

I am also starting to pre-make some sentiment pieces. I grabbed my tag and mason jar punches to start. The mason jar is so darn cute. The punch itself is a bit finicky. It jams almost every single time. UGH!!!!

I am willing to put up with it though because…look how cute this is!!!! After I stamped the pale seafoam green I realized that it was beginning to look like an old-fashioned blue mason. I used a cosmetic sponge to shade in two colors of blue dye-based ink. Then rubbed the top of the jar on a gray pigment ink pad to act as the zinc lid.

I used foam tape to lift it off the page so I could add some sticker flowers to the jar. So fun!

I can 100% guarantee that you’ll be seeing more cards and postcards. They are really quite addictive to create.

Welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday. The only post I seem to do lately.

new H mug

One of the teachers I work with surprised me with this H mug last week, It’s so pretty and holds a copious amount of hot beverage.

new H mug

I was admiring the new to me ledger. It will provide me with lots of great background papers and junk journal pages. So cool!

new supplies

Speaking of supplies. I picked up some goodies at Michael’s on clearance. Super excited about my new supplies.

book stack

I have made one crafty item lately…this book stack home decor item. Makes me laugh every time I look at it!

What are you doing today?

This post will be a jumble…so many things in so many directions. That’s my life right now. Some days I feel a little more scattered than others. When I’m having a scattered day I am trying to be mindful and prioritize, slow down when possible and forgive myself for not vacuuming.

I finally set up my sewing machine in J’s room. Not really sure what took me so long to get back to it… perhaps lost creative mojo.

Quilting

marvin being helpful

Now that my machine is in a usable space I got out the scrappy quilt top I made before Christmas. I settled on a tie-dye fabric from my stash for the backing. As soon as I laid the quilt on the floor for basting, my helper showed up.

marvin being helpful

Making the bed is pretty much his favorite activity…well maybe eating and sleeping are tied for first then making the bed.  Of course, he doesn’t understand that laying the quilt out nice and flat and smooth, keeping it all inline are an integral part of the process.

Teaset pincushion

Since this desk overlooks the front yard, it’s a perfect spot for Marvin to do a bit of bird watching. With that in mind, I decided that the standard tomato pincushion wasn’t the right choice…looks a little too much like a ball.

teacup pin cushion

I made this teacup pincushion a while back and have finally put it to use. I love that the cup sits slightly off-center on the saucer. When I first noticed this mistake I was upset but now I realize that this is a good thing. The off-center placement allows for more useful space for sewing tools at the ready.

Week of appreciation

para appreciation week

Last week was declared Paraprofessional appreciation week by Governer Walz. Our school went all out making us feel appreciated in so many ways. Puny gifts, signs on our lockers, cards, and breakfast but honestly, the most meaningful one was drawing and note from a student that I wasn’t sure I was making an impact with.

Archery

Archery season is upon us. I love this season even with the distance we travel most Saturdays. It gives Mini-me and I some quality time in the car.

Birthday Boy

reading to friends

J turned 20 years old today!! TWENTY!! So crazy. It was hard not to be with him today. I was very distracted with thoughts of him throughout the day. I just wanted to hop in the van and drive to Duluth. I’ll be calling him shortly when his class is over…but it’s just not the same.

What else…oh yeah…I dyed my hair…mostly the underside…purple. Well…technically eggplant. Yep…totally went for it. It’s really fun and I love it. The family had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but I think they have now. If you take a peek at my about me page, you will see the new look.

What are you doing today?

Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday! You may have noticed that I’ve been gone a while. I talked about my back saga in the previous post so we are moving on to something more festive and fun!

Since we were hosting Christmas (because I love it!) I had to lean on the rest of the family to do all of the heavy and not so heavy lifting.

Even the simple things like getting a cake in and out of the oven.

The past few years I’ve made a rum cake for Christmas but this time I went for a Fireball Whiskey cake. It was so good. I forgot to take a photo of it with the icing…likely because it wasn’t very pretty.

We had overnight guests on Christmas eve…Mini-me gave up her bed and slept on the couch. Of course, this meant that she was up even earlier than she usually is. She is my early bird kid.

It was a long wait…even with me making all kinds of noise in the kitchen.

This was my favorite present under the tree…it’s hard to wrap arrows. Mini-me needed a new set for archery season which is just days away.

Marvin had to be a part of the chaos…bows are his favorite.

I suppose the whiskey cake could have been my “beverage” for T stands for Tuesday but instead, I thought I’d share the tiniest cocktail I’ve ever seen. My BIL brought this over. It wasn’t anything I cared for but the can sure was cute.

I’ve been working on purging my rubber stamps. I was so frustrated digging through them trying desperately to find a Happy Anniversary stamp since I had promised my MIL that I’d make her some cards. I had a bunch of bases completed they just needed a sentiment and the also requested “shiny butterflies”. Thankfully I have a very crafty neighbor who is willing to share. Thanks, KW!

The “shiny butterflies” have the big wow factor but are pretty easy to make. I stamped each butterfly on white card stock with black Staz-on ink. I used watercolor paint to colorize each. After completely dry, I fussy cut each and placed on a non-stick surface. I coated each one with Diamond glaze. As they dry a slight curl happens quite naturally giving them an even more “lifelike” appearance.

I have now looked through every single one of my stamps and alas…I never even had a Happy Anniversary stamp. ugh. Well, now I do…I bought a set of sentiments at Michaels. I’m sure you’ll be seeing some cards in the near future with these words.

Today is Mini-me’s 17th birthday. I can hardly believe it. 

I was planning to go out and get her favorite meal… Chipotle…but we are getting a snowstorm. It remains to be seen if we venture out or not.

Speaking of crazy storms and slippery conditions….have you seen this video?

The video was taken a few miles from our house. Mini-me had friends on that bus heading to a girls’ hockey tournament.

What are you doing today?

Since heading back to school I think perhaps I’ve done more crafting than I did all of August. It always works that way. What’s that saying?… Busy people get things done.”  There is whole lot of truth in that statement.  Grab a cup of coffee or whatever and stay awhile…I’ve got lots to share.

I think I’ll start with the travel journal I made with ephemera from our trip. It’s still a work in progress but here’s a sneak peek at the journal with some of the goodies tucked inside.

I’m still sewing like there’s no tomorrow.

In fact this photo was taken 10 mins before I had to leave for my first day back to work.

No games will be played at the game table anytime soon. I’ve kind of temporarily taken over. I’m nearly done with the paper foundation stitching on all the blocks…at least I think so. Once I start doing the layout I’ll know for sure.

I also did a bit more cleaning and organizing in my art zone. I wish I could call it a studio but that would be like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s functional…just not pretty. 

Check out my new washi tape organization….

Mini-me has yet to do her color organization on the washi…I know she will though and it will be much prettier.

While I was organizing I decided it would be a good idea to make some more card bases or backgrounds..which ever you prefer.

I picked up the paper pad above at Tuesday Morning (no affiliation) and was itching to use it. So many pretty patterns.

I have a nice stack of cards started now just waiting for the right sentiment or occasion.

I’m heading back to the sewing machine to finish up my blocks. Can’t. Stop. Sewing.

What are you doing today?

I can’t stop sewing!!! Likely because I know I’ll be completely worthless for the next week or so until I acclimate to my new school schedule.

Since I’m currently completely obsessed with paper foundation scrap quilting once again, I thought I’d share the quilt that came before this one.

Take a look…

 

1/15/2017

Don’t you just love that feeling of satisfaction when you’ve completed a big project!?! I know I do. Not only do I have the finished product in front of me but I get to put a checkmark in the box on my perpetual list. Yes, it’s an actual paper list. It’s never-ending which really is a good thing. What would I do with myself if I didn’t have a project?

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Do want to know a secret? If I complete a task, chore or project that failed to make it on the list…I write down, draw a little box and proceed to “X” through it. So satisfying!!!quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This quilt started as a stash busting project. Just a loose idea of what I wanted or hoped it would look like in the end. Over the course of sewing, my idea evolved a bit which I personally think is a good thing. We need to be able to be flexible and learn from our mistakes. Or even just adapt when the moment presents itself instead of being so set on one path that we can’t change. This is true in life as well. Adapt or be flexible when needed as long as your end goal remains it’s ok to change little things along the way.quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

One of the changes I made as I neared completion was the type of binding I wanted to use. I was originally going to do a sort of “cheater” binding where you wrap the backing around to the front and stitch down. I’ve used this method before with Mini-me’s quilt. I decided I wanted to do a scrappy binding as well continuing to use up my stash. The quilt really needed a quiet place in between the busy central pattern and a scrappy binding so I added a white sashing all the way around.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

The scrappy binding went together quicker than I thought it would. Of course, I didn’t follow the “rules” and cut everything on the bias. I’m not much a rule follower. quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Isn’t it pretty a rolled up like that? Like a colorful flower.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After much agonizing about how to label my quilt (for the very first time), I decided I’d use wing it and hand embroider the info. Let me first say that I suck at embroidery. I think embroidery was the first craft I ever learned…and I never liked it. I’m always sticking myself with the needle, its tedious and boring.  I know there are plenty of people who enjoy it and find it relaxing…have at it. It’s a means to an end for me. I do have a decent size stash of embroidery thread though in the same tin my mom used half a century ago or more ago.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After a few pinpricks I finished the job and was able to stitch it onto the quilt back. I am glad I took the time now that it’s finished. I can never remember when I made most of the other quilts except for the two I made while J was napping as an infant. Those I do remember.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This turned out to be more than a stash busting quilt. It became a labor of love with a bit of frustration mixed in. But what love doesn’t have some frustrating times.

I had originally planned to heavily quilt in a funky random pattern but as I began I realized it would end up a bit stiff. I went back and pulled out every stitch…hence the frustration. I ultimately ended up stitching random wavy lines only along the white sashing. My thought is that I can always go back and do some more quilting if I feel it needs it.

I’ve been snuggling under it every free moment I have. It definitely helps with the extreme cold we’ve been having. I did hear we have a warm-up in store….hooray! I’ve about had it with below zero temps.

 

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