turkey feathers

Take Your Time

I really appreciate all the support for our doll house baker.  Grace was giddy with all the orders she got yesterday and was doing a happy dance around the house.  Today she’ll be packing everything up and we should have it all in the mail by the end of the week.  Thanks again!  This was the creative boost she needed to pick up where she left off last year.  She plans to keep adding a few things to her shop regularly, so if you missed out on this buying spree please check back, or inquire about custom orders.   The online catalog is here if you want to peruse her wares and “baked goods”.  And this dancing flower is from PatternBee, part of the free-with-purchase bonus transfers, which I meant to mention long before now, because next Thursday, it will be time to take it down and replace it with a new set of designs.  I’m finishing that up now; continuing the "garden" theme.  I'll most likely make a pillow out of this when I find some time.

In between all this, there was a little craft activity with child #4 yesterday too.  Ginger and I finally got out our felting needles, wool fiber, and this book, and played around for a few hours making critters.  She wants to do more again today.  I hope my fingers can take it, I must’ve stabbed myself half-a-dozen times, and let me tell ya, those needles aren’t only wickedly sharp, they’re barbed, and rather rusty; must be careful here.  Ginger has more patience than I do, not one prick.  Next time I need to heed my own warning.  It was the first time I’ve done this type of wool sculpting and I probably went about it all wrong.  One needle broke, so I’m sure I did.  (Stop laughing Missy!)

Fortunately the blood droplets aren’t showing up on my baby robin.  Just don’t look too close! (I'm not kidding about that.)  Not too bad for a first try. My friend Missy supplied some of the fibers for our projects.  She’s put some nice kits together with a variety of pretty wool roving and a few other essentials; now available in her Etsy shop.  I'm finding more inspiration here and here and here.  But it will all have to wait, I'm going on a hunting expedition for trees today.

Freezer Paper Print-Outs

It's our turn to jump on the bandwagon with a few freezer-paper projects.  Ginger made these t-shirts in preparation for her new little niece who is due to arrive in a few more weeks.  I guess we have bunnies on the brain with so many of them romping around the yard right now.  Plus the tags on these say, Rabbit Skins (from Dharma Trading Co.), so I guess that did influence our decision.   (If you haven't seen this technique before, Craftster has tutorials.) I prefer using the C. Jenkins 8.5 x 11 freezer paper sheets rather than the paper rolls from the grocery store though, mainly because you can feed these sheets into your inkjet and print any line design directly onto the paper.  This is great if you want to adjust the size as I did, but it can also save time if you're making many.  (Of course, you can trace designs right onto the paper too.)  Just a few more nifty uses and applications for the freezer sheets here; including printing directly onto cloth as I've done here. 

I'm probably the last one on the block to try this, though I've often admired quilts with old photographs printed onto the fabric and always wondered how difficult that might be.  It made me a bit nervous to tell the truth, but it worked fine.  I did have some ink smudges in places, so make sure your cloth is securely stuck to the paper before you proceed.  I used vintage pictures and photographs printed onto light-weight muslin that was trimmed to fit the sheet.  (After printing, let it dry completely before peeling off the freezer-paper backing.)  I imagine you could make all sorts of labels too.

I used a few as appliques on the newborn onesies I've been working on for baby grand-daughter #2.  She'll have lots of hand-me-downs from Sister, but it's always nice to have a few new things too.  Love how sweet these look with just a touch of blanket-stitching around the neck and a rosebud or bow, or in this case, the printed appliques.  (Used a tight zig-zag machine-stitch all around the raw edges.  Close-up view.)  TIP:: For cotton knits use a peel-away iron-on stabilizer on the inside of the garment in the area you're working on.  It's also a little tricky keeping these onesies flat under the sewing-machine needle, requiring a bit of adjustment as you go along, however, not too difficult.  My daughter-in-law will have to let me know how they hold up in the wash.  Since newborn clothing is outgrown in a flash, I doubt it will be much of a problem; though it's probably wise to use permanent or archival ink cartridges for making things that you don't want to fade.  I'm thinking about what to do with the other images I still have here.  Oh, the possibilities are endless.

Updated 4/29 to add:: I didn't use Bubble Jet Set, but did do a wash test on these printed images and had no fading at all.  I used an Epson printer, and their inks are made from permanent pigments, rather than dye-based types, such as the ones used by InkJet printers, which do fade and wash out more readily.  So in that case, you would need the BJS to preserve the ink longer.

Sew Berry Sweet

We joined one of our homeschool groups for ice skating yesterday.  The girls haven't been for awhile but they got right back out there and had a great time.  I wish we had an ice-rink closer, it's about a 2-hour round trip over and back and by the time I got home I was so sleepy I dozed off in my chair before dinner!  Good grief.  Being an "older" mom has it's drawbacks sometimes.  I'm wide awake now though after a good night's sleep and a late breakfast, and even found something pretty for you to take a gander at.  Grace stitched these strawberry sachets a while ago, but I never got around to sharing them. They seemed like the perfect counterpoint on this gray winter's day while dreaming of spring.  I know these aren't exactly breaking-news, cloth-food has been out there awhile, but the book (Sew Pretty Homestyle by Tone Finnanger) that inspired these, is an absolute treasure trove of crafty loveliness.  I got my hands on a copy last fall, but the holidays hit and I didn't get around to doing any of the projects myself.  After looking through this today I'm inspired all over again and apparently I'm not alone.  More to see here on this collective blog of shared creations. 

Snowman Pencil Pal

We made it through January!  A long month in some ways and yet it seemed to go by in a blur.  I think someone's messing with my time-space continuum.  I've got a houseful of giggly young ladies working on their current movie, title of which escapes me, but it involves more doll foolery, fake pizza, and a man-doll named "Gary".  You should hear them trying to be serious.  I've got my ZEN V (mp3) ready to plug in if things get too rowdy.  Listening to soothing voices like Jack Johnson and Elizabeth Mitchell keep me in the mellow zone.  Another storm is on the way and convinced us to stay home this weekend.  It's a mess out there with snow advisories, avalanches, and mud slides.  I've got some old movies and sewing lined up, possibly some more bonnets for babes or those poor Thumbelina's with bad hair that need help! 

Finger Puppets

Aren't these cute?  Ginger has been creating various critters all week.  It started with a few drawings she was doing, and the next thing I knew she was sitting at her craft table quietly and meticulously cutting, stitching, and gluing.    She made these from bits of felt and some cotton-batting scraps that she found in the trash can.  I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, eh?  What do your kids like to do on a rainy day?

Short & Sweet

We've been making Christmas sweeties all week.  What merry memories this always stirs up from my own youth.  Yesterday Ginger's friend joined the fun.  We turned up the holiday music and everyone went straight to work. I'd made a basic Sugar Cookie dough ahead of time.  It was chilled and ready to go when they were. Soon my counter tops were covered with dancing shapes and the whole house smelled delicious. While these pretties cooled, I mixed up the icing.  Powder sugar + milk + egg white for a hard shiny glaze.  (Meringue Powder can be used as a substitute for raw egg whites if you don't know your chicken.) We made *peppermint sprinkles* from crushed candy canes.  (To do this, break them into pieces, place in a plastic freezer bag and use a rolling pin.)  I like to use old baby spoons for sprinkling small bits.  Toss any leftovers in your hot cocoa.  Yum! Grace jumped in and decided to make Gingerbread cookies.  (She's going to pipe the icing later today, still determined to master the pastry bag.)  So, while everyone else was busy doing their own thing, I was making "Almond Butter Cups" for the Mister.  He has a sweet tooth, but absolutely refuses to eat anything that contains an artificial ingredient.  Necessity is the Mother of Invention, so here's my take on the traditional peanut butter cup, using all organic ingredients.  I start by s-l-o-w-l-y melting 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 2 T. vegetable shortening over a double-boiler.  While chocolate is melting, combine in a small bowl:  1/3 cup almond butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Set aside. I like to use the foil paper-lined candy cups.  Mini muffin tins work great for this too and help these keep their shape while setting-up in the fridge.  To assemble, use the tip of a regular teaspoon, and put about a half a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate in each of the candy cups, filling about 1/3.  Add a tiny dollop of the sweetened almond butter, filling to 2/3.  Top off with more chocolate, and a nut.  (I use sprouted almonds.)  Makes about 2 dozen.  These little candy morsels are best when devoured at room temperature the next day after the flavors mingle.  The hardest part of all this, of course, is the waiting.

Bits & Pieces

. . and the Christmas Tree decorating continues. . . who knew this would provide so much entertainment for one little girl?   Ginger is having a ball dusting off  some of the old treasures I'd long forgotten about and is eagerly awaiting the next box I pull out of storage.  Half the time, I'm not even sure what we're going to find.  Not all of it ends up hanging on the tree, thankfully, but it has been kind of fun rummaging through all the odds and ends and going down "memory lane" remembering past holidays with her in a thoughtful way. 

This fun pop-up reindeer card is just another of  the crafty things Grace has been working on.  Several years ago, she was selling a few of her handmade cards to family members.  She's not doing that anymore, but she still likes to make them, especially these pop-up varieties.  (This one was featured on Martha recently, the pattern templates can be downloaded here.  The lettering was done using the Susan Branch script alphabet stamps.)  She made this for a friend, and that's all I'm saying, because I don't want to give anything away. 

This website offers quite a few interesting ideas along with free templates.  You can make them as plain or elaborate as you like.  Another good site here, for making custom cards, envelopes, and boxes.   

Wednesday Wonders

There's been a parade of deer through the yard today.  One group after another, mostly does with fawns trotting behind.  They're always wandering through, but usually not this many in short succession.  I'd already counted eleven before anyone else was out of bed.  Three were grazing in the grass outside my office window a few minutes ago.  I love watching them.  One of the fawns wandered away from it's mama and starting digging in a huge pile of shredded landscape bark that we have sitting at the end of the driveway.  Yes, I said digging with his little hoof.  It reminded me of a cat using a litter box, and I thought, surely he's not going to do THAT!  I kept watching.  He continued digging for several more minutes.  When he was quite satisfied, he curled up in the hole he'd made.  Apparently, even deer have their own particular creature comforts.

Deer are such scatty things and will bolt at the slightest movement.   Somehow I managed to get a decent picture of him through window blinds and the screen, using a zoom.  Look at that face.  OK, I guess I can forgive you for chomping the Lady's Mantle we carelessly planted out in the open and didn't spray.  The only thing we forgot to spray with the magic concoction---that's still working btw.  Alright.  Enough about the crazy deer...

Back to fun biz here... I want to talk about this pattern.   I've always wondered how these traditional peasant style garments were made.  Searched around for years in fact trying to discover the secret behind them.  So I was really excited when I found this website from the Mexican Dress Lady herself, with a download for $5.  Can you believe this is constructed from a square and four rectangles?  Well, it is!  It's so simple, it's brilliant.  Maybe I'm the last to know, but after I made this, I was amazed.  You can make a blouse or a dress.  It's all measured out to fit your size.  I made a little blouse for Ginger, (who is ten) to start with, just to make sure I was on the right path.   I just couldn't believe it was that simple.  She designed the yoke and I did the embroidery.   It's a project I'm pretty sure she can do herself next time, with a little help, but I wanted to make one first, before she put forth all the effort, just in case of disappointment. 

We're both really happy with how it turned out though.  I used a good quality unbleached muslin.  The only thing I did differently was to cut out two yoke pieces, instead of roll-hemming the neck edge.  I used one as a facing to hide raw edges and cover the back of the embroidery, which finished it quite neatly and made a nicer edge for the blanket-stitching.    There are going to be a lot more of these in my future.

Summertime Sweets

I was thinking it's about time for another update (as promised),  especially now that we have some new shop additions to show you, and a few fleeting moments between zucchini watch, which has been like non-stop for three weeks now.  I swear, you do not want to turn your back on these dudes, because they can turn into giant clubs in about half a nano-second.  The girls think it's hilarious every time one gets away from us.   Usually it's only a matter of hours since we last checked on them too.   How can something grow so fast?  I'm quickly running out of new and delicious recipes,  not to mention friends and neighbors to give them to.  Our postal carrier is in for a surprise . . . um, I mean TREAT, when he opens the mailbox tomorrow.  Yes, I'm afraid it's come to that.  If I hadn't lost my momentum with the A-Z Quiche recipes, I could've wrapped it all up neat and tidy with a nice Zucchini Quiche about now.  Maybe there's still time.  .  . Anyway, as I was saying about the shop update...I've finally gotten around to adding some of my little handmade doll/art quilts, along with these sweet cupcake morsels,  the latest mini-treats to come out of the dollhouse bakery.   These are so cute!  Wish we had more.  Grace only had time to make a few, but I'm sure she'd be happy to take orders, for as long as her supply holds up, and only if you're not in a big hurry, because all this teensy crafting takes time and our summer calendar has been full. 

One highlight includes a cake decorating contest the girls participated in last month at the annual company picnic, and both won prizes for their contributions.   Ginger decorated a simple white cake with edible candied flowers she made with egg-whites and ultra-fine sugar.   The effect was really sweet and charming and she was so proud of it. 

Grace made a ring cake, also with edible fresh flowers.  We had some humidity issues that day, but both cakes held up really well, much to our relief.      

  I expect the next cake we bake. . . will be green. 

Donut Charms

After all the fun and excitment, we are finally getting back around to the long-awaited donut charms!  These are so adorably cute.  Handmade by our own amazing Grace of course and available in her ETSY Shop today!  These little wonders can be used to make a necklace,  added to a charm bracelet, or used in pairs for earrings.  They make nice little stocking stuffers too.   She has pink donuts with sprinkles (as shown), chocolate glazed donuts, more cute cupcakes, and gingerbread cookies, plus a few other dollhouse treats.  Quantities are limited and sell out fast.  If you want more than one item, order them but don't send payment until I send an invoice with the combined total through Paypal.  You don't need a Paypal account to send payment, but you do need to sign up for Etsy to purchase something.  It's easy and it's free. If you have neither, you can just email me what you want and if it's available we'll hold it for you, or put your name on our waiting list, as Grace is still taking a few special orders.

Oh! Almost forgot the Lemon Meringue Pie!