Mix Tapes Rule!

My sad story goes like this... MY IPOD WAS STOLEN. Not just any old Ipod mind you - my 60g - containing my entire music collection... I'd say roughly in the neighborhood of 18,000 songs. Dang! Super Dang! I'm pretty sure the world has ended. STOLEN I tell you - snatched right out of my own glove box, right out of the car that was sitting in MY driveway. Talk about MAJOR, major bummer... I tear up just thinking about it. Pass the tissues...

While trying to help calm my nerves I discovered the most Bitchin' of sites... Mixwit, quite possibly the coolest thing on net right now -- they might not have everything, but it's a helluva good start & don't fall off your chair - it's Free! What could be better (besides my beloved Ipod), I know you're thinking pod casts and the such - but they're so generic. Retro is Rad homies. 'Memba Mix Tapes? I must have made about a gazillion of these in my youth... later they became Mix Discs... until finally my Ipod Shuffle.... Oh the pain! The Agony! Sob, sob, sob...

Sex Jitters... SATC that Is

So are you a Sex and the City fan? It's pretty difficult to imagine you're not. I don't watch a whole lot of TV... so didn't even discover this show until it was probably into its 4th season or so. Thank heavens for DVDs... this series was an instant hit with me. I loved it, and happily managed to get my husband hooked. The Movie opens today and I'm more than a little nervous and filled with anticipation. I'd like to say 'much like a virginal bride on her wedding night' - But come on - who am I kidding. Although it's doubtful I'll get to see it while it's still in theaters (I don't have anyone to watch my little one), I worry and fret and stew that they'll ruin a great thing. It's like when your favorite book becomes a movie... disappointment usually ensues. So I'm hoping for an exception with this one - much like the X-Files: Fight the Future Movie, which I surprisingly Loved (& can't wait for I Want to Believe - the next installment due mid-summer) and Out of Africa - loved the book, loved the movie. I can only hope that after such a long period has lapsed since the show ended, that absence will make the memories fonder. I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that the characters will still be as raunchy, fresh and gloriously flawed as ever. Here's hoping Big will make me swoon and I'll laugh so hard I'll pee a little. I already know way, way more about the screen version than I'd like to - so if you're lucky enough to see it -
don't you DARE post any spoilers here!!

Camera Critters -- Sweet Little Toadie

Discovered two very cool things today -- First this really sweet Toadie in the flower bed and Second a hip blog where folks link to show off terrific photos of critters they've captured. It's really swell and if you love animals as much as I do, you'll adore it.

Follow me to check it out.

Wouldn'tcha know it... the sun ducked behind some cloud coverage... but the shots are still quite splendid! What a sweet little guy. And he really was 'toad-ally' little (I know, bad, really bad - I can't help myself) - prolly only about 2.5 inches long.

So very cute, made my day!

Procrastination sides with Bill & Ted

I Should be working to get my studio organized right now. I've got a project list of about a hundred things I wanna do, need to finish, and am dying to start. Ugh, are you kidding me? Get serious, it's a mess in there... I can't work under these conditions.

Yep, this wonderful cartoon by Dave Walker does a splendid job of summing up how I feel about that disaster area. Nicely capturing how I deal with my denial - as if it won't look as bad after a little time away. Yeah, AS IF. Which reminds me - Have you noticed anything peculiar lately? Yes, Hello. The '80's are calling and they want their "Plaid Bermudas" back - I say we get out the water and reconstitute a lot of those 'radical' '80's sayings while we're dressing the part (let's just hope big hair won't be joining us - Like, Gag! me with a spoon, totally). Other forgotten favorites: 'Heinous'... 'Gnarly Dude'... 'Grodie to the Max'... Come on, work with me - try to use 'em in your daily conversations. Like, when you watched 'Bill & Ted', Like were you a willing participant or Like being held hostage by your wannabe Valley Girl friends? Like, Oh My Ghod - Digression is a catalyst for procrastination. If I don't get my rear in gear soon, NASA Scientists will be knocking at the door - looking to research and document the enormous Black Hole that's beginning to materialize in there. Har, har...material-ize... get it.

Okay, so I'm a dork - sue me.

Huckleberry Crumble Recipe

Needing something warm and relatively gooey, last night I concocted a new favorite.

Huckleberry Crumble

1 cup packed brown sugar
1.75 sticks butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 cup oats
1 to 1.5 cup Your Favorite Jam or Preserves
(I used Homemade Huckleberry Jam)

Mix all ingredients (except jam) together, into a crumble consistency. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8″ pan - round for wedges, square for bars. Cool Tip: Use your butter wrappers to butter the pan! Next spread jam/preserves out evenly over first layer and sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat down lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve warm for amazing results. These are quite tasty and sort of a mix between a crumble and cookies. MMmmm, perfection. I'm pretty sure my Dad would love these heated with a huge scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Major Kudos for The Clintmeister

I have a crush. Actually I've got two... but in this entry we'll just discuss my life long crush. A crush being something unexplained you've got about someone. Not on someone, cuz that's kind of gross and might require some police intervention. A crush is kind of a sweet thing and you're not quite sure how to describe what it is. If it's a feeling you might be ashamed of or feel you can't discuss in a public forum - well, my friend I think what you may be experiencing might have a closer resemblance to stalking rather than a boring ol' crush and suggest you seek some medical attention, before you need a lawyer. And if that's the case please note that the term "friend" is used loosely and holds no context for the imagined relationship you think we might have.

I've had a "thing" for Clint Eastwood since I was 4 years old. I still remember playing on the yellow shag carpet with my brother's Hot Wheels and watching mesmerized as Clint holstered his pistola. I couldn't tell you what was going on but this dude was wearing a poncho and he looked good. I've been smitten ever since, and although this honey of man is now on the brink of boarding on actual old age (he's 78) - I still think he's one fine piece of machinery (I'd like to rev his engine). Sure you may look at him now and think 'geezer'... but I look and still see 'Blondie'... cigar, beady eyes and sarcasm galore. It's safe to say I've got it bad.

So here's to My Kickass Clintmeister... who although didn't win the big enchilada at Cannes was at least recognised for his major contribution to film with the Lifetime Achievement Award. If he'd come see me I'd give him a different kind of award, if you get my meaning. Come on now, just a kiss.

Photo Hunt -- Shoes

Photo Hunt theme for this week: Shoes. These are my all time favorite, a trusty pair of Birks I've had for 17 years! They just get better with each year - love'em.

Wanna join the hunt? Head on over to the Photo Hunt page to acquire the details.

Buried Treasure...of Sorts

Sometimes unpacking boxes you didn't pack can be frustrating. Like when I found the free weights from my treadmill in a fabric box from the studio. Since these items were located in two different rooms on opposite sides of our old house... well, it really makes you scratch your head. So imagine my surprise today while I was unloading a box from our old up stairs linen closet and unearthed this beauty! A half done project that I'm pretty sure was in my "gonna get done someday" cabinet in our old family room (you know, the work on while watching a movie projects)... which were not only on opposites sides of the house but also on different floors. I don't pretend to understand it... but was delighted by the discovery.

Of course, as with anything you come back to at a much later time, it's difficult to remember what the original inspiration was or what you had in store for it. The doubts creep in - like, would you still choose the same colors or composition. That's an upside of selling your work - you never get the chance for self doubt after the fact. This poor thing has been "under construction" since my little guy was born... eh, he's two now. Well, it's no wonder really - what nimrod thought all this random (takes an eternity) stitching was a good idea for somebody whose as quick as a snail with rigor mortis at handwork ... Don't look at me.

If I don't come up with a plan for this one soon... perhaps someone out in Never Land has an idea and would want to take over.

Ukrainian Eggs -- Pysanky

This spring I got together with a group of ladies and made my first Pysanka (Pysanky is plural) egg. It was so much easier than you'd think to get started - all that's required is an egg, a candle, some beeswax, dyes, shellac, and a kistka (stylus) tool. You can opt for a pencil to sketch in your design...but you have to mark really lightly (or your markings might show through the dye). I don't know about you - but I'm one of those folks who constantly break lead in a mechanical pencil and on a good ol' fashioned wood pencil I'm resharpening it with every new paragraph. A less wordy version would be: I press too hard and the egg is uncooked...thus I skipped the pencil bit. Besides, I work better without a plan.

What a totally cool craft this is! I enjoyed it so much that I've ordered the basic supplies from All Things Ukrainian and look forward to doing lots of these. I think most folks do them primarily around Easter... but it's too enjoyable to not do year round. It's shamefully easy although definitely involves a learning curve and requires some practice. My hostess (who was Ukrainian) had some beautifully done eggs, some of them Ostrich, that were museum quality and stunning. It's interesting that although the art is two dimensional, it can exhibit some of the very same details and lovely intricacies accomplished with textiles. I think most quilters would go ape using this medium, a lot of the patterns and designs would cross pollinate beautifully.

My egg: Note this is my first attempt and knowing what I know now - I would have dyed my egg a color before I began. I didn't care for the lack of contrast that white gave against all the vibrant colors in the end. Live and learn...

If you're interested here's a terrific online Beginner Class I discovered that is very helpful and a great outline to get you going if you're a newbie.

Honey...This One's for You

It's sad but true. My sweetheart is The human calculator, able to do complicated calculus in his head while he's carrying on a conversation. But somehow can only manage to fit 4 mugs, 2 plates and 5 cereal bowls in a box that's roughly the size of our bath tub.

Hybrids -- Fruits Not Cars

The whole idea of fruit hybrids are pretty fascinating to me. Perhaps that makes me a dork, but... well actually, I'm not sure I have an argument against that one. Anyhow, we eat a whole lot of fruit around here and much prefer fresh over canned. So whenever I see something interesting I'm game at least once. Our lastest samplings:

Apriums. These are completely new to me - somewhat baffling. I'd like to know who comes up with these freaks of nature. As you can probably guess they're a plum and apricot hybrid. Mostly of apricot heritage - it's like a .25 plum and .75 apricot - don't ask me how they figure it out. They have slightly fuzzy skin just like an apricot but their meat is like a plum. And they actually taste a little like both - talk about heavenly. They claim to have a higher sugar content than that of a plum or apricot alone - which is probably why they're so devilishly good. They're sort of freaky because they also smell like both apricots and plums. High tail it over Costco & grab some.

Grapples. This one's not a hybrid at all, it's a Poser. Which explains a lot actually. I found these really odd - they don't smell like Grapes, they smell like Grape Jolly Ranchers. Ewww, that's like fake Watermelon and what could be more gross. They say that there are no additional sugars added and that nothing but flavor is infused into the apple - get this - via "a relaxing bathing process". Yeah, that about sums up how these tasted too. Like they had been sitting in some really smelly bath water, and now they smelled weird and didn't have any flavor left whatsoever. Poor things didn't even taste like apples. It was sad, even our resident bunny wouldn't eat them. Not good, nope, not at all.

Mindless Fun

So here's a pretty cool link for an unusual personality test. It forgoes the boring multiple choice questions and opts instead for slides and scales which I think helps give you a more accurate reading. It's fun and doesn't take long...take a stroll over here and give it a go.

Encouraging Creator

Info by Tagging...

Tagged? Hmm, I'm so totally new to blogging that I'm unfamiliar with the concept. But since Jackie (whom by the way has a lovely blog) politely asked if I wouldn't mind, why not. Only problem, I'm not sure I actually Know 6 folks who blog to tag myself... but here goes.
The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago? In 1998, after 7 years of coercing The P finally convinced me to elope. We flew to Las Vegas and were joined by about 40 friends and relatives in a truly hokey and hysterical ceremony at the Graceland Chapel - making our relationship "Legal", so we could get a break on taxes. That was the tactic he used to get me to cave, he just wanted to get married - the softie :) We also moved from Oregon to Washington to Virginia during the course of that year.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)
Fold laundry, Grocery Shopping, Give ALL 3 dogs a bath, Bake some Blueberry cookies and Just horse around with Henry.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Fruit Smoothies, Cookies and Freeze Dried Fruit (cuz the Astronauts eat 'em)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Really? I wouldn't know. I suppose I'd like to move to Hawaii where P wouldn't have to work, buy both sets of parents houses and after that work on investments for our family's and Little H's future plus contribute substantially to several of my favorite animal charities.

5) Places I have lived:
Pennsylvania, Oregon, Virginia, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Washington (which we've moved away from and back to 3 different times)

6) 6 peeps I wanna know more about:
I'm not sure if this means in general or online?
It may be cheesy but... My darling P - after all our time together he still tells me stories I haven't heard about his life. He is such an amazing person, I am very fortunate to call him mine.
H Man - our son, he's such a kind and sensitive boy. I can't wait to learn all about him as he grows.
Whitney and Stephanie - Two gals I've met here who seem like they'd be a hoot.
Lastly - All those who have gone before me. I truly wish I could have known P's father Tom, both my Grandfathers and had more time with my Great Grandmother.

Who I'll Tag: Tamra, Chelsie, Andie, and....??? Any volunteers?

Getting Organized...or at Least Trying

I'm realizing as I sit here that my husband got here 9 months ago and that I've been here for 7. Seven whole months, I'm scratching my head - just what on earth have I been doing with my time?! In the past 17 years we've moved NINE times, I'm a pro at this...or at least so I thought. Your rankings must fall dramatically when you've got a two year old under foot, least ways for me. I'm pretty pokey at it normally - taking a good 2 to 3 months to get settled in. I've got about 85 maybe even 90 percent of household goods done. But my poor studio....less than 40. I'm moving from a Two room studio into one - save the quilting machine, which is in the room right next door - in the office. It's difficult...or maybe I just have too much stuff? Nah, it's not even possible is it? I think not. It's even worse to try to work on something and find that all the pieces aren't together...still haven't come across the knee lift for my sewing machine...or the motor and crank for my pasta machine (for polymer work). It's frustrating. Darling Husband did help put some shelves up, up, up...our ceilings are 10 feet tall, so now I'll require a ladder.

This side is filling up nicely...

and now I'll get going on these. Another challenge of this room - I have 2 amazing 7-8 foot windows to work around. Cuts down on how I can actually set up my work stations but the light is wonderful and something I'll happily factor in!

Eco Alcoholics Rejoice...

Who wouldn't want to enjoy a little refreshment while they're slaving away on their current creative effort, I ask you. Not that I'm saying Green Eco-Nuts have a drinking problem...but this seems a bit, uh, I dunno...extreme to me. So next time you're out bar hopping in your electric car be sure to order yerself an "Ecotini". Or be hip and serve them at your next Eco-Friendly cocktail party.

Wow...if I were Martha I'd take a big sip of mine right now...that Martha, she's a pill.

Remember to drink and craft responsibly!

VEEV CUCUMBER ECOTINI
2.0 oz VeeV (organic vodka made with acai)
3 pieces of basil
2 slices of cucumber
0.75 oz of lemon juice
dash of agave nectar
Muddle 2 slices of cucumber and 3 basil leaves in a mixing glass.
Add 2.0 oz VeeV, 0.75 fresh lemon juices, a dash of agave nectar and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Pour into a Collins glass, top with club soda, and garnish with a floating cucumber.

Funky Baby Tag Toy Tutorial

I just found out a friend is expecting! Which is wonderful, but since I don't know how many people she's told - I don't wanna pull a "Jack Black" and OUT her to the world. So Mum's the Word. I figured the first idea for her is so simple and fun it'd make a great tutorial for those who'd like to follow along :) This is my first online tutorial & I'll try to be less chatty than I am in the classes and workshops I teach. It should all make sense in the end and like all directions - Always read them all the way through a few times before you begin. If you have questions just raise yer hand.

The prep work:

My little guy loved chewing on the tags of everything when he was a Babe...so that was as good a place as any to start and it helps to know the wee bun is femme.

A few good rules of thumb: Tie knots in long dangle tags, it gives little ones something to grab a hold of and they really love to gnaw on the knots. Also make sure that several of your Tags are actually loops - so folks can run a clip through them and attach them to car seats, strollers and the like. Try out different sorts of fabric textures... corduroy, minkie, felt, etcetera to keep baby engaged. I did patchwork and chenille but you could easily do it out of just two solid pieces of material - make it as easy or as difficult as you'd like. A few words on copyright -- this original design is my own so be kind, be respectful and be Cool like The Fonz...."Heeeey". If you want to use a photo please provide a link back or if you're not sure just ask, I'm friendly. It's easy to play nice...you know the whole "do unto others..." concept.

[History: I keep all the scraps from everything I do (yes All - even the shockingly teeny ones) - sick as it is, it's true, true, true - so what are you gonna do. I color coordinate the scraps & keep them all stored in ziplocks. This proves to be an ingenious way to organize them and helps a lot when it's time to use them up. Think recycle, upcycle or unicycle... whatever floats yer boat. ]

I dug out a few of my pre-coordinated scrap bags and Got Busy on some random little patchworks. Then found a complimentary scrap of chenille for the back. Note: You don't need a pattern honestly...just free yourself to sew all Willy Nilly like - I promise you'll love it. Still in doubt - then look on the internet for a free Crazy Patch Block Pattern. My Patchwork block is 8" square and my Chenille back is 6.5" square. I used 3 long knotted tags (8", 6" and 4"), 1 ear folded loop (5" long before folding), 2 tags (2.5" long) and 1 loop (3" long before folding). I always use a 1/4 inch seam unless other wise noted.

1) Sew your patchwork (aka: The Front) roughly an inch or so - don't be fussy - larger than your chenille (aka: The Back). Then decide on a shape...you could leave it square or make it round or triangular...I chose to just round the corners of the chenille piece ONLY. Cool Trick: No matter what shape you choose Leave your Front Patchwork piece larger & uncut. You'll see why in a few steps down...

2) Next start construction on all your taggie bits. You decide how many you'd like and then make them all different sizes and lengths - this is more Willy Nilly...set yourself Free sewing. Basically for Loops all you're doing is making tubes by sewing right sides together and turning them inside out. It's a pain but buck up unless you're gonna make like 20 of these, then get yourself a set of Tube Turners (type "tube turners" in their site search box). They're a cool investment if you want to pony up the cash. (Here's a great Link that shows you how they work)



Still on 2) To make tags use a Loop tube and sew one end shut. Trim the corners off before you turn them inside out.

3) Still with me? Once you've got all your Taggie bits done go make a sandwich. (Okay, if you really need a PB&J I'll wait... did you wash your hands?) Pin all your Loops and Tags to the Right side (ie: the fuzzy side of the chenille) of your BACK piece and make sure their ends hang over the edge a bit (to ensure they get caught in the seam correctly), they're all pinned towards the inside, and that none of them sneak off the opposite edge (example: in the photo below the long yellow knotted tag on the bottom is dangerously close to the Opposite edge and will most likely be sewn into both edges - not a good idea, trust me) if you need to keep them safe pin 'em down in the middle.

4) Once everything is pinned in place - lay it face down (think right sides together) on Top of your Patchwork piece. Leave all the pins in there but add some more and pin everything together - making a sandwich.

5) Sew the sandwich together. Remember to leave a gap roughly 1.5 inches to turn it inside out. Now this is where that Cool Trick comes in. Bulky sandwiches sometimes shift with the feed dogs even if they're pinned. If you leave one side of your sandwich larger than the other you don't have to worry about your edges being spot on even while you sew them together. You can clearly see what's going on, thus know everything is being caught in the seam. Before turning it inside out, trim the excess off the larger piece. Cool no?

6) Stuff it! Any sort of poly fiber fill will do just fine. Note about stuffing: If you want to avoid the cellulite look on your new softie use one huge wad of stuffing. Meaning grab insanely more than you think you'll need - instead of using a little and then a little more and a still a little more...we're talking one enormous hunk of filling. You can always pull off the extra but this makes the stuffing nice and smooth and alleviates the lumpy bumpy appearance. Then before you stitch up your opening with a nice hidden stitch add a squeaker and/or small rattle object in the center. Voila!

See what I mean ...easy peasy lemon squeazy! Go knock yourself out and make a few. Remember to not be so fussy about every little detail and have some fun :) Thanks for visiting and sticking through such an insanely loooong post - enjoy!

Photo Hunt -- Candy

Photo Hunt theme for this week: Candy. So here's some lovely and Non-caloric eye candy to enjoy! Looks like someone or something has already had a taste...

Go on! Get busy! Head on over to the Photo Hunt page to acquire the details.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye...

Goodness sakes, lands alive - it would appear that several readers (aka: blogger peeps) were completely discombobulated by my little poll. Their choice "wasn't even ON the list"..."I wanna vote for more than one!"....yada, yada, yada peepos. So be it, there's now a new poll & if you choose "other" - do us a favor & post a comment to let everyone know just what "Your Other" IS. Afterall IT might well be a craft that someone else'll want to pursue. That'd be super swell...so have fun & vote...yes, even you lurkers out there. And for those folks who had already voted - well shucks, vote again :)

What's the plan Sam?

At the end of a long day, I find that there's often not much free time left over to work on the stuff I love to do. Which can be somewhat frustrating. I'm hoping that by creating a crafty blog it will help motivate me to Make more time for myself and help get a few more of my "Wanna Do" projects marked off the list. As you can imagine being home alone all day with a house full of dogs and a Two year old...well, it goes without saying that an additional outlet for creative stimulation might be quite refreshing. My love of arts and crafts are all over the board...including Polymer Clay, Crochet, Painting, Sewing, Baking, Embroidery, Quilting, Felting... (whew!) and that's just to name a few! You name it I've probably done it. I'd like this to be a hip place to hang out and share ideas, tutorials, projects, recipes, talk about cool books, shortcuts & tips, tricks, etcetera and possibly a few fun crafty things for the kiddos too...I hope you'll visit often and share your love of creating and the projects dear to you.