knitting kids in the round

I am still basking in the victory of last months craft club.  I usually have a friend who is a GREAT helper, but she was unable to make it.  I used my entire reserve of patience but had all seven girls finger knitting by then end of the hour.  I love the directions posted on creativebug. We used super soft chunky yarn, in bright colors.  This first picture just steals my heart, aren’t they just precious   knitting in the “round.”  

We also worked on two group hula hoop looms, using yarn, ribbons and cut up strands from old t-shirts.  They loved it so much I had to pull out paper plates for more “practice.”  I am going to miss this little group when we break for summer!

hold me near

This weekend I got away on a little retreat, well really I was taking a class but I was alone for the six-hour car ride.  I found myself thinking, praying and singing (very loudly and badly…) to pass the time.  Of the little music  I had with me this song was from one of the cd’s I listened to repeatedly, “hold me near” by Karla Adolphe/ enter the worship circle.  It is based on one of my favorites, psalms 73.

Hold Me Near

Hold me near when I’m restless

Hold me near when I’m bitter

Hold me near when I”m rebellious

Hold me near until the end

 

Hold me near when my heart is broken

Hold me near when I’m ignorant

Hold me near when I am jealous

Hold me near until the end

 

But as for me my feet almost gave out I nearly sold my heart

It’s good to be held by my Father it’s good to be where you are

 

We are creating these theme/scripture paintings as one of the spring crafts for the women’s retreat.  I just had to try it out ahead of time with some left over supplies I had at home and the lyrics from the song & psalm 73.  I love reading into the phrase,  it just has layers for me.

that is not my button…

New buttons will be making their way into the shop.  I am kind of in love with the new “purl” & “knit” sets  and the large hole buttons.  Lots of new colors and combinations.

We have Frog and Toad, book on tape that we listen to in the car.  The girls are fascinated with toads lost button.  ”That is NOT MY BUTTON,” is their favorite line.  So we tried to make a big, white, round button with four holes just for toad.  The rest are up for grabs!  If you are a fan of frog & toad you should check out this little film, these two guys made in film school – cute!

books, tape & envelopes

I picked up a few ancient bound readers digest books from our library.  They had been donated and our sweet librarians said they would be put in the book sale but they didn’t think anyone would buy them.  I fell in love with the vibrant print covers immediately but limited myself to taking only 4, what would I do with a collection of these?  So my mind has been kind of wheeling with ideas, it turns out there are lots of great things you can make out of the book pages, including these sweet little envelopes.  I have a template for them that I trace on the paper, fold and adhere with a little strip of washi tape.  This is one of those craft supplies that you see and then start to SEE all over the place and then finally you just can’t take the cuteness anymore… I broke down and bought some tape last month!   Washi comes from wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper.  There are dozens of different prints and it is slightly translucent, which is fun to layer. Really fun, maybe after reading this you will really start to SEE them too…

New Hat & Contest

I recently finished this hat then saw this contest at Lion brand and Martha Stewart.  Its not often that I have just completed something that I can enter – woo hoo. I added two of my own ceramic buttons for this cute tab hat.   I love this wool roving yarn by Martha Stewart, I actually backed my cart up in the store to take a closer look, it’s sooo soft!  My 5 year old took the picture, well really she took like twenty pictures,  this is the ONE that actually has my face and hat in the same frame and isn’t blurry!

You’re creation can be anything knit, woven or crochet, as long as it’s made using the new line of Martha Stewart Craft Yarn.  The winner receives 100 skeins of yarn and a loom…  how fun is that!   Leave a photo in the comments if you make something to enter, I would love to see what other folks come up with.

 

origami flowers

We made these blooms for the teachers and the classroom volunteers this year for Valentine’s Day.  The girls are really getting into origami,  I had scrap-booking paper on hand and we found directions on this video.  I love seeing them making gifts!  There are little cards made by them hidden all over the house today ,  we have to play hot or cold to find them.  I think this may be one of their favorite days of the year!

“If we commit ourselves to one person for life, this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather, it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession but participation.”  Madeleine L’Engle, The Irrational Season

just make a wish

My new hat is now finished but I need to recharge my camera battery.  I searched all the normal and abnormal places for my camera charger today – It really rattles me when I lose things.  Little S told me I should make a wish for it , because she wished for 3 things for Christmas and got all of them, even if she had to wait a bit for the last one.  Oh to be seven!  I wish I could find my camera charger, the case, and my favorite gloves that all seem to be missing!

Last week was sunny, this week is snowy.  Little H pointed out the heart left from my tea bag stain.  double love.

pin it

I should have stayed away…  I have been putting off joining pinterest but this week I caved!  Its kind of like a creative overload for me, and I can’t believe how many of my friends are on it!  Honestly I already have files of images on my computer and folders of magazine clippings, so this is nothing new, just addictive.  We have one of those houses with a floor to ceiling wall of bookshelves, but my husband just got a kindle, in theory to minimize the actual books to digital files.  Perhaps pinterest is my craft kindle???  It sounds good in theory  but I know we are set in our ways.

Here is an idea that I re-pinned and tried.  The theory is to make a tie-dye effect sans the dye.  Using permanent markers,  I used *gasp* BIC markers, which is totally against my sharpie loyalty.   You simply draw on the fabric then use a dropper to add drops of rubbing alcohol which diffuses the marker.  The girls and I tried two different fabrics stretched over embroidery hoops and cookie cutters to see if this method could hold a shape – NOPE.  Here’s the thing, this method makes it look like it is cleaner than tie – dye  but it’s really not. #1 you are using permanent markers, which if you trust your kid (or some adults :) with could become a big mess #2 The rubbing alcohol makes the markers run on your fingers everything it touches (with permanent ink),  #3 The alcohol has a VERY strong odor.

So it was a cute idea, simple and most of the items a typical household has on hand. But, given it takes the same amount of time and the smell,  I think this family will keep the camp tradition and just dye fabric the old fashion way.   And pinterest?  I hold my review for a while, I am having too much fun finding new ideas to try!

winter where are you?

It’s not often that I wish for cold.  I like winter, I love snow, I am glad it is a season, but it just hasn’t come to town yet…  A little scattering of snow here, melt there, these short cycles are getting a little old.  I tried to make these luminaries before Christmas but they kept melting, and because when I get something in my head I keep trying, I made these very christmas-y looking ice sculptures for new years.  Two days later they are a melted mess. I snapped a few photos at night to capture the beauty of lit ice.  O winter, can you please come for a few weeks so we can all use these new skis and I miss your glistening white blanket of snow.

celebration seat

Happy New Year!  Thank you all for a wonderful 2011, it was beyond my expectations!  

We cautiously rung in the new year with my husband’s family who were passing around the gift of the stomach flu – yik.  Grateful for a safe seven hour trip home to Michigan, we left in a hurry to beat our first winter storm home.  It started snowing as we drove into town – AMAZING! Also grateful that nobody else fell victim to this volatile virus in the car.  

We did manage to celebrate with one bottle of champagne between the healthy, I was more interested in claiming the cage.  I have wanted to make one of these cute miniature parlor chairs since I first laid eyes on them here (photo above).  This is what I learned – I am not so great with wire (photo below)!

Did you make a resolution for the new year?  I am generally a goal orientated person, I make lists constantly mostly so I can cross things off…  I may not be keen at picking one new years resolution but these flowed readily into a “want” list for 2012:

I want to sketch and draw more.

I want to actually do my hair more and wear a pony tail less.

I want more 3000 yard mornings in the pool each week.

I want more dates with my husband.

I need more quiet times in the word. 

I want to paint my nails with my daughters more.

I want to entertain more in my home.

I want to explore surface design on the clay and expand my artistic style.

I want to make more homemade bread.

I want to eat less dessert and more vegetables.

I want to capture more memories.

I want to be a great friend.

I want to take more family vacations.

I want to purge my basement.

I want to ski downhill lots.

I want to get back into writing snail mail.

I want to give generously.