Wordless Wednesday

Peach Iris

Wordless Wednesday

Miniture Japanese Iris

Rope Trick

This post once again is about what I found on Pinterest but here is the website that pin came from.  Here is my adventure

I wanted a more bowl like rope bowl so I picked a glass bowl.  I covered it with foil because I didn't want the hot glue or the other glue to stick to the bowl. 

So I started with a small circle in the middle on the bottom of the bowl.  This sisal rope is not as flexible as it looks.  You have to wrestle with it in the beginning but it does get easier as you go.

Here is the circle getting larger on the bottom of the bowl.  I used a glue gun to glue the rope in the beginning.

Here  the bowl starting to take shape.

All done wrapping.  I wanted measure to see how deep the bowl is.  After I finished I realized it's a bit deeper than I wanted. 

This is the finished bowl and the look inside.  It looks pretty neat at first glance. 

Out of the whole package of rope that I bought at Lowes, this is all that's left.  I think I might have enough to make another very smallish bowl.  Of course I have not yet but I will get around to it eventually.

I used hot glue to make sure that the rope stuck to itself, but the glue doesn't seem to be a strong as I would have liked so I watered down Mod Podge and took a really crappy paint brush and painted the whole inside and outside with the it.  I think it got two coats on both sides.  It's really stiff now.  I wanted it to be.  If you don't want yours that stiff, don't do as many coats or nothing at all. 

What did I learn?

1. Not everything on Pinterest is as easy as it looks.

2. This is a great idea, but the sisal rope is very scratchy even after the Mod Podge.

3. Use a different kind of rope for the next bowl or basket.

4.  Hot glue is not the end all be all.  Be careful when using it; it drips between the layers and doesn't hold as well as you think it will.

5.  Never cover the bowl with foil when using hot glue.  Eventually it will stick and you will have a basket or bowl with bits of foil stuck to it.  Using a wire form like the author did is best.  I had to scrape my bowl (the glass one) with a razor blade to get all the bits that stuck to it and then put it through the dishwasher.  I don't know what is the best way, but I'm thinkin' the foil is not. 

6. Keep trying, it's a fun project with lots of possibilities.

 

All Strung Up

I am trying to spread my wire wings by trying things with wire that are not jewelry related.  I am not interested in knitting or crocheting with wire but this project was both useful and cute, not to mention totally free...which is a bonus these days. 

Since the website and all the link are in French, I decided to look at the picture and try to wing it. Winging it could go either way...just saying.

I cut four size 18 wire that was purchased from a boxed hardware store.  I bought it a while ago for jewelry making and it didn't work out so I shelved it.  I thought it might be perfect for this project.  I tried counting how many pieces of wire was used and I think I counted eight so I cut four pieces of 36" wire.

I noticed on the bottom of the basket that it was held together with just a small piece of wire so of course I went nuts.

I then measured three inches on either since of the bottom attachement, then bent them as best I could to a 90 degree angle to create the bottom of the basket.  That created a wirey greased pig. 

The other basket had a ring around the top so I used a Claussen pickle jar I had on the bench to hold quilling odds and ends.

This is the end result.  It's a bit wonky but it's on it's way.

 Then I took some left over wire after snipping off the bones of the basket and hooked two of them together.  The project might be free, but wasting the wire would just be silly. 

 Here is is the finished basket.  Not much to look at though.  Hard to photograph too!

 But when you give it what it needs, then it shines, for it has a purpose.

 TADA.  Now doesn't that make a difference?  I kind of thought so.

 Even though it looks wonky, it does sit just fine on a table (after I stomped my feet and twisted that wire into submission).

 Potting bench made from old deck boards with wonky cotton string holder.

 

Cotton string's new home near the workbench.  Project done!  Thank you French speaking person who posted it. 

Things I learned

1.  I am a doofus about Pinterest stuff.

2. Not reading instructions will eventually catch up with me and cause a lovely project to go horribly.

3.I usually over estimate my creative ability and the ability to complete the project match the picture. 

4.  It really doesn't matter about 1, 2 and 3 because I had a good time and the finished project is okay with me.

Wordless Wednesday

Random Red Tuplips from front yard

 

Point me in the right direction

...again with the Pinterest!  In the knitting section of my pins there was the greatest idea!  I have no idea why I hadn't thought of this.  It's just stupid simple.  I am lucky to have a whole room that is dedicated to my business on Etsy.  It's also the temple for my knitting and any other hobby I go nuts over.  The only problem I have, is that I am running out of table space.  My work table is a hollow core door that used to be the top to my old desk.  It was eggplant purple like that room used to be.  Don't freak.  It's been repainted and made into a guest room and looks more conservative.  So I had to repaint the door and it's white, well a cream color and it's full of stuff.  When I saw this great idea on Pinterest I ran upstairs and found what I needed, begged the husband to make it happen and he did!  It only cost $4.  The only reason it even cost that much was because a new bit for the drill had to be purchased.  I had everything else. 

This is what I wanted to make.  I had a spare shelf that had been taken off the wall about to head to the yard sale room. When I saw how cool a project this was, and that it would cost little or no money I whipped out that shelf and got the project started.  I do want to add a side note to this.  I spent an hour searching backwards on Pinterest looking for a link or the original person who pinned the link to give them credit.  I went back 6 people and still never did find whose project it was.  They are genius and I think they deserve credit!!

So, here's how it got started.  K got out a tape measure and I zoned out and all I heard was, blah, blah, blah, and then I can drill it.  Truly I saw his lips moving and heard nothing!  I did hear him say to bring him all the straight needles  I had a lot.  I didn't realize I had so many in the same sizes.  I don't ever use straights anymore since discovering circulars but I will not throw them out. 

After matching up all the needles, K marked on the shelf how many pairs of what sizes I had.  He went into the garage and found a drill bit for every size of needles I had except for one (don't ask me which ones because I totally zoned out again).  So as I said above, we did have to spend $4 for a larger sized bit.  Here it is all done and hung up.  I am so excited about this project.

 

 

Here is the top view of the shelf.  You won't be able to set anything on top of it because needles have round heads and head that stick up.  I could set something non-breakable up there but I am not going to push my luck.

This pic is of the afghan hooks.  They don't come in pairs but I did have more than one in the same size, long hooks and shorter hooks.

This is better picture of how they look straight on.  As you can see to the right side of the shelf; I have more room for more needles but all mine are up there.  If I ever want to add something else, I can.  I thought about adding cup hooks and then hanging things knitting related from the hooks.  The only problem with that is Max the Mainecoon might think they are toys.   I am still thinking about how I can organize that end of the empty shelf. 

 

So there is a Pinterest idea that actually came to life for me.  I do love ideas on there that I can incorporate in my life without too much money or fuss.  Maybe all the hours I spend on Pinterest really is worth it?

Roy G. Biv

I have really fallen hard for Pinterest.  I fought it for about a year then finally got an invitation and joined.  I have not stopped pinning since.  I pin a billion things that interest me and might interest my family.  Since daughter-in-law and mother-in-law look for ideas for gifts for me, I put myself a "Gifts I Want" on my board.  All they have to do is log in and look at my list.  I got two things off of there last year for Christmas.  I got a lovely salt cellar and a dual purpose whisk that were on the list. It works!

The other day the weather was a little bit coolish and the baking bug bit me.  I had to have something baked.  I usually keep two or three boxes of boxed cake mixes for such sweet tooth emergencies.  So I fired up the oven and as I waited for it to heat up I got onto Pinterest and went to my board on Pinterest.  I have a cupcake board but let's face it, some of those are for real experts, which I am not.  Thankfully I have a grip on the basics. I found something that makes me smile every time I see it so that was the winner.

I have very basic icing skills so this fit the bill.  As usual I really didn't give the colors of the icing much thought so I dived in half cocked.  Thankfully it worked out okay but they didn't look like the picture...exactly.

Got big red ready and she didn't disappoint.  I used a friend's buttercream icing recipe and it's perfect every single time I have used it.  I won't use any other recipe ever again.



 

There are most of the ones I made.  I have more on the counter because they wouldn't all fit on the plate.  As you can see one didn't get the red on top, so guess who got eaten first??

I did notice after I made the cupcakes that I hadn't scrolled down far enough on the site.  It showed how to ice the cupcake.  I should have read the whole thing before starting but I truly didn't realize there was more.  I used a HUGE plain tip.  A medium would have been better.  When you eat one of these, you go into true sugar shock, but oh how delightful it was.  I will make these again another time.  I think they would be cute as black white or red , white and blue for July 4th?  The possibilities are endless.  It doesn't take much to make these adorable cupcakes. 

Crossroads

I wanted to start a new blog since this one has been so neglected for about two years but the name I wanted to use was already taken.  A second look at this blog has made me realize that I can still do what I want with this one and carry one blogging once again since now I have tons to time.  I quite my teaching job over a year ago and have been staying home full time.  It's been peaceful and I like it much better this way.  I have been doing more gardening, found two new hobbies I like, knit and crochet still although not as much as I used to due to the two new hobbies.  Those two new hobbies lead me down the rabbit hole and I think I like it.  So I will start blogging here again and see what happens.  This time it will be a mixutre of everything that is going on that I want to share.  I may or may not post daily or even weekly.  Just getting my toe back into the water is enough for now.  Blogger has changed lots of things since I was last here and I need some time to catch up.  For those of you who were faithful followers, thank you so much.  I still have some of the blogs I used to read listed on the side bar and those will be changing.  Some of those sites have come and gone (like you thought I had) and I will have to weed those out.  I will be adding new ones as I come across some that I like. And so it begins once again...

What's Old is New Again!

What's Old is New Again!

I have been waiting for my youngest son to leave home for the third time. He left the first time to move out on his own. Then he was called to active duty and go to Iraq for a year. Now he has a job and have moved out again. While I have mixed emotions about him finally leaving home, I am excited about turning his room into some new...again.

I had thought years ago when son #2 moved out I would make a guest room. I have hung on to that for such a long time. Then it occurred to me that I could make an office/fiber studio in there and use the smaller second bedroom as a guest room. So it is taking place now. It's horrifying to me to post this first picture but I wanted you to see the before and in working progress pictures.
This is my son's room right before he moved out. And now it looks like this...
My husband ripped out the carpet and the padding. Then (because it drives him crazy) he screwed down the under flooring that squeaked. Here is the primer, paint for the ceiling and paint for the wall.

Here is one corner primed near the closet. Please ignore the time stamp. It's way wrong because I took these pictures today.

This is a shot of the only window in the room. The black area to the right of the window is the access to the pipes for the water in the bathroom that butts up to the bedroom. There is framed square of wood that covers that up with molding. I will have to paint the molding so that stuff has been moved. I have to rough it up a bit and then paint it the new trim color.

The really cool tool that is the tallest in this picture, is ceiling popcorn scraper. It worked like a charm and all that mess is gone, gone, gone. So now the ceiling has to be primed to cover up the little marks from scraping the popcorn off. It looks so much better.

Here is another corner of the room that has the water pipe access for the other bathroom. I thought that this room should be the fiber studio because every time someone runs water in either bathroom, the poor person who sleeps in this room has to hear every drop. Not great for sleeping so I have been told about a million times by my son. I painted five different colors on the walls to see what I liked. I wanted to do a more tan color for the wall and a beige color for the ceiling. Since there is going to be so much color from all the yarn stash, I figured neutral colors would be the best.

The ceiling got one coat of primer so far. We bought flooring for this bedroom and the smaller one since it was on sale. When we get all the stuff out of one room the other one will be cleared to start the whole process all over again. A metal shelving rack has been purchased from Lowe's and I think I will go and get another one that is a wee bit smaller to put in front of the window. I want to put some plants in there and fix up a spot for the cat for when he out runs the dogs. So that is where we are in the fiber studio so far. I will make updates as soon as we get something done.

It's Sock Time!

It's Sock Time

I joined a group on Ravelry that is knitting socks all year round. I started off with the best of intentions but fizzled out when I lost my knitting mojo. When I finally found it, I knit all of those Waffleknit Dish/Wash cloths (40). It was mindless knitting that I could take anywhere and thankfully,they sparked my desire to knit again. Since then I have knit one pair of socks and have another pair on the needles. I helped someone put a border on a handspun knit gift for a wedding and a misc. scarf for a coffee shop owner where we gather twice a month to knit. I was just trying to burn up yarn and Angela said she liked it and it's found a new home. I know I have not made as much of a dent in my stash as I wanted but I have been trying.

I just finished these socks a few weeks ago but my blogging has been hit or miss lately. So here is the newest green socks with a pattern that I have used before. I truly love this pattern. I tried another yarn with this cabled pattern but it just didn't let the cables shine through so I frogged them and changed yarn.
As much stuff as I order from KnitPicks over the years, you would think that I would have actually ordered some yarn from them, but I have not. Well, at least not this year. Right before I knew I would not be ordering yarn, I went in with a mass order with some friends. So I ordered some yarn and this is one of the yarns I ordered. I think it's Stroll but I can't find the ball band. Here is the sideview of the sock. I didn't line up the cables very well for the photo op but they are there. There are two in the fron and two in the back up to here I put in the after thought heel. I love that heel! It's a bit annoying to pick up the stitches later, but the look is so worth it. I did not use reinforcement on the heel or the toe. I forgot. I like the extra strength but opps!
I know there is a huge ladder right down the front of the sock. I had a run-away stitch that I dropped and had to pick it up. When I did it made the ladder. I am hoping when the socks are washed and dried that will go away. These are some of the easiest socks I have ever knit. I would recommend this pattern to an advanced beginner who want to try cables.
Here is a more close up view. Can you tell I really love these socks. This is pair number three I have done with this patter and I think there will be more down the pike. Happy Knitting!

A Quickie Craft Idea

A Quickie Craft Idea

I have been cruising craft blogs for months now looking for inspiration and I found it. This seems to be a new trend and I for one, love it! It's such a simple idea that I can't believe I have not done this sooner. This is the simplest idea ever! Not much money either. So it's a hit with me!
How cool is this? In my search for great organization ideas I found this one on the net. First you find a glass jar or vase. Of course you have to purchase a spray can of chalk board paint and some masking tape of some kind. You mask off an area around where you want the spray to go. There might be over spray but that's quickly fixed by using a dry SOS pad and the little tiny droplets come off quickly. Then you spray the chalkboard paint on the open spot in small strokes. I let the paint dry for about two hours and then put on another coat. I think I may have done either three or four coats. Then I pulled all the tape off. I cleaned off the over spray areas. I think I read somewhere on the net that it's best to take your chalk and completely cover the painted area then wipe it off with a soft cloth of some sort. After that anything you write on the area should look great. I was tickled pink with the results. The above photo is of all three of my one gallon zip lock bags of 5 gm. sock skeins for my sock blanket. Now everything is in one place and I can see all the yarns I want to use!
I really dislike laundry detergent boxes. They are awkward and usually pretty ugly. So I bought a jar at Tuesday Morning and decided it was going to be my first project. It worked really well so then it was the sock jar above.

In my zeal to organize even more I found a vase that was collecting dust in one of my kitchen cabinets and I gave it the chalk board treatment. Mind you, this is still the same can I started with. So now I have all my straights in one place and that emptied out an container that I donated to another knitter. I can see all my needles which in the long run will save me money. I won't be going to out and buying more needles because now I can clearly see what I have.

I have clearly been smitten with this idea. I am going to use the chalk board paint on some other items so stay tuned. My youngest son has gotten his own apartment and I am hoping to make his old room my craft haven. So there will be more organizing coming down the pike. Check out this site and you will be blown away with new and fabulous ideas!

Dead Wood

When we bought our house I have to admit that having a deck was a selling point. I didn't give the up keep much thought; ever. I think the first owners of the house had it installed while they lived here before us. It was not brand new but new enough. We didn't do any preserving or much up keep and it shows. It's been through hurricanes, standing water, animals, carpenter bees, paint splatters, rats and bunnies gnawing on it and tons of snow, not to mention the scorching hot summers. I think the deck was well worth someone else's money. Now it's our turn to upgrade the yard and make it ours. After eighteen years, I think it's time.

So the weekend of July 4th we finally decided to do the deed. It was a back breaking deed, but it got done. We tore down the deck to parade rest (my husband loves that expression). There was digging, prying, hammering, sweating and swearing , but it got done.
This is the deck before the day of demo. As you can see the steps coming down into the yard had rotted away and my cheap solution was to use pavers stacked up to serve as the new steps. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the section of the deck we tore up sits up higher than the portion of the deck that is closest to the sun room door. Let's face it. It's a mess.
This the view from the deck after all the floor board were taken off. It took all morning. Then we took a break to top off our fluids, eat lunch and have a nap to recoup. The afternoon was spent taking out the bottom frame. What a job that was. We had to get a rather large sledge hammer to tear up the foundation boards.
This is the view from the part of the deck that is still intact. You can see part of the garden straight ahead. Notice the fence? We did that to keep the dogs out and so far it has worked really well. So as you can see everything is still in progress. We plan a small herb garden that will have a potting bench. A small fence has been put up since these pictures were taken. We still have to decide on stones for the new patio and rip up the other half of the deck. Weekends is the only time we have to work on this so it's going to be a slow process. I don't care if it takes all summer as long as we make some progress on it every weekend. We are planning on taking some of the foundation deck boards that are in good shape and making two more large raised beds for the garden and to make the potting bench. I hate thinking about the good wood being wasted so we have plans for it. I am excited that we are finally making progress. Stay tuned.

Old Fashioned

...nope that is not referring to the alcoholic drink. It's referring to something that I remembered from my childhood. My grandmother lived on a very quiet street in Temple, TX when I was a child and well into my adulthood until she moved to another part of town to a much nicer house. I have some really great memories about the old house and her neighbors. It seemed to me as a child that everyone on that street was old. I mean really old. Of course this memory was from elementary school, so I guess everyone was really old to me then. I suspect those "old" people weren't really that old.

The woman who lived next door used to make homemade donuts and gave them to my grandmother for us when we came to visit. In turn, my grandmother would send over a small brown bag of her cherry tomatoes. Long after my grandmother passed away, I went back to the old house and knocked on the neighbor's door. That donut woman still lived there but now she really was old. I think she told me she was in her 90s. I am pretty sure that she has passed away by now, but I still have such wonderful memories of her donuts and how nice she was to let me come over and spend time with her.

The neighbors who lived next door to the donut woman were a married couple. They were so cute together and again were so sweet to me as a little girl. I don't remember too much about them except their names and how slowly they moved. They used to have a wooden screen door on the front door that would make the neatest squeak when it opened and closed.

Then there were the two old ladies who lived on the corner. I never knew their names and never talked to them but I would walk past their house on the way to the grocery store at the end of the street. My grandmother knew them and used to say they were two old maid sisters who lived together. The thing that I loved most about walking past their house, was their killer garden. They had the white picket fence on the side yard and there was all kind of green stuff growing gang busters there. I remember seeing them in the scorching hot sun in their plain long sleeved prairie dresses and their prairie bonnets on working their magic with a hoe. I don't ever remember seeing their faces. Their bonnets covered up their faces. I know they wore them to keep the sun off of them but I have never forgotten how cool and old fashioned I thought they looked. Does anyone here remember Holly Hobby? They looked just like her.

So when I saw this post from my blogger friend Paula, I had to do something quick to get some of these! Since Paula admired my dishcloths, I asked if we could do a swap and she said yes! I was so excited. The bonnets came in the mail a while ago. I should have posted this sooner but I have been just a bit busy with work, the garden and taking on a new responsibility and posting often got pushed off to the side. It posting this sooner did not lessen how crazy I am about the apron/bonnets. Wait until you see the pictures I took the day I opened the box. Please be gentle as you look at my pictures. Remember, you are admiring the bonnet not my bad hair...

This is taken in the bathroom so that you can see the hat. Not such a good one but the next one is much better.
I just love it. It gets the thumbs up from me for sure.
Paula exactly what I would like so she made me two bonnets. This one is the second one. Pretty cool? I am just thrilled with my new bonnet/aprons. I have to confess, they probably will never be used for an apron because I just love the sun bonnet look. If you have not read Paula's blog you really need to. It's cute and all about the country life she leads. I am always tickled when she has a new post.

Thanks Paula, for such a wonderful exchange. Please accept my thanks and my apology for not posting this as soon as I got them.