Mr Snowman...ready for the tree

Mr Snowman...ready for the tree
Originally uploaded by faemystique

just something I whipped up the other day. I still have to satin stitch his buttons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

first attempt at a bib
Originally uploaded by faemystique

It needs a closure of some sort... I misplaced my snaps somewhere...

Ahhh I am beat today. We will be having dinner tomorrow with some old neighbors of ours from Anchorage. They are coming out to Palmer to have dinner with us. They have four kids and we have two. The kids miss each other!

So today I cooked some things to be less hectic tomorrow... 2 pumpkin pies, 1 cheesecake, 1 pecan chocolate rum pie.

I did everything but bake the green bean casserole (minus the onions), the sweet potato casserole too. The stuffing is all prepared minus the cubed bread. Jake is baking some of his beer grain bread into dry cubes for the stuffing and making a fresh batch.

So all I have to do tomorrow is peel and boil potatoes, make gravy, bake those two dishes and make fresh rolls and homemade whipped cream.

the girls are really becoming a huge help in the kitchen. They love to cook. Thats a great thing because my sisters are always calling me for advice. Three girls and I seem to be the only one who inherited the ability to cook. My youngest told me that she likes my cooking better than our mom's....shhhh...

Hopefully these girls will remember and learn how to cook through the years... its really fun to have them involved more. They cook dinner with me alot lately too. Its so nice!

I can't wait for tomorrow!! We should be getting our swap partners either tomorrow or Saturday. I couldn't start anything till sat anyhow. I am so excited... after I complete this one, I can finally join some others. Its my first swap though, so I am both excited and nervous... I anticipate a large amount of addiction to them coming on.

OH and I discovered ATC's this week on Craftster... Artist Trading Cards... I am SO going to get into that for SURE... That looks like something right up my alley.

Well I am beat.

More later...

HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!!

Happy Hump Day!

Yeah! it's Wednesday!! Happy Thanksgiving Tomorrow everyone!

The weather has been so warm the last couple of days. Last Tuesday I took almost 2 hours to drive home to Palmer from Anchorage. Usually this is a 45-60 minute drive, depending on traffic. But we had a tremendous blizzard! I was one of the lucky ones, a guy on DH's 4x4 forum said it took him 5 hours to get from Boniface on the Glenn Hwy to Eagle River! (for Non Alaskans, thats a 10 mile strip, give or take a few miles for which exit you take, usually this gets bogged down with traffic at rush hour and takes maybe 20 minutes to 30 minutes if its bad)

Well, we were really dumped on to say the least. Temperatures at my house got down to 14 degrees. Yesterday it was raining and 42 degrees, and this morning it was 48! Sure to heat up even more with the sun rising one would think.

So for crafting, not much to report. I created a little snowman ornament, a pink baby bib that still needs a snap sewed on, a potholder and I am working on crocheting ornamental snowflakes to put in my christmas cards.

skullys done

skullys 001
Originally uploaded by faemystique

keeping toes warm and hip!

skullys are both done now

skullys 002
Originally uploaded by faemystique

DD#1 loves them to death!!!

They are very cute and warm.

Blue Fleece and Fabric Hat

hat 009
Originally uploaded by faemystique

This should fit a child 2-6 in age. Fleece lined, with blue fabric on the out side. The three braids on the side add to its character. I like this hat.

New projects

I sewed a very funky purse today out of a bottom pant leg to some stretch denim burgundy Capri pants. I also used some recently acquired vintage fabric to create a wallet. both of which I have NEVER done before, and my methods will likely need some tweaking. I also forgot to post my first ever amigurumi type crochet toy that I created a few months ago. I am also in the process of creating a little coin purse pouch quickie project. I plan to make several more in the coming days.

Ideas rattling around in my head

Okay, as I said, I need practice on my sewing. I want to be better at it because I desire very much to create totes/purses/wallets and the like. I scored a bagful of vintage fabric at the thrift store last night for $5. I can't wait to go buy some interfacing and create some things.
Also, my baby sister is pregnant! I am the only one of us 4 kids with my own children, and my daughters are 10 and soon to be 9 years old. FINALLY!!!!! I can craft some things for her. Things on my mind are: diaper bag with a changing pad, extra little small pack for quick trips, bibs, burp cloths, blankets, (going to be born in summer though so winter stuff will be farther away and more like 6 mon size.) hats, outfits, booties/slippers, toys... galore! haha

Other ideas:

Slippers for my family and to sell, placemats, potholders, kitchen towels, hats, mittens, scarves, polymer clay stuff (never tried this, but loved ceramics class in HS..haha), journals, altered books, candles, soap (also two crafts I havent done before), beaded stethoscopes, jewelry, beaded hair sticks, beaded lighter covers, beaded bottles, bead pouches, (haven't been beading in awhile, but LOVED it for years), dreamcatchers (natural ones), glasses cases, glasses necklaces, badge holder necklaces, keyfobs, painted sawblades, magnets.... the lists go on.

These are just things in my head and I am sure I missed a few overall...believe it or not. The only thing against me is time...haha. Balancing work and family and crafting. But it is my favorite pasttime.

UPdate on my crafty life

I am such a fledgling at blogging, I have to create a routine for myself if'n I want to join the obsessed ranks of crafters!! I have crafted all my life, but have never really digitalized my crafting journey, but I so want to!!

Here is a list of some of my WIP:

Skully Slippers:

Neon green fleece. I traced my eldest daughters insole and added 1/4" for seam allowance, 2 soles for each foot (4 total). Then I folded the fleece and traced the top instep half of the slipper by tracing 1/2" around the top of the insole, the fold lying about midsole. This way I figured there would be enough fabric for the rise of the instep. Then I estimated the heel and side piece by (very advanced technique...I always seem to WING IT) by rolling the insole from side to side of where the top would align and adding a half inch to each end. This strip was about four inches wide, and I folded it down to double it. I appliqued a skull and cross bones that I drew on black fleece and cut out with ziggy scissors onto the top of the slipper instep. Then I sewed it down and added the backpiece. It ended up being a bit large so when she was in the slipper I pinched a bit at the back, sewed a triangle shaped piece at the achilles to take it in, snipped off the excess and viola! It needs some tweaking, but she ADORES THEM. It stretches to fit moms feet too...hehe.









OH and for the sole, I hot glued dots on the bottom to give traction and that worked really well. Slipper #2 is still waiting my sewing, but is all cut out and ready.

Kitchen Cloth:

The classic diagonally knitted dishcloth, in brown varigated cotton from Bernat Handicrafter.

Boulce Drop Stitch Stole:

White, about one foot completed, on size 11 needles, a JoAnn yarn pattern.





Drapes:
Sewing is not my strong suit. My sewing ideas are great, but I lack finesse in their execution... I aim to become better, because I have some great wallet and purse ideas that I would love to be able to do with some decent even stitching. I have a great sewing machine, Husquavarna Freesia. I made some drapes (the hooked onto the drape rod, pull with rope type) for the big (drafty) patio door in the kitchen/dining room, and a set for both girls rooms. I winged it again, as I do with most of my projects that I create on my sewing machine... other than measuring... yeah, no I barely used my pins... bad sewer, bad sewer, I know... so yeah, my daughters love them, but I can see where they are crooked... and where I shouldn't have used a certain stitch on one fabric because it was too delicate and the stitch too tight... live and learn. I still have to make some for my kitchen sink window, the window in the living room, the office, and the three windows in our bedroom.

Scarf:

This is something I had forgotten about at one time, it is all blues, mixed yarns, knit the long way on a size 13 29" (or longer? cant remember) circular. It's only about half done.

Crocheted hat:

Made with acrylics in cranberry, ecru/off white, camel and a mauve. Its striped, and the top half is about done, time to build it down the sides and create some earflaps. The thing is, it feels stiff to me. I tend to crochet tightly, and I put it aside because I wasn't too sure it would be an okay hat... I may extend the top a bit and therefore give it more room to line with fleece, so that if it is stiff, it will at least be soft on the inside for comfort. I usually do line them, but discovered with my husbands last hat, I didn't allow for enough room taken up inside, so it was a bit tight on him... but I did just sew him a very nice double layered black fleece hat. I asked about appliqued stuff... to which he grumbled something about leaving it black but now suggested having a band of something... argh... I said too late, its already sewn... haha.

Actually, I think thats it for my works in progress at this time. I had been trying to get them whittled down a bit. I ll try to post pictures to this this weekend.

Afghan:


Believe it or not... I started this four years ago when I started my bachelors degree... I have the yarn, I just moved on to bigger things...but alas, its my biggest WIP. The darker colors that surround the lighter purple? That purple stripe is the center, and the other end will become lighter again. Then I have to add fringe and finally be finished...maybe in four more years?

Purse thingy:

I was going to make a potholder out of this, but decided it was pretty cute, so I am crocheting (winging it) a little purse, that will have a drawstring attached for the kids.

Piratey Arghhhh:

Don't bother asking, I don't know. I started this to be a dishcloth, realized it was off center, and that it was like a monster, consuming more rows and layers of cotton yarn. So, its big, maybe a purse?

Market Bag:

This barely qualifies as a WIP because all I have to do is resew the top of the handles. I noticed they were a bit off, one being longer than the other, so I frogged the seam and plan to fix it. I made this for my friend Bekah in Homer for Christmas.

Fabric Rug:
I never finished this... I got thread all over me when I started it...PIA... but I will attempt again... someday.

Here we go...

I browse many fiberous blogs often enough, but after just graduating from my first college degree (bachelor nursing science) I have not been free enough to digitially document my love of crafting and such until now. The first post of following the crafting leader.

I love doing many things: crocheting, knitting, sewing, beadwork, painting... all of which I consider myself to be a novice at, but nonetheless, I still LOVE it. I figure this might be a good way to log the blogs that I find interesting, keep track of my WIP's and finished projects and network a bit.

Enjoy what you might find here, but have patience, this might take awhile!!