stitching a chicken.

Today I started stitching this rooster. I plan to make it a part of a market bag I'm making for my big adventure on Saturday. This town a little ways south of me has a HUGE community yard sale. And I need a big, big bag with a comfortable handle to tote around. my wallet, my camera and all the good stuff I find? yes, put it in the bag. I found this vintage kitchen towel at my local thrift store this past week. And for two quarters, I couldn't resist bringing him home. I'm adding a few more colors. I'll post the finished bag before I set off into the wild in search of deals. I'M SO EXCITED! 

Peonies and Carnations. A tutorial.

I have to admit something. I love pink carnations. I know that carnations are the store brand flower of the florist world, but I swear; if any boy ever bought me an armload of pink carnations, I would probably hand him my heart in a little box.

My mom works at a local florist and I love to visit her there. Surrounded by flowers, how could you ever be unhappy? When they get shipments of carnations, they keep them in five gallon buckets at room temperature to settle and open. It's like a color wheel of carnations. I just love it. These pretty pink (leaning on peach) carnations asked me if they could come home with me and I said yes. With a boy who has an utter disdain for carnations, I'm perfectly happy buying them for myself and bringing them home in my bike basket. ha!

However, even with a mother who makes arrangements for a living, I'm absolutely terrible at putting together an arrangement. But I have found a way to do it with ease that even the least capable can make. You'll look like a pro. 

The Supplies:

A vase or a tin can. This is a recycled tomato juice can. 

Tape. I try to use something that will match the container. You can purchase florist tape at the craft store, but for this, I used mylar tape. It matches the can and I had it in the craft closet.

Scissors

Flowers. I brought home pink carnations and cut white peonies out of my yard. 

Greenery. You can use anything! These are pieces of a bush in my front yard that is getting ready to bloom so it had nice buds on it. Greenery is a godsend. It will fill any holes that you miss and give you a nice base.

Step One:

Cut strips of tape to make a grid on top of your container. This is called a frog. You'll be poking the stems of your flowers through the square holes.

Step Two:

Begin placing your greenery around the base. I always start with greenery because it's easier to get around the bottom before you put your flowers in. 

Step Three: 

Begin placing your flowers. I started with the peonies because they are big and fluffy and take up a lot of space. It then allowed me to place my carnations so you could see them prominently. Here is a helpful tip! When cutting your flowers, place them next to your container and snip your stem level with the table. You will never cut a flower too long or short again! No more pulling a flower out a million times to snip just a little off!

Step Four:

After your flowers are in, you can take extra pieces of greenery and fill in any gaps you may see. 

And there you have it! A beautiful arrangement that is super quick. (and no one will ever be the wiser!) I sat mine next to my sewing machine as I was making some curtains for my bedroom redo. (Super easy curtain tutorial forthcoming!) I wanted to be outside but had inside work to do. I'm glad I got to bring some flowers indoors. 

I hope you are having a lovely weekend!

The Thimble Necklace Tutorial

I've been thinking about this project for a very long time. Today it was sticky with heat and humidity and in the middle of  trying to get my house clean, I just dropped everything and did it. I absolutely love it. I love it so much, that I want to show you how to make it.

Supplies:
Sewing Pins in with the color heads you like
Metal Thimble
Coordinating threads. (my thread came from the edge of some fraying fabric I adore.)
Hot Glue Gun
Tiny Drill bit and Drill

Step One:
Drill a small whole directly below the lip of the thimble. Watch your fingers and go slow!

Step Two:
Fill the thimble 1/4 of the way with hot glue. Let the glue cool slightly and start placing your pins however you wish. I'm very much into pink right now, so most of my pink pins were towards the front. You need to work quickly to get them placed how you like them as the glue will cool quickly. Adding little bits of glue at a time, move your pins around until you are satisfied. Be careful not to hold onto the thimble as it will get very hot as you squeeze in more and more glue.

Step Three:
When your thimble is 3/4 of the way full, ball your threads and place them into the glue. You can use an extra pin to arrange the threads and make sure they are attached to the glue.

Step Four:
If you would like to attach your thimble charm to a chain you will need to place a ring in the hole you drilled. I opted to attach mine to a length of colored hemp with a simple loop through the hole.

Step Five:
Wear it with pride!

I hope you enjoyed making this charm as much as I did! I guess now I have to get back to cleaning. sigh.

P.S. If you don't want to make one yourself because of the heat and humidity at your house you can buy one here
http://www.etsy.com/listing/46867034/thimble-and-pin-charm

stitches of the heart.

The love and I have been bickering. Why can't he just learn to read my mind? 

I stitched this today to try to get him to like me again. We like to drink tea together.

I don't know if it worked.
But I'm hoping.

Adventures in Plastic

Nope. This isn't some awesome art project.
Sorry to say.

This is what happens when you are in a hurry and you have guests coming and not enough time to tidy up. And you ask your mom, "will you just slide these in the oven?" And she says, "sure. but will you remember to take them out before you preheat next time?" and you in your infinite snarkiness say, "duh."

and then. you don't.

And then this is what your oven rack looks like.Want to know what happens next? You spend an hour crying. Part from frustration, but mostly from the fumes that have saturated every inch of your house and you swear your cat is going to die from toxic shock. Then you leave it for two weeks because looking at it will just make you want to give up on life.

But I tackled it this morning. With a paint scraper, a putty knife, a fan and the highest setting my oven has. It is back together and cleaner than it's been since it came to the house. But good Lord. Why do we do these things? I will tell you what, though. Never will there ever be an inch of plastic in the oven. The guests can just look at my dirty dishes.

Seeds.

I am completely obsessed with my garden. I have been working and pulling and hoeing and tilling until my arms hurt and I just want to fall asleep. I was sitting in the sun on my front porch, completely fascinated watching a pair of birds build a nest in my fern, when I started really looking at my seeds. They are such a beautiful array of colors. (I will admit I bought the big lima bean seeds there in the middle purely on the premises that it is beautiful and the pattern on it so perfect I couldn't stand the thought of not planting them.) It got me to thinking about the fact that what you put in is what you get out. That hard work will earn hard fought victories. That what you eat is what you become. That the beginning without a doubt will become an end. So, I took a picture of what's going into the ground before it gets covered in dirt and becomes beautiful green plants that I will eat the fruit off in mere months. My hard work and those cheering me on from the sidelines will indefinitely produce beautiful results. Also, it's just so much damn fun. You'll see more from my garden as soon as things start their sprouting. Until then, enjoy the beauty of the beginning. 

My Rooster.

My mom has always been such a force in my creative life. I think every creative girls says this. But really, it was my mom who painted. My mom who decorated our house growing up. My mom who kept saying, "why don't you just go to your room and paint?" (even though now, I think she was just trying to get me to stop talking.) Still into my twenty-seven years, she asks me what I've been working on. She calls when she's at the craft stores, just to make sure that I don't need anything. She'd give me anything to help me succeed. And not just in my creative endeavors, but in my crazy ideas I have for my life.

I've decided I need chickens. The bad part is, I live in a town that has an ordinance against keeping fowl within city limits. So, being the headstrong, determined girl that I am, I'm working on an appeal for my small town. A presentation on the positive side of turning over such an ordinance, what other cities have done, the processes of permits for chickens and so on. There's been a lot of research a lot of calling. Even a lady yelling at me about the ordinance that's already in place. But I'm determined. I think it could be a great change in my little town. And it will push me one step closer to self sufficiency. (and my ultimate dream of living on a farm. haha.)

My mom, in her infinite warmth, painted me this rooster the other day in her watercolor class. (Her paintings are beautiful. She never has the confidence to believe in herself. But she's absolutely amazing.) It's just another way she shows me her total support. I adore her. And my new rooster.