Airplane history

My dad served in the Air Force, when I was a kid I spent hours watching the planes fly around the area. It always amazed me how much weight these things pull up into the air, and so agilely.

I came across this video clip from Broadside blog, and just thought it was fun to watch, so I'm posting it here.

Yup, today is full of short random posts.

I'm working on some celestial sun catchers, with an image I painted and have digitally altered (so completely my own art!) but they are taking forever and a day to dry (maybe inkjet to velum wasn't such a great idea after all.) I'm currently sealing them with a spray sealer, so maybe they'll work in a day or two. If they could just dry, I'm really loving how these are turning out.

Anyway, back to the airplanes.



Oh, and while you're looking at my page, what do you think of my latest layout? I'm not sure if it's too pink, but I actually kind of like it! I made the banner myself, I'm pretty proud of that.

Anyway, enough tooting my own horn. If I don't mention it later, Happy Weekend!

I hate heat!

So accuweather tried to warn us that it was going to get hot, quick. With how often the weather reports are wrong I don't always believe them, but wow. We went from being in the comfortable 50's-60's to now being in the 90's to just around 100! I HATE SUMMER! I hate sweating and feeling like I can't move. I want an AC very badly. I'd jump in the river (if my hips worked well.) except that the amount of such rapid snow melt has made the river very full and fast, it's kind of scary actually.

Heat sucks. Oh, and I just bought tomato starts, and my mom got me some when we were in California. I was going to plant them today, but they've already wilted. I'm still going to plant them tonight and hope they perk back up, I have seen that with veg starts before. Here's hoping.

I know I've been on kind of a creative lull lately. I hate that too. I started making a paper doll, but the legs still don't look right. After I get her looking nice I'll post her.

I have several aprons I need to make for family and swaps, so once I get the table cleared and the sewing machine set up again I'll be back to sewing. And a swap partner also wants to commission me to make the Beatrix Potter bag for her with pink fabric, so I'm tracking that down now too.

The weather is supposed to cool back down around monday, I can't hardly wait. I don't have any way to cool off (aside from just getting into the shower with the heat off.) so I really want that to be true.

I guess that's it for now. Nothing much. I'm still trying to get things taken care of since arriving home, dishes, unpacking, sending swaps and such... a housewife's work is never done.

Trying to stay cool. Oh, and I do still plan to post pictures from the trip. I'm having some issues with that, but hope to get it resolved soon.

Blogging break

I don't know how long or short it's going to be, but I'll be taking a break from blogging for a while. I need to regroup, spring clean, and help my husband. We have some trips planned, starting with Kevin going to SLC, Utah for a business trip.

I also want to really focus on adding lots more to my Etsy store. That means more production and more listings.

I have a lot on my plate.

I've been dropping out of swaps left and right, as well as not signing up for more. I'd love to keep going on this hobby, but it's another one I need to step back from for a while. I will fulfill my current commitments.

To all the bloggers I follow, please let me know via e-mail of posts you want to make sure I don't miss during my break. My e-mail address is in my profile.

My arthritis still has me slow, even though I'm not as bad as I've been during the winter. I still have a lot of slow, and stiff days. I still need to schedule my MRI's, now that I know I can.

Anyway, I'm midnight blogging here so I don't know how much sense it makes, but I thought this needs to be said. I just wanted to let people know I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. :-)

African Violet pincushion

Here are a couple pictures of my first pincushion. If anyone would like me to make you one please let me know and I'll post one in my Etsy shop.

Amigurumi Hedgehogs

These are some cute amigurumi hedgehogs I've started crocheting! I'm so hooked too! I'm for sure going to make more.

If you would like to purchase them, click the photo above to be taken to my Etsy store.

creating with loved ones.

On Sunday we hung out with our dear friends the Garbarino's. We always love every chance we get to hang out. We stayed over way too late. I was so sleepy getting home. But it was so worth it. We love them dearly.

Recently they had to go out of town for family. So it ended up being a long time since we saw them last. They took Kevin and I to dinner at Red Robin, and that was so yummy! 2/3's of us had the Whisky River burger! It's my favorite there. We hardly ever have chances to go out to eat, but whenever I'm there that's what I ALWAYS get. I'm sure the rest of the menu is delicious too, but I just can't come to bring myself to order anything else when there, and it feels worth it every time.

Anyway, we had a great time. Bri was counting every time someone was sung to for their birthday. I think she said that there were 7 or 8, I know I certainly lost count.

We also spent time relaxing and enjoying each others company at their house. Mica made me a scrumptious cup of carmel apple goodness! She had posted her creation of it a while ago, and I've been wanting to try it ever since!


I've been craving macaroons for a while. I got some super yummy Samoa girl-scout cookies, but I wanted the traditional cookie too. I had it in me to look in my cookbooks and cam across it in The Joy of Cooking, which I got from Grandma Tallmon. So I brought the ingredients, and my vintage cookbook and we made the house smell yummy, and our tummies happy! What a treat to have so many yummy things in one night! It truly was decadent.



It took us a bit of tweaking to get them to turn out just right. But the time and work was so worth it. I think I'll make these more often as I've now found they are not anywhere near as hard as I thought they were.



I also brought over some empty eggs and we had fun painting them. Mica made the cutest little chick! And I'm still working on mine, I actually worked on two eggs. I was working some more on a celestial egg I started a few years ago (it's still not finished!) and also working on a hedgehog!

Here is what Mica made, it's so adorable! She's so talented!


Speaking of Hedgehogs! I'm going to be starting a Hedgie blog soon! Something I love so much are hedgehogs, they are so cute. While the Garbarino's were on the road they came across two hedgies which they picked up for me. What sweet and loving friends I have. They're so cute, I just adore them! The smaller hedgie they gave me is a salt shaker, so I wasn't sure if I should put it on my shelf of salt shakers, or with my other shelf of hedgehogs. I ended up putting it with the hedgehogs.

You can read Mica's post about our fun filled evening here.

Felt matryoshka dolls

These dolls are headed to Australia! I hope my swap partner likes them. The dolls are part of a swap I participated on Swap-bot. They are made of felt, cotton and embroidery thread.

There is a pattern on Craftzine.com to make these. Or you can click here to download the PDF pattern.

Silly Siggy had to check them out while I was taking pictures. I guess he gave his stamp of approval!

My first handmade handbag! It's like 3 bags in one!

OK, so I think after a nap I'll check this post for grammar and such. I'm tired.

I've been working on this about an hour or so ever other night this week and finally finished it. My dear friend Mica gave me a bunch of different pieces of fabric and told me to play, so play I have. I made myself a reversible handbag. The outside has a Peter Rabbit scene on one side, and green stripes on the other, and then the inside, which can be reversed to be the outside print is a pretty retro-esque floral print.

I truly love how this turned out. Over time, as my sewing improves I hope to improve upon this patter more and maybe sell my bags on my shop.

I stuffed the handles to make them easier to hold and the bag is approximately 13 inches wide, and 12 inches tall. I wanted to make it fit the image, but also I wanted it to be a larger bag for when I have more things to carry.

My Sister's birthday present.

On the 3rd my little sis turns 27! I asked her what she wanted and she told me "One of those sock monkey's you make..." SO! Here she is!

OK, so by posting this it won't totally be a surprise for sis when she gets her, but she asked for me to make her a sock monkey for her birthday, and it's in a few days, I just can't wait to post what I created. Maybe once she has her, mom can take their picture together. Anyway, here is Susan's birthday monkey, of whom I refuse to name. I already named both her (real)cats, she needs to name her monkey!

I can't wait to see how she likes her! I had a LOT of fun making this monkey. She's the biggest and best I've made yet!

I also can't wait to get more larger socks! I'm pretty set now that the kids socks I've been collecting will be for sock bunnies and that I want men's (or larger women's) socks for the monkey's, of which I'm totally hooked on making!

And yes, I made the monkey earrings! ;-)

Must!

MUST>>> MAKE>>> APRON>>>> WITH >>> APRON>>> PRINT!>>>

This is too cute! Now to get my hands on it! ;-)

Apparently from this website, it's said to be spotted at Hobby Lobby. I miss Hobby Lobby, there is one where I lived in CO, but none out this way.

Stars ATC for Wednesday Stamper & Swap-bot puzzle swap photos.

Here is an ATC I made for Wednesday stamper. I was already making these puzzle piece altered art pieces for a swap, so since I always make extra pieces I thought I'd make myself an ATC too.

Here is the image to the swap I participated in.



Here is one of the two pieces I received, I can't find the other. ;-(



And here is what I'm sending. I'm also wondering if I should make more of these ornaments for my Etsy shop, any interest? Please comment. I know I'll be making myself one eventually!

Green recognition.

The necklace I made last week still hasn't sold, but it did get recognition! I made it in the sampler for the challenge! My art was picked as one of 8 out of nearly 100 entries!

I know my birthday isn't for another 6 months...

BUT I NEED THIS!

WOW, my posts seem so materialistic lately (sorry), but this machine is spectacular!







Visiting the Making Memories website shows that they'll be available in July! Do I really have to wait that long!?

I came across this from a fellow crafters blog, and here is the comment I left them;

"AWESOME! I so want one now too! I love practically everything Making Memories comes out with! I think they are by far my favorite crafty company! I love how compact it it. I'm not big on the really big die cut machines, I think this would be perfect for me!"

For Celestina changes.

COMING SOON TO OUR ETSY STORE!

Sock monkeys, sock bunnies (just in time for Easter!), more hand pressed buttons, address labels, soldered art, and our cookbook. Keep checking back as we're excited about what we have to offer!

Kevin and I have been working on some new things for our store. And I've reworked things just a bit to include him in the shop. Our current project is custom address labels! I've been busy coming up with images, it's been fun working on that, and Kevin is finding all the best fonts, and he's already made me a wonderful printing template. We think we will also offer the ability to do a custom graphic so long as the image submitted isn't too complex. We're working in tiny spaces, so you can't really fit a family picture on an address label, but still, I'm sure there are those out there who'd love to put something personal on their address labels.

Kevin still needs to finish the editing for the cookbook, we haven't forgotten it, it's just he needs time to work on it, and now that the holidays are over he's switched gears to working on finances and taxes, so as soon as that's all taken care of he'll be able to focus again on editing. In the mean time I'm gathering recipes again for volume two. Who knows, if I keep on it, and more keep coming in, maybe we'll be offering Volumes 1 & 2 at the same time!?

Well, I think that's all our shop updates for now! Remember if you need something created to just drop me an e-mail or leave me a comment and we can try to work something out. I'm willing to also take orders for address labels and hope to post choice options in a few days. And to make listing on the shop very soon!

A wonderful evening.

Back in December Mica, her kids and I were shopping for things to make Christmas presents with at Ben Franklin. As we were there her daughter Bri was begging to get stuff to learn how to knit or crochet. I told her I didn't know how to knit, but that I'd teach her how to crochet at some point.

Yesterday Kevin and I decided to come over to their house after church. He wanted to help Vinnie with some stuff on the computer, and so I brought some yarn and hooks and us gals played. It's been about 7 years since I've last picked up crocheting so I felt a bit rusty myself. I had got a swap Saturday that included yarn so I played with it all Saturday night. I was making a scarf. The whole time I'm making it I was thinking about Bri, How she expressed interest, and how she'd probably love the colors I was working with, so since Kevin mentioned maybe hanging out with them I packed up the yarn and hooks and figured thats what us girls can do.






It was so much fun watching her learn. Mica and I struggled with trying to get her started. We're right handed and Bri is left handed. Eventually she decided to try right handed and she did pretty well! We all were pleased with her progress through out the evening. After she made a few chains (I wanted her to learn that first) she kept begging to learn what I was making. I explained that what I was doing was harder, that she should keep practicing the chains first and eventually I'd teach her more. She was OK with that. She got excited about the different things she could make with just a chain. I told her how I used to make myself jump-ropes and bracelets and she got started making a few different length chains. She made one as a keychain for Mica, and a scarf for her dolly, she made herself an anklet and a bracelet, each project getting better and better. And then while Mica and I were playing with fabric she silently in the back made me a bracelet too! It's the perfect length, and so special to me! I thought it was so sweet that she wanted to make me something in return. I'm wearing it now and smiling. It was a wonderful evening with people I love.

Mica took great pictures while Bri and I played, and posted all this on their homeschool blog, you can see it here. Here is the sweet bracelet Miss Bri made me!



I'm so blessed that she sees me as a dear friend and an auntie. Kevin and I cherish our friendship with such a wonderful family. Mica and I have become best friends, and I feel not just blessed by her dear friendship, but friendship with her whole loving family.

George "the sock monkey' - WANTED!

This blog post is to serve as a notice that George "The Sock Monkey" is wanted for sock thievin'!



(image used is (C) Crystal's randomness.)

Aside from books...

The question this week for booking through thursday is; What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time?

Aside from reading, things I do that take up my free time are (aside from blogging);

All sorts of crafts, which is a constantly growing list! Cooking, I see it as a pass-time and not really a chore. I love to garden in the spring during the chances that aren't too rainy. I also love to take nature walks... I love that I live very near the Skykomish river. I've gotten pretty active in swapping lately, I spend a lot of time chatting and swapping with people on swap-bot.

I could probably go on with more things, but those are the only things I can come up with that sometimes beat out hours per week against book reading. This week I've logged lots of hours of book-reading though. I read Emerald Windows by Terri Blackstock, for those into Christian novels that book is a gem! I must have cried half a dozen times reading it. It did at times seem a bit predictable, but in those instances it was things you were hoping for the main character anyway. I've also read the first 14 chapters of the book of Jeremiah, and I'm about halfway through another of Terri Blackstock's books, Last Stand. I'm so hooked... And here I'm going on talking about books when this post was supposed to be about what I'm doing when I'm NOT reading... ;-)

Nope...

Nope, I still don't think I'm any good at painting, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I'm thinking I'm going to play with it a bit digitally and then maybe make them into blank greeting cards. What do you think?



I do like how the sun turned out. I cropped down to just it to make an icon for my Swap-Bot profile.

I guess it's fairly good considering I've never had any classes in painting. I'd love to take some someday.

The other postage stamp ATCs I got.

This is a swap I participated in on Swap-bot...


I really love the necklace one! I think I'm going to try my hand at making some like that. I think it'd be really neat with a vintage image of Native American women... I'll post what's currently just in my head once I have it created.

Here is where the previous post is.


I'm hosting round two.

Listen to your heart.

Button fairy

I haven't done a Wednesday Stamper challenge in a while, and I've seen lots of people making these so I figured why not give it a try. I really love how she turned out and think I'll be making more of these.

Her wings are the stamped images. I made them using a heart stamp I've had for a while. For some reason as I was creating her I kept thinking about spring so she ended up as a garden button fairy.

I used free vintage clip art for her face and arms. And then colorized it with colored pencils. Her dress and hat are made out of scraps of fabric I have, and her buttons are from a vintage collection I lucked out to get at the thrift shop last month. I have two more white/pink daisy buttons, I think I will add them in the grass with the other, but I wanted to make sure I got her posted while it was still actually Wednesday here.

I actually broke out my glitter crayons from junior high for this one. I'm amazed that I still have those, but even more amazed that they still color and aren't dried useless!

The whole piece is 5 by 7, I love it so much that I plan on framing it and putting it in my living-room! I just need to dig out a frame for her.



A random other tidbit; This is my 600th post.

Wow! Loads of swappy goodness!

TODAY THE MAILBOX WAS STUFFED FULL! I'm amazed she got it all in and didn't honk for me to come get the mail. I got several little packages today, it was like Christmas! So fun!
I love the apron patterns I got, and the crocheted things, and some of the smaller things are from a new swap friend in Israel! I just felt so spoiled!

I NEED this!

I finally found refills for my button press on Amazon again! YAY! Now to budget for the supplies! I just love making my own buttons, and I want to make a bunch for my store. I'd love to get my hands on four packs! REALLY!

Sock animals - my new craft addiction!

Kelli from There Is No Place Like Home, hosts a weekly Friday Show & Tell. Stop by for some fun shares by other bloggers around the world !!!


Stupid Sock Creatures Book & Kit (Hardcover)

I'd really love to thumb through this book, but I'm finding the more I play, the more I can create these critters pretty intuitively. Still, the kit would be fun to play with.

Since I'm up because of my little earthquake, I figured I might as well post a few pics I took last night of my sock critters. Sorry about the quality, I took them with my phone. I'm giving away the pink dress (swap), so that's why Ms. Crazy Stitch has a green dress in the last one.

Meet Bunny Snow (Like Tony Snow? Yes, I watch the news too much!) And Ms. Stitch has a boyfriend now, who Kevin named George.

I think as I refine the sock bunny I'll start making those for my shop first since Easter is in a few months.